Fannin's Flame. Tina Leonard

walked away, making it inside the doors and toward the stairwell before Fannin’s voice stopped her.

      “It’s about Helga, Mason. They’ve asked me to talk to you about her.”

      The window was open in the kitchen, cracked to let cool air in and probably to let the cooking smells out. Helga had always said she didn’t like to smell food after it had been cooked and eaten. Kelly crept close to the window.

      “They don’t want Helga to be the housekeeper anymore.”

      “Tough. They don’t live here. I do. And as far as I can remember, they come here every night to eat in the main kitchen with barely a word of complaint.”

      “They do complain, just not in your hearing. Look, Mason, the truth is, we’ve all been tiptoeing around this for a year. Helga isn’t the one who put the curtains up, she’s not the one who held everything together during the big storm. The Lonely Hearts ladies did all that.” Fannin took a deep breath. “Mason, you’re not going to want to get this wake-up call, but Mimi hired Helga to keep you from hiring a housekeeper you might fall for.”

      “What’s that supposed to mean?”

      Kelly shivered, realizing she was eavesdropping on a highly personal disagreement. She excused herself by thinking the best thing she could do was to protect her mother—and to do that, she needed to know the score.

      “What are you talking about, Fannin?” Mason asked.

      “The first woman to come in this house was Annabelle and her baby, Emmie. Mimi panicked, realizing that a sweet young housekeeper with a ready-made family might be all it took for her to lose you forever. So she hired Helga. To keep you, you know, fed and taken care of. So you wouldn’t feel lonely. And you know what, Mason? It’s worked.”

      “Nonsense.”

      “Have you had any real dates? Have you gone out with anyone? What do you do all day? Moon after Mimi, who’s gone on with her life, if you haven’t noticed. And eat Helga’s cooking.”