When Fall Fades (The Girl Next Door Series Book 1) by Amy Leigh Simpson

and eat steak Diane. I can do that all by myself.” With a firm, final nod of her head she returned a smug smile. And she absolutely did not envision how fine Agent Hayes might look in a tux.

    The following morning Sadie ran and prepared for a long day with her favorite little old lady, Elsie, and then girls’ night out with her best girl, Joselyn. With everything that had happened she felt relieved her other patient Andy had been hospitalized for gallbladder surgery and wouldn’t require home care until his family left the following week.
    And then she felt guilty. Felt the futility of her efforts layer on top of that. Felt an unhealthy dose of discontentment smother the rest until it inevitably fed back into guilt. And on and on it went. The self-deprecating cycle continuing until she hopped in the Camaro and cranked up the oldies to drown out the noise in her head.
    The autumn leaves were in full splendor, showcasing their range of dynamic shades from buttercup to plum. A thick mist rested over the road, wispy threads of white wove through the trees. It looked like fall, and yet the temperature held stubbornly to the last fringes of summer heat.
    Pulling in to the circle drive of Elsie’s beautiful old estate in Frontenac, the uber-wealthy old money suburb of St. Louis County, she grabbed her bags and headed in the side door. After peeking in on Elsie, who was still fast asleep in bed, she went to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast.
    Elsie’s sixty-something bachelor son, Tom, lived with her and managed the estate. Though technically retired, he kept busy so he had Sadie come and help out with his mother a few days a week to assist with bathing, physical therapy exercises, checking her vitals, and managing her medications. But mainly, Sadie thought, he’d hired her for companionship.
    At least they had the resources to finance the right kind of equipment and care, though Elsie refused to wheel around in a scooter, claiming she’d always had killer legs and didn’t want to see them wither away from getting old and lazy.
    At ninety-six years old the woman hadn’t shown a hint of senility. An avid believer in crossword puzzles, word searches, and above all, the daily showing of The Price is Right , she claimed they kept her mind nimble and young.
    Spending the day with Elsie never really felt like work. Other than the physical assistance she needed getting around the house, Sadie felt like part of the family hanging around talking and playing games with her, and helping cook or clean here and there.
    Most of her patients over the years were not quite as easy or pleasant to deal with, but Sadie always felt divinely positioned where she could attempt to make an impact—though most often if it was only with egg salad, hot tea, and an ear to hear.
    Sadie heard Elsie stirring on the baby monitor she carried around the expansive home and went to help her get up.
    “Good morning, Elsie,” Sadie sang as she entered the room.
    The normally spunky little old gal looked fragile. The tired dregs of her eyes portrayed a restless night. “Good morning, my dear.”
    “How’d you sleep? Did you hear that storm? I love sleeping when it rains.” Sadie angled the blinds, letting in a soft pour of morning light.
    “Oh, I slept all right, I guess.”
    Sadie gently levered her up in bed and helped her scoot to the edge. Elsie draped her arms around Sadie’s neck, and Sadie waited for her to adjust to being vertical before standing. Glancing down to check the position of Elsie’s feet, she saw some mild edema accumulating in her left ankle. She released her arms, bent down to examine her leg, and observed a deep purple bruise that wrapped the entire medial portion of her ankle and inked down to the arch of her foot. “What happened here?”
    “It was so silly, I just, well …” Sadie sent her a motherly look, prodding her along. “I needed to use the restroom last night, my walker was right here, and Tom works so