Elaine smiled at Myrtle. “And you know I appreciate that. But it’s been going pretty well. I do feel sort of bad for Red, though.” She said in a low voice, “You know how men are. When they’re sick, they revert to being little boys. I think Red needs more coddling than I’m able to dole out.”
Myrtle had never been able to completely understand why her absolutely wonderful daughter-in-law was so smitten with her frequently irascible son. She was smart, upbeat, pretty, and a good deal younger. She’d learned that love operates in very mysterious ways indeed and perhaps the wags who said that opposites attract really had something. At any rate, she’d decided long ago to simply accept it.
But she couldn’t resist making a face at the coddling. “Elaine, that’s very sweet of you. But there’s a lim
