Read Online Tragic Renewal by Marlina Williams - Free Book Online Page B

here. I was thinking about the dream you’re creating for our future. I like the sound of it.” Harper detected a note of softness, almost a muffled quality, to Cara’s words, a note she had picked up on before but could never quite figure out.
    Harper didn’t know that Cara’s vision was much like her own but with a few key differences, and a couple less people.
    “Alright my very best friend in the whole wide universe, it’s time for me to go I got lots of work to do. You know what I mean, man?” Cara’s normal bright eagerness was back in her voice. The muffled voice quality gone like smoke in a windstorm, gone before you had a chance to realize it was there.
    Harper chuckled, happy to hear the jingly breathy voice she was used to. “Yes, Miss Cara, go get to work. Send me some pics so I can see your new dream castle.”
    “Oh, that’ll take a while. You won’t be seeing any pictures until it’s all fixed up and ready for an open house showing, complete with chocolate chip cookies and a tall glass of ice cold milk.”
    “Bye, Cara, talk to you soon. I love you.”
    Harper heard the distant beep as they disconnected. She puzzled over Cara’s change, but decided to shelve it for later reflection. It would sit along with all the other items shelved on that same perch that was beginning to gather dust.
    Harper pulled herself back from her ruminations to continue the task at hand. She flipped to the next page where a full color photo of a dilapidated house reflected the years of neglect. The house, a typical rambling structure built to last and raise a passel of kids without them falling over each other. Her fingers rubbed over the smooth clear plastic covering the chipped and dented, but somehow charming structure. She now saw what Cara must have seen that first day when fate lined up to show her a lump of coal hiding a precious gem under its ugly surface.
    Below the picture the house details were listed in typical fashion: five bedrooms, three bathrooms, three thousand spacious feet, perfect for the growing family, this is the house for you if you’re a handyman who needs room for the kids to roam, and room for the horses to rest their horsey heads. A fixer upper with real potential, all offers will be considered. Call me today to inquire about your future home in the peaceful countryside, with great neighbors – because they’re too far away to be nosy.
    Harper laughed at the last bit of the listing. The realtor was working hard to sell a property that would have been condemned in a city. She liked the zest applied to make a crummy house seem like the whole cake with ice cream on the side. He even made the fixing up part sound like it would be great fun to participate in such an arduous task. Tom Sawyer would have been proud of his work ethic.
    She thumbed through the next pages showing the barn, a beat up truck covered in rust and shiny splotches of white paint, the final two pages showed the animals. The first was of Ziggie lying on a stoop next to a doggie door. Harper’s heart ripped when she saw the sadness born of grief in his eyes. The picture must have been taken after the accident. She flipped again and two red colored horses grazed in a small paddock beside the crumbling barn. They seemed indifferent to the photographer as they concentrated on chewing winter brown grass and flicking their long tails. Their white striped faces and stocking clad legs contrasted against the winter landscape and their fluffy winter coats.
    As Harper flipped the last page and closed the binder Brianna returned from her cigarette break.
    “Well, I see you’ve finished. What’d you think?”
    “You’re very thorough. I’m amazed you put this together so quickly.”
    A sly guilty look crossed Brianna’s face. “Okay, I may have fudged that a little. I had most of this together before you got here. I knew you would make the right decision.”
    Harper smiled. “Well, looks like your little voice told you right.