Peyton glanced at Darius in confusion. It was only six-twenty in the evening. She thought they were early.
“Ms. Helen, I called to tell you I was going to be late.” Darius gestured Peyton to precede him into the house, then leaned down to kiss their hostess’s wrinkled cheek.
“Yes, you did do that.” Ms. Helen closed and locked the door.
Their hostess’s home smelled like apple cinnamon and looked like Christmas. Seasonal lights and garlands traced the archway between the front room and the rest of the house. A six-foot-tall Christmas tree dominated the room. It drew Peyton like a spell with its twinkling lights and vivid colors.
“What a beautiful tree.” Her voice was breathless with awe.
The tree was covered from top to bottom in elegant ornaments and tiny lights and crowned with an angel. The skirt swirling at its base sparkled with green, gold, blue, silver, and red glitter. The entire display was a tribute to the joy of the season.
“Thank you, dear.” Ms. Helen sounded pleased.
“Peyton has a tiny Charlie Brown tree sitting on a table in her apartment.” Darius’s voice teased her.
“Shame on you, Darius. At least she has a tree.” Ms. Helen shook her head. “One of my watchers helped me decorate it. I thought they could at least make themselves useful when they stop by.”
“I wish you wouldn’t call us that.” Darius shrugged out of his coat.
Ms. Helen turned to Peyton. “When you get to be my age, people parade in and out of your house at all hours of the day to make sure you’re still breathing. Darius has the last shift at six o’clock.”
Ms. Helen’s explanation only increased Peyton’s confusion. “Why do people come to your home in shifts?” She tugged off her gloves and tucked them into her coat pockets.
“That’s not what we’re doing.” Darius helped Peyton out of her coat, then hung it next to his on the ebony coat tree across the room. “She exaggerates the story more each time she tells it.”
“I don’t want you all thinking I’m some foolish old woman, falling for your I-was-in-the-neighborhood stories. I’m not.” Ms. Helen turned to Peyton. “Megan McCloud and Ean Fever have the earliest shift. They stop by around six in the morning for a glass of water on their way home from their jog.”
“That is early.” Peyton glanced at Darius.
Darius inclined his head toward Ms. Helen. “What she doesn’t tell you is that she’s waiting for them with the water.”
Ms. Helen continued. “Alonzo stops by around noon on his way to lunch at Books and Bakery. Doreen drops in around three
o’clock after work. Then Darius arrives at six.”
“She makes a good argument, Darius.”
“We care about you, Ms. Helen.” Darius spread his arms. “You can’t blame us for that.”
“That’s the only thing keeping me from not letting the lot of you into my house.” Ms. Helen led them into her kitchen. “Would you like some tea? Doreen has been pushing this chai stuff on me. It’s not bad.”
“I’d love a cup. Thank you.” Peyton sank into the seat Darius held for her. She offered him a smile over her shoulder.
“Do you have regular tea?” Darius took the seat beside Peyton.
“Three cups of chai tea coming up.” Ms. Helen filled her kettle with filtered water, then set it on the stove to boil.
“Thank you, Ms. Helen.” Darius shook his head at the older woman’s deliberate contrariness. “Peyton and I would like you to be the keynote speaker for the Guiding Light Community Center fund-raiser.”
Ms. Helen pulled the mugs from her cupboards. “I thought you said the fund-raiser was going to be a dance.”
Peyton nodded. “It is.”
Ms. Helen added teabags to each of the three cups. “Why do you need a keynote speaker for a dance?”
Peyton folded her hands on the table. “We want someone to speak to the importance of the night’s event and the value of the community center to Trinity Falls’ residents.”
“You were the impetus behind the community center being built in the first place,” Darius added.