Secret Sisters - an LDS cozy mystery

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen  

The phone rang first thing in the morning. Ida Mae reached for it, missing it on the first grab. She should have left it in the hall instead of bringing it into the bedroom-she hated answering the phone halfasleep. 

"Hello?" she mumbled when she finally had the instrument in her hand. 

"Ida Mae? It's after eight o'clock. Are you still in bed?" 

"Good morning, Arlette. I was out living the wild life last night and came home drunk." 

"I don't find that amusing, Ida Mae." 

"Sorry." No, I'm not, Ida Mae thought. Call me at the crack of dawn, expect me to be cheerful, and see what you get.  

"I just wanted to see if Ren got out the door safely." 

Ida Mae sat up like a shot, fully awake. She was supposed to get up and make him a good breakfast that morning. It had been part of the deal. 

"I'm sure he did," she said, pressing a hand to her head. "I overslept, what with this hangover and all." 

"Really, Ida Mae. I'll call back later when you aren't feeling so fractious." 

Ida Mae hung up the phone and climbed out of bed. Had Ren already gone, or was he counting on her to wake him up? His bed was empty and somewhat made, and as she walked into the kitchen, her eyes fell on a note propped up on the table. 

I didn't know you could snore like that, Auntie. I came in to check on you at 5:30 and thought you'd swallowed a truck. See you later, and don't worry about me. I ate. 

Ida Mae smiled, then threw a bagel in the toaster. She might not have swallowed a truck, but she felt like she'd been hit by one. She'd been back to her house by two that morning, but she'd lain awake another hour, wondering if there wasn't anything else they could do for Hannah. She'd call some of the ladies in the ward and see if they couldn't go in and spell her more in the evenings. 

Dressed in her lavender velour pantsuit and feeling much better after her shower, Ida Mae headed over to the Hunters'. Heidi greeted her at the door, and they went into the living room where Reed and Rose waited on the leather couch. 

"I believe I may have a solution to your difficulty," Ida Mae said, coming straight to the point, as was her typical style. She saw no reason to beat around the bush when the bush was on her timecard. "Rose, do you know Hannah Eyre?" 

"The blonde with the two small boys? I've noticed her at church." 

Ida Mae glanced at Reed. She'd already talked the whole thing over with him, but she wasn't sure how Rose would take to the idea. "Well, she has a basement apartment that's just adorable. It's a walkout, so there aren't any stairs, and it's got a lot of sunlight. It's one bedroom, one bath, and fully furnished. She's been trying to rent it out, but everyone seems to want two bedrooms these days. What would you think of going to live there?" 

Rose glanced at Reed. "You already know about this, don't you?" 

"I do. I think it's a good idea, Mama. It would give you the space you need, but you'd also have someone handy if you needed them." 

"Hannah will check on you regularly and make sure you get your medication," Ida Mae said.  

"And you'll get Meals on Wheels, too," Reed added. 

"The two of you are ganging up on me, are you?" Rose straightened in her seat. "You don't have to rough house me." 

Ida Mae opened her mouth to protest, but then caught the gleam of humor in Rose's eye.