island after her husband died, let’s see…about twelve or thirteen years ago. We both adored your grandma.”
“Sounds like you knew my grandmother pretty well.”
“You betcha.” Betty smiled while she gobbled down more of the bacon and egg sandwich. “Pretty feisty lady that one. Almost single-handedly she turned this place into a B&B after having to sell the café when your dad left. No easy job either, after all those darn taxes just kept going up. It’s those tourists running around up here, buying summer places, kicking the property values up. But Maggie had the right attitude; she took what looked like a problem and turned it into a constructive solution.”
Lily sighed. “I wish I could have helped. I regret not taking the time to get to know Grandma better. I thought about her often enough, but my marriage was so demanding and I kind of lost myself in it somewhere.”
Betty patted Lily’s hand. “Well, you’re here now and that’s all that matters.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Now, if I can at least learn to build a fire, there’s hope for me yet. That’s of course if Brad, my soon to be ex-husband, doesn’t show up and try to drag me back to LA.”
“Give yourself time girl, and don’t go borrowing trouble,” Betty said. “I’m sure you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, just like your grandma. It’ll all work out.”
Betty took her plate to the sink and washed it off. “Well, I best be going now. Just holler if you need anything,” she said heading for the back door. “And thanks for the breakfast. You needn’t have bothered, though. I’m just fine with crackers in the morning.”
Lily sipped her coffee. With an example like Betty to follow, she could not fail. Lily quickly did the dishes and sat down to make a list of things to accomplish today. Top of the list was to try chopping some more kindling with the axe she’d found in the shed.
She zipped up her jacket and grabbed the heavy gloves she’d found in the hall closet. “I’ll do some chopping and carry in a load to start a fire. Lily Mitchell…no, Lily Parkins…country girl! I like the sound of that.” She pushed her hair up under a warm cap and headed outside.
Roosters crowed in the distance. Lily remembered her grandma saying roosters did not have the sense to know the time of day. She inhaled the sweet scent of saltwater. The morning dampness penetrated her heavy jeans, permeating to the bone. Kneeling, she balanced the small chopped hardwood on its side and began to slice off small pieces with the ax. It felt good to be focused on a simple task. Tomorrow, she might call her mother and get some names of attorneys.
Chapter Eight
Out of her bedroom window, Lily saw the mail truck pull up and deposit something in her box. 9:00 AM, right on time. She tied her shoes, grabbed a sweater, and headed outside. A priority mail packet from an attorney in Los Angeles was waiting for her. Just what I need this morning, something to spoil my breakfast. There was a plain white envelope with no return address on it addressed to her. She brought the mail inside and opened the anonymous one first.
Don’t get too comfortable in the house, it doesn’t belong to you.
No signature, just a veiled threat. It was not Brad’s style to do something like this. Was it a prank? It was obvious someone did not want her in this house. Should she tell someone about the note or just ignore it? There were more important things to deal with for now like the big envelope. She ripped it open. With shaky hands, she pulled out the contents, a list of debts and assets for her to review from Brad’s attorney. “How dare he! How dare he!” Her heart pounded so loud she didn’t know which frightened her more, its racing sound or her gasping breath. She crumpled the pages and then shredded them into tiny pieces. Fists clenched, she paced the floor.
“The bastard! Didn’t he already take enough?” Lily said to the
“Sounds like you knew my grandmother pretty well.”
“You betcha.” Betty smiled while she gobbled down more of the bacon and egg sandwich. “Pretty feisty lady that one. Almost single-handedly she turned this place into a B&B after having to sell the café when your dad left. No easy job either, after all those darn taxes just kept going up. It’s those tourists running around up here, buying summer places, kicking the property values up. But Maggie had the right attitude; she took what looked like a problem and turned it into a constructive solution.”
Lily sighed. “I wish I could have helped. I regret not taking the time to get to know Grandma better. I thought about her often enough, but my marriage was so demanding and I kind of lost myself in it somewhere.”
Betty patted Lily’s hand. “Well, you’re here now and that’s all that matters.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Now, if I can at least learn to build a fire, there’s hope for me yet. That’s of course if Brad, my soon to be ex-husband, doesn’t show up and try to drag me back to LA.”
“Give yourself time girl, and don’t go borrowing trouble,” Betty said. “I’m sure you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, just like your grandma. It’ll all work out.”
Betty took her plate to the sink and washed it off. “Well, I best be going now. Just holler if you need anything,” she said heading for the back door. “And thanks for the breakfast. You needn’t have bothered, though. I’m just fine with crackers in the morning.”
Lily sipped her coffee. With an example like Betty to follow, she could not fail. Lily quickly did the dishes and sat down to make a list of things to accomplish today. Top of the list was to try chopping some more kindling with the axe she’d found in the shed.
She zipped up her jacket and grabbed the heavy gloves she’d found in the hall closet. “I’ll do some chopping and carry in a load to start a fire. Lily Mitchell…no, Lily Parkins…country girl! I like the sound of that.” She pushed her hair up under a warm cap and headed outside.
Roosters crowed in the distance. Lily remembered her grandma saying roosters did not have the sense to know the time of day. She inhaled the sweet scent of saltwater. The morning dampness penetrated her heavy jeans, permeating to the bone. Kneeling, she balanced the small chopped hardwood on its side and began to slice off small pieces with the ax. It felt good to be focused on a simple task. Tomorrow, she might call her mother and get some names of attorneys.
Chapter Eight
Out of her bedroom window, Lily saw the mail truck pull up and deposit something in her box. 9:00 AM, right on time. She tied her shoes, grabbed a sweater, and headed outside. A priority mail packet from an attorney in Los Angeles was waiting for her. Just what I need this morning, something to spoil my breakfast. There was a plain white envelope with no return address on it addressed to her. She brought the mail inside and opened the anonymous one first.
Don’t get too comfortable in the house, it doesn’t belong to you.
No signature, just a veiled threat. It was not Brad’s style to do something like this. Was it a prank? It was obvious someone did not want her in this house. Should she tell someone about the note or just ignore it? There were more important things to deal with for now like the big envelope. She ripped it open. With shaky hands, she pulled out the contents, a list of debts and assets for her to review from Brad’s attorney. “How dare he! How dare he!” Her heart pounded so loud she didn’t know which frightened her more, its racing sound or her gasping breath. She crumpled the pages and then shredded them into tiny pieces. Fists clenched, she paced the floor.
“The bastard! Didn’t he already take enough?” Lily said to the
Similar Books
