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living situation either. She said Cassidy was really guarded about her personal information and Amber declared her “a lost soul.”
    Lost or not, she was living in a hellhole. Someone needed to help her. The girl couldn’t work the late shift at that store and take the bus home at that hour. Not looking as good as she looked.
    Well, he was a man, after all. She’d climbed into his truck in tight blue jeans, a thin T-shirt, and hoodie. He’d have to be blind not to notice.
    He wiped his feet, knocked on the glass of his sister’s apartment then slid the door open. Gurgling sounds put a smile on his face and he walked to the blanket on the kitchen floor and scooped up his nephew. Jack had mastered getting into a crawl position on his hands and knees but hadn’t yet figured out how to move. He spent most of his time rocking back and forth but making little progress.
    “Hey buddy. Still going nowhere?” Clay swung him to the ceiling, eliciting squeals of delight from the baby. Cradled in his arms, Jack giggled and reached for Clay’s face with his pudgy open palm, his tiny feet pumping with excitement.
    Standing at the island chopping cooked potatoes, his sister beamed. “I swear you are his favorite person in the world. He shows more teeth for you than his own father.”
    Clay smiled and kissed the baby’s forehead. “It’s not that hard. He only has two.”
    Maggie laughed. “Are you staying for dinner? Burgers on the grill and potato salad.”
    “Sure.” He settled Jack on his lap.
    “As soon as he starts moving you’re going to be up to your elbows chasing him and trying to keep up with the apartments,” Clay said, gently brushing back a wisp of Jack’s hair.
    “Tell me about it. I’ve been thinking I might need some part-time help, just with the cleaning when we lose a tenant. Maybe the yard maintenance,” Maggie shrugged. “I’m not sure we can afford to pay someone to do that though. It’s not as if it’s a daily job, it would only be on an as-needed basis. Anyone who truly needs a job won’t find that too appealing.”
    “Care if I make a suggestion?”
    “Shoot.”
    “Suppose, instead of a salary, we offer a place to live. One of the smaller apartments,” Clay added. “In lieu of rent, we have her do whatever you need done whenever, whether it’s weekends, Sundays, and even holidays. It would include painting the easy stuff, cleaning, running your errands, whatever.”
    His sister eyed him. “Her? You have someone in mind for this slave labor position?”
    “I do. I don’t know if she’ll be interested. She seems pretty stubborn. She’s the new hire at the shipping store where I drop off the DUI samples most days. She lives on Fortieth Street and takes the bus to work. It’s not a good situation.”
    Maggie wrinkled her nose. “How’d she end up in that neighborhood? You sure she’s not a crack addict or prostitute?”
    “She’s no prostitute. She’s too clean for that. Nails manicured. Nice makeup and modest clothes.”
    Clay tickled his nephew’s belly and his baby giggles filled the kitchen. “I don’t know much about her, to be truthful, except that she seems all alone. Dan is going to try to background check her today. I feel if someone doesn’t reach out and help her, she’ll end up like Amber. We’ve told you about her, the drinking and drugs. Amber is smart. If someone had cared enough, they could have put her on the right path years ago.
    “It’s too late for Amber, but there might be a chance with Cassidy. I figured I’d bounce the idea off of you before approaching her. You could meet her first, interview her or something. What do you say?”
    “You seem pretty interested in her. Is she young? Attractive?”
    He smiled. “She turns twenty-seven in December and she’s not bad looking. But I’m not interested in her, more curious. She’s as skittish as a chipmunk. Like she’s trying to hide something.”
    Watching her son’s feet pump as if running in