Free Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers Page B

newspapers, leaflets, and napkins and shoved them in the trash can beside his desk. Corban pitched in, carrying the chips and dip into the kitchen while she hauled the vacuum out of the closet and plugged it in. He dumped everything into the garbage bag.
    “Just leave the dishes, Cory. I’ll do them!” Ruth called above the hum of the vacuum she was running back and forth. She was quick and careless, yanking the plug, looping the cord several times around the handle before shoving the machine back into the closet.
    She came back into the kitchen. “I said I’d do the dishes.” She brushed him aside. “I can’t do everything at once, you know.”
    He stepped back from her resentment, wanting her to understand. “I don’t like chaos.”
    “Well, good luck. Chaos abounds.”
    “It doesn’t have to abound in my apartment.”
    She tossed the washrag down and faced him, eyes bright with temper and the hint of tears. “Look! I’m sorry you had a rotten day, but don’t take it out on me.” She turned her back on him and went back to washing the dishes. “You can be so unreasonable. I was going to clean up. I just wanted to get some work done first. You act as though I’ve never done my share.”
    “I didn’t say that.”
    “Didn’t you? What’s more important, Cory? Having a spotless apartment or graduating with honors? Sometimes I think the only reason you asked me to move in with you was so you’d have a maid!”
    Far from it, considering the countless times he’d picked up after her. But he saw the mood she was in now—a mood she made perfectly clear had come on because of his ill temper—and he clamped his mouth shut.
    Maybe he was being unreasonable. Maybe he was making a big deal out of nothing. There were more important things in the world than having the dishes washed and put away, and the cushions on the couch where they belonged. A little chaos never killed anyone, did it? Why didhe let it get to him? She’d warned him up front, before moving in, that she wasn’t the neatest person in the world.
    Maybe it was just seeing how that old woman lived in a house coated with grime and caked with dust that had triggered him.
    He watched Ruth. She was seething. She barely washed and rinsed the glasses. Another word out of him, and he was sure she’d pack and leave. He’d make peace with her later. Chinese takeout. A red rose. It’d all blow over.
    Frustrated and restless, he went back into the living room and sat down at his desk and jotted down a few notes:
Leota Reinhardt. Cantankerous. Demanding. Suffers from arthritis. Needs caregiver. Senile (?) No mention of family. Lives in squalor. Only financial support Social Security (?) Education (?)
    He didn’t know much considering the time he’d spent with her. Next time he’d get her talking.
    Turning on his computer, Corban opened a file and typed in everything he’d observed about the old woman and her surroundings. The more he thought about her, the more she suited his case study. Maybe the day hadn’t been a complete waste after all.
    When he finished, he felt a little more satisfied. He’d be better prepared next time. At least he’d know what to expect. He’d take her a little something, too. Maybe if he poured on the charm, he’d be able to wring some information out of her.
    Reading over his page of notes, he smiled, then crumpled up his handwritten notes and tossed them into the trash can. He hit the Save button on the computer and exited the document, then went on to more important and pressing matters, leaving Leota Reinhardt filed and forgotten.

Chapter 4

    “I’m not surprised you left, princess. I knew it would happen someday. You know you can come and live with me and Monica in San Diego anytime you want. We’d love to have you.”
    Annie sighed. “I know, Daddy, but I can’t do that. You know how Mom would see it.” Her mother would cast all the blame for rebellion on her second husband, Annie’s father, Dean