Home Team Advantage (The Long Road Home #18)

1. Chapter One

ANNA

“I’m sorry, that position is no longer available.”

Anna blinked at the director, certain she’d heard wrong. The position couldn’t not be available because she’d driven over six hundred miles to get here.

She took a calming breath, offered a small smile, and said evenly, “There must be some mistake. Mrs. Kline said I had the job. Perhaps if you talk to her, we could sort this out.”

Cold eyes stared back at her from an equally cold, stern expression. The woman made the Wicked Witch of the West look downright motherly.

“Mrs. Kline had a family emergency and is out indefinitely. I am the acting director in her absence. Perhaps if you’d arrived on your actual starting date …”

“As I explained,” Anna said tightly, “I was delayed because my car was stolen en route.”

“Yes, well, that is unfortunate, but we needed to fill the position immediately. I’m sure you understand.” The woman’s attempt at a smile did nothing to soften her expression. A sandblaster wouldn’t soften that expression.

And no, Anna didn’t understand. Mrs. Kline had assured her a few days’ delay was acceptable under the circumstances. She’d lost nearly everything when her car was stolen at that rest stop. It wasn’t even a particularly nice car, and besides her stash of cash, it hadn’t contained anything valuable to anyone but her. Clothes, comfortable shoes, personal products.

All of that would have to be replaced now. That wasn’t going to be easy without a salary.

She needed money. Desperately. She could go without eating for a few days, but March in Pennsylvania was too cold to go homeless. Without that signing bonus, her plan of staying at a budget motel until she found an affordable apartment was no longer an option.

Anna changed tactics. “I’m willing to work per diem relief, in case someone calls in sick or has an unexpected emergency.”

The acting director sniffed. “We have a vetted list for that.”

“Since I was hired for this position, haven’t I already been vetted?”

“We need people we can count on, Miss Black. In other words, employees who will show up on time and without excuses.”

Anna bit her tongue. There was no use begging. The woman wasn’t going to change her mind. Nothing about her severe bun, pinched features, and frigid eyes suggested even a hint of compassion. Which begged the question, how did someone like her get a job in an assisted living facility, where, according to their website, empathy and kindness were the cornerstones of their institution? It was in their mission statement, for God’s sake.

Then again, so much of the health care system had been taken over by private businesses. It was more about making a profit than providing decent care these days, no matter what taglines they put on their letterhead.

She tossed out her final hope. “Will you keep my application on file in case something else becomes available?”

“You’ll need to speak with HR about that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m very busy.”

“Of course,” Anna muttered, gathering her things. She didn’t bother saying any of the usual polite things people said when leaving. It hadn’t been nice to meet her. And she sure as hell wasn’t thankful for the acting director’s time.

Everything happens for a reason, she reminded herself. If I didn’t get this job, then it means something better is on the way.

Yeah. That line of positive thinking was wearing pretty thin.

Anna didn’t bother searching out the HR department. She’d rather flip burgers than have to face that woman again. If speaking with her for five minutes was aggravating, Anna couldn’t imagine what it would be like to report to her on a regular basis.

She stepped out into the cold gray day. Shivering, she pulled her coat tighter—at least she still had that—and tucked her hands into her pockets. She wasn’t a quitter. She’d survived far worse, she reminded herself.

Time to make a new plan.

First order of business, find a job. Any job. Her cash was running dangerously low. Even if she was careful, it wouldn’t last more than a week.

She walked up and down the streets of Pine Ridge, considering the possibilities. There was a nice-looking Irish pub. An IHOP a little farther down. An upscale burger place beyond that, with a classy hotel across the street. She’d waitressed before, as well as worked for a cleaning service, so she had several options. All things considered, there were worse towns to be jobless and essentially homeless in.

The IHOP was a good place to start. Bonus: she could warm up with a hot cup of coffee and a budget-friendly meal while she inquired about open positions.

“Do you happen to know if you’re hiring?” Anna asked the older waitress when she came by to drop off a menu.

“Not that I know of, but people are always coming and going. There’s an online application on our website.”

Anna had a limited number of minutes on her phone, and she’d need most of them to find a place to sleep.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a printed one, would you?”

“As a matter of fact, we do. Most people can’t be bothered to write nowadays though. I’ll bring you one.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem, hon.”

As promised, a waitress brought an application with the coffee and the sandwich platter. Pulling a pen out of her purse, Anna began filling in the blanks in between bites. The place wasn’t busy. A few booths were occupied, and there was a four-top of lively senior citizens one table over.

“Eddie wants to put me in an old folks’ home,” one of the seniors was saying. She had beautiful snow-white hair and clear, intelligent blue eyes.

“No!”

“Yes. The home health nurse told him she wasn’t coming back because I need more care than she can provide. Pardon my French, but that’s BS. The girl spent more time on her phone than actually doing anything. And heaven forbid I ask her to do something not expressly in her job description, like change the sheets. You’d think I’d asked her to donate a kidney.”

Anna kept her smile to herself. The woman was sassy.

“What about that girl you had coming in to clean a few times a week?”

“She quit when I told her dusting around something wasn’t acceptable. Said I was too demanding.”

A heavy sigh. “You just can’t find good help nowadays.”

“Ain’t that the truth? You can’t even find someone to do windows anymore.”

“The younger generation has no work ethic.”

“Our parents said the same thing about us,” another remarked. “But in this case, it’s true.”

“I hate to say it, Elsa, but you don’t have a lot of options. It’s not safe for you to live alone. What if you fall, trying to get in or out of bed? Or worse, the shower?”

“Plus, you’ve been through every home health nurse and maid service in Pine Ridge.”

“They’re not called maids anymore, Millie. That’s politically incorrect.”

Someone scoffed. “What do you call them then?”

“Residential cleaning service technicians.”

“You made that up.”

“Did not.”

Anna stopped filling out the application. Could this be the open door Anna was looking for? Why not? What did she have to lose?

Anna slid from her booth and approached the ladies. “Excuse me. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it sounds like what you need is a live-in personal caregiver. Someone who can provide basic care around the clock, as well as assist in whatever else you need.”

One of the ladies with purple-tinged hair nodded vigorously. “She’s right, Elsa. That’s exactly what you need.”

“No place around here does that, not for regular folk on a fixed income,” said another with penciled-in eyebrows and shockingly orange hair.

“Hypothetically speaking,” Anna continued, “what if you could find someone qualified? Someone, say, with elder care experience who would be willing to work for room and board and a reasonable salary?”

A tiny woman with the chunkiest set of pearls Anna had ever seen scoffed. “I’d say, it sounds too good to be true.”

Elsa’s hand waved, shushing them as her wizened old eyes turned to Anna. “Don’t mind Blanche. She’s the suspicious sort. Thinks everyone is after her collection of velvet Elvis paintings.”

“They’re collector’s items!” Blanche said.

“No,” said the carrot top, “they’re not. Let it go.”

Elsa rolled her eyes. “Go on, girl. I’m listening.”

“My name is Anna Black. I’m a fully certified LPN, specializing in elder care. I drove six hundred miles for a full-time position at Willow Haven, but my car was stolen on the way, and I had to find alternate transportation. I missed my starting date because of it, and they gave the job to someone else.”

“Heartless bastards,” the purple-haired lady said. “Poor child.”

Refusing to let hope grab hold too tightly, Anna said, “Full disclosure: I’m down to my last five hundred dollars, with no job and no place to go. I’m willing to provide personal care, medication management, meal prep, mobility assistance, housekeeping, companionship, and transportation—assuming you have a vehicle because, as I said, I no longer do.”

Anna stopped talking and took a breath. Silence followed as the four women stared at her, and she was certain she’d blown it. After all, who in their right mind would hire a perfect stranger into their home with nothing more than a rambling case of word vomit?

Then, Elsa smiled. “When can you start?”

Anna blinked. For the second time that day, she was certain she’d heard wrong. “Seriously?”

“Yes, dear. You have a good soul, and I admire your spirit. Now, just let these ladies take a picture of you and your license, and we can be on our way.”

“What about Eddie?” Blanche asked. “He’s not going to like this.”

Elsa waved her hand. “Good thing it’s not up to him then.”