Nikki tilted her head back and watched as the woman Kevin had hired, Eleanor Reid, cleaned off the dinner table while she did nothing but sit. “I’m just doing my job,” Eleanor reminded her. A job she’d done well in the last week. Problem was, the job was all she did. There was no small talk or chit-chat. Nikki figured she could either lose her mind or try to draw the older woman out. “Yeah, but I grew up on a farm. Everyone pitched in. I mean even the cows gave milk.” It worked. The other woman cracked a smile on her professional face. Nikki waved a hand toward one of the chairs, motioning for her to sit. Eleanor hesitated, then sat down beside Nikki at the table. “How are you feeling?” she asked finally. After three days a week of Mrs. Reid puttering around her but never invading her personal space, Nikki was grateful she’d penetrated her shell. Nikki was lonely. Funny, but even in college, she’d been independent. She had many friends, and a roommate, but she’d been on her own more often than not.
