“The handyman’s name is Stella?” I couldn’t help but ask.
She laughed, her jowls shaking as she did so. “Well now, boy, just you wait until you meet Stella, then you’ll understand. Now let’s dig in; food’s gettin’ cold.”
“Wait,” I said, my eyes landing on one more name at the very bottom of the list. “Who’s this Beau Pellingham? Never heard of him before. Does he work here, too?”
She shrugged. “Beats the hell out of me. Surely not that I can recall. Guess we’ll find out soon enough, though.”
I shrugged as well, that pit in my belly swelling. But Pearl was right, we’d just have to wait and see who he was. Then she reached out to hold my hand. I grabbed on to hers. We bowed our heads, eyes closed good and tight. “Dear Lord,” she said, beginning our grace, “we thank you for the food we ar
