Free The Bachelor Boss by Judy Baer

chance, even though the cost could be high.
    “I would have anyway. My grandparents were very good to me. But in my mind, I hear my grandfather’s voice. That’s what keeps me going when Grams is being particularly challenging. I loved him very much. What was important to him is important to me.”
    “Do you do it because you are a Christian or because your grandfather told you to do it?” Hannah asked curiously.
    “Both. God and Gramps have both given me instruction. Who am I to mess with that?”
    They were both quiet as they pulled up in front of the house at the address Lily had given them.
    “Here we are.” It was a simple white house with red shutters and a lawn badly in need of attention.
    Hannah was surprised by the simplicity of this home compared with the Matthews house. She supposed she’d assumed all of Lily’s friends would have been from the same social class. Hannah was pleased that Lily and Ty didn’t seem to find that important.
    “Let’s get this done,” Ty muttered. “I’m not good at being a busybody.”
    “Only for Lily, right.”
    “ Only Lily.”

Chapter Nine
    H annah took the big box of cookies she’d packed out of the backseat of the car. “Think of this as bringing a little sunshine into someone’s life,” she said to Ty.
    “Look after widows and orphans in their distress?” He quoted James.
    “Exactly.” She pressed the doorbell and heard a grating, unmusical sound coming from the back of the house. The door was thrown open and a thirtysomething man with uncombed hair and a scruffy beard appeared.
    “We’ve come to visit Clara,” Hannah said. “We have a gift for her from her friend Lily Matthews.”
    “Let them in, John.” An elderly woman in a walker was slowly making her way to the front of the house. Her hair was pulled back in a bun from which flyaway gray hairs had escaped. She’d been pretty once, but time and pain had etched deep creases in her cheeks and around her mouth.
    Inside, the place felt grubby. The windows hadn’t been washed in some time and were a filmy, cloudy gray.
    “Are you Clara?” Hannah asked.
    “No. I’m Margaret. Clara is my sister.”
    Ty stepped forward. “I’m Tyler Matthews. My grandmother Lily and your sister are friends. We have got some baked goods for her.”
    “She’s in her room.” The woman pointed toward a hallway. “First door on the left.”
    Clara was in a rocking chair by the window. Hannah went immediately to the chair and knelt down. “Lily Matthews thought some cookies might cheer you up. I’m Hannah, her caregiver, and this is Ty, Lily’s grandson.”
    Ty reached out a hand to the older woman. “Clara and I have met, but it’s been a long time.”
    “So nice to see you again. This is lovely of her! I did need a pick-me-up today,” the white-haired, sweet-faced woman said. “Please sit down and visit a minute—if you can find a place, that is.”
    Every space was covered with clutter.
    “I’m not able to pick up around here, so it’s a bit of a mess. My sister said her son, John, should help me, but I’d rather not ask him. It makes him crabby.”
    “Who is here to care for you and your sister?” Hannah inquired, keeping her tone easy and pleasant.
    “No one, except John. Margaret does a little cooking. John’s supposed to do the rest. It’s to be in lieu of rent because he’s living here while he’s looking for work.”
    “Then a little homemade baking will taste good,” Hannah said brightly. “Let us tell you about Lily.”
    They chatted for a bit. Then when they got up to leave, Clara had tears in her eyes. “Thank you so much. You don’t know how much your visit has meant to me. Tell Lily thank you.”
    “Maybe you can come over for a visit one day,” Ty suggested. “Lily would love that.”
    When they got back into the car, Ty was somber. “That poor woman is living a life that’s the antithesis of my grandmother’s. And I’ve been thinking I had it tough keeping up with