“Did you know she had so much money?” I asked my mother, who sat there staring into space.
“I had no idea,” she said. “I told her all I wanted was her china and the piano.”
Memma had also left Mom, her only daughter, a large amount, as well.
“I can’t believe she kept all this from me,” Mom said, unable to stop the tears. “All those years when I asked her for money and…she had it. She had it the whole time.”
Mom and I had spent the rest of that day talking and talking as we sat together in my parent’s living room.
Families were complicated, even if they were small.
“Hey, neighbor,” a voice said, and I turned my head to see Paige and her wife, Esme, walking their husky, Stormy.
“Hey,” I said, waving. They’d walked over the first day I’d been here, and I’d instantly adored them. I’d been worried about making friends in this new place, but Paige and Esme had opened up their home and shoved a drink in my hand and asked me all about myself. Castleton was one of those little towns, apparently.
“It looks so much nicer now that the bushes aren’t covering everything,” Paige said as they walked over. I leaned down to pet Stormy. She was a beautiful dog. I’d always wanted a pet, but rules at my apartments had prevented me. Now I had a whole cottage and I could get a dog if I wanted. I still couldn’t believe this place was mine.
“Thanks,” I said. “It’s still kind of a disaster inside, but it’s a work in progress.”
“Please, let us know if you need any help. We’re happy to come over for a painting party,” Esme said. I’d been completely intimidated by her at first, with her all-black ensemble, but it turned out she was an incredible listener and gave solid advice. I told her she would have made a good therapist, and she laughed and said she prefers being a bartender.
“I’ll absolutely call you about the painting, once we’ve gotten the wall part taken care of,” I said with a snort.
“You do have walls, though, right?” Paige said.
I laughed. “My bedroom has walls now. And so does the upstairs bathroom, which is the most important.”
“I don’t know why you don’t stay at the Honeysuckle Inn until everything is done,” Paige said. “I know Alivia would love to have you around.” The innkeeper, Alivia, and I had gotten close in the weeks I’d stayed there, and we still hung out quite a bit, along with her fiancée.
“I know it’s not done, and living in a construction site is weird, but I don’t know. I feel like I should be here.” I couldn’t explain it. People would probably think I was strange if I told them that I could feel Memma’s spirit in this place.
“You’ll be over for dinner, though, right?” Paige asked.
“Definitely,” I said. The cottage still didn’t have a functioning kitchen, so it was either eat out, get takeout, or eat at Paige and Esme’s. They’d been so gracious to have me over a few times a week. Sometimes I went over to the Pine State Bar and Grille and had dinner or sat at the bar and watched Esme work.
They started to head off down the road for their walk and I remembered.
“Oh, hey, I went to that furniture place and Ralph retired and there was someone else there. Theo?”
Paige and Esme stopped walking.
“Oh, that’s right. I completely forgot about Ralph retiring. But I’m sure Theo could help you out. Remember the stuff she used to make in high school? She was always winning art awards.”
Esme nodded. “I never thought I’d see her back here after she went off to that fancy design school. Interesting that she’d come back here.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask them everything about Theo, but I didn’t want to seem too invested in her personal life.
“So, I’m sure she was just having a bad day, but is she always…” I trailed off, hoping they knew what I was talking about.
Paige and Esme shared a look.
“Yes,” Paige said. “She’s always been like that.”
“Oh,” I said. “That doesn’t seem very good for business.”
“I think it works for her,” Esme said. “She does good work and doesn’t put up with bullshit. More people should be like that.”
I could see why Esme would like Theo.
“She was just kind of abrupt. I felt like I was annoying her,” I said.
Paige leaned down to untangle Stormy’s leash, which had wrapped around her legs.
“Oh, you probably were. Theo should probably hire someone to manage the shop while she does her thing out back and doesn’t have to speak to anyone.”
That sounded like a good idea.
“Okay, well as long as it’s not just me. I’ll try again another day. Maybe I’ll bring her coffee or something to butter her up.” A customer showing up with a smile, lots of money, and a donut and coffee would turn anyone’s day around.