by Bobbi Holmes
“Where are you building?” Kelly asked.
“Haven’t you figured that out yet?” With a flourish, June used one hand to point at the Marymoor property. “Guess what your father and I bought.”
Sixteen
The weather forecaster claimed the morning clouds would move aside for a clear and sunny afternoon. The clouds had another idea. Not only did they stick around, but they grew darker, more ominous, and within minutes of June announcing they had purchased the Marymoor property, rain began to fall.
“Oh, drat, I wanted us all to get out and walk around,” June moaned. The rain pelting the car’s roof intensified.
“Did you really buy this?” Kelly asked. “Or are you just thinking of making an offer?”
Ian remained silent in the back seat, listening.
“It closed escrow yesterday,” John told her.
“Why didn’t you say something?” Ian asked, looking warily at the property through the car window.
“We wanted to surprise you, of course,” June said. She frowned at her son. “You don’t seem very excited we’re moving to Frederickport.”
Ian looked at his mother and smiled weakly. “Mom, it isn’t that. It’s simply a lot to process. You tell us you already sold your house, the house we grew up in. You already moved out and bought property here without saying anything to us.”
“We wanted to surprise you,” John said.
“Well, you did that,” Ian said dryly.
“But did you really buy this property? How did you even find it?” Kelly asked.
“I’ve been checking out the real estate websites, and when the listing popped up, I called that real estate friend of yours.”
Kelly frowned. “What real estate friend?”
“Adam Nichols,” John told her.
“Adam sold you this?” Ian asked.
“I figured we should work with someone you trust,” John said.
“And he actually sold you this?” Ian asked again.
“Is there a problem?” June asked.
“Aside from everyone saying this place is cursed or haunted?” Kelly asked.
John laughed. “Yes, Adam told us about that. Since we don’t believe in ghosts or curses, it’s not really a problem.” John laughed again.
“I wish we could get out, and you could see it,” June said. “We stopped by last night, after we got here, and looked around. But we wanted to get over to your house, so we really haven’t had a chance to walk it completely. I can’t believe we could find a lot this size so close to the beach. Of course, it’s not on the water like yours. But frankly, I wouldn’t want to be right on the beach, pestered by tourists walking up to your house. Not enough privacy.”
Ian silently listened to his parents as he gazed out the window, staring at the property.
On the other side of the fence, Molly and Waylon stood in the rain and watched the people sitting in the car.
“They’re the ones who were here yesterday,” Molly said.
“I tried to throw a rock at them, and it just came back at me. I should try again,” he said.
“Go ahead. But I bet it’ll come back like the other one.”
“Maybe not,” Waylon said, looking around for a rock, oblivious to the rain falling through him. Instead of a rock, he focused on a boulder—something larger and more substantial. He assumed Molly would not approve, but he didn’t intend to tell her. She would see it herself, but by then there would be nothing she could do. This size could not come back to him, Waylon told himself. He would like to see it smash the hood of the car. That would keep the people from coming back and bothering them.
Ian listened to his sister and parents discuss the land’s history while his gaze remained focused on the property in question. Movement by the fence caught his attention. Narrowing his eyes, he studied an object. It lifted from the ground and over the top of the fence. At first, Ian thought it was a large paper sack, taking flight from the early afternoon breeze.
The next moment he realized it was not a large sack, but a small boulder, now hurling in the car’s direction. The other people in the car with him failed to notice the incoming missile.
Ian almost called out but froze when the boulder stopped in midair and hovered there a moment before changing course, landing a few feet from its original location.
“Ian, you really don’t seem happy we’re moving here,” Ian heard his mother say.
Ian looked to his mother and swallowed nervously. “Why don’t we head home, and we can discuss it there. This rain doesn’t look like it’s going to stop, so we won’t be able to get out.”
A few minutes later, after John started up the engine and pulled out into the street, Ian noticed his mother, now turned around in her seat, her back to him. She looked out the windshield, her arms folded across her chest in a pout.
As they drove back to his house, Ian removed his seatbelt and leaned forward, closer to his parents in the front seat.
“Of course we’re thrilled you’ll be living here,” Ian told his mother. “It’s not that. But it is a lot for us to take in at once. I just think it would be better for you to buy an existing house instead of Dad spending the next year building something. You could use it as your home base.”
June turned to her son and frowned. “What do you mean our home base?”
Ian shrugged. “I assumed you’d both want to do more traveling when you retired. Dad always talked about buying a motorhome, seeing more of the country. Why spend the next year in a rental while Dad is busy building a house? And it would probably take longer than two years to build. You should travel and enjoy yourselves while you still can.”
June flashed Ian a smile. “There is time for that. We aren’t that old. Anyway, I’m going to be busy planning your sister’s wedding. There is so much to do.”
“Planning my wedding?” Kelly muttered under her breath, her forehead drawing into a frown.
“And this way Lily can go back to teaching in the fall,” June added.
“Mom, kids are already back to school here,” Kelly told her.
June shrugged. “Well, she can substitute, then. I’m sure they need substitutes, and that will probably make it easier to get her own class again when school starts next year.”
“Why would you moving to Frederickport mean Lily would go back to teaching?” Ian asked.
Still turned in her seat so she could see her son and daughter, June’s smile broadened. “Because I’m here, of course. I can babysit Connor. And help take care of you.”
“Um… take care of me?” Ian asked.
“Certainly. You can’t be watching an active little boy while trying to work. And you need to eat proper meals. When I come over to take care of Connor, I could make you lunch so you can keep working. And before I leave, I could get dinner started for Lily. I’m sure she would love that. Who wouldn’t? Of course, I really need to do something about that kitchen of yours. I had it all organized when we stayed with you during your wedding. But I could see last night poor Lily has it all disorganized. She can use my help. I don’t think her mother taught her much about properly organizing her home. I suspect Tammy might have been a hippy when she was younger.”
Speechless, Ian stared numbly at his mother. June flashed him a smile and then turned back in her seat while saying, “Ian, dear, put your seatbelt back on.”
Ian flopped back in the seat in time to hear his sister let out a snort. He turned to Kelly, who leaned back in the seat, her arms crossed over her chest. Kelly arched her brows at her brother and whispered in a snarky tone, “Listen to Mommy and put your seatbelt on.”
Absently Ian did as Kelly suggested.
Kelly let out another snort and whispered, “I was freaking when she said she was planning my wedding. But then I heard what she has in store for poor Lily.”
“She can’t be serious,” Ian whispered back.
Kelly arched her brows again. “She is our mother. What do you think?”
Ian gro
aned and slumped back in the seat.
They were silent for the rest of the ride back to Ian’s house. Just before John pulled into the driveway, the rain stopped.
“That was good timing,” John said. A moment later, he parked and turned off the engine.
June unfastened her seatbelt first and turned around to face Ian and Kelly. Hesitantly she asked, “You are happy we’re moving to Frederickport?”
“Of course, Mom, but you hit us with a lot at once,” Ian said.
“I don’t understand.” June frowned.
“I sort of agree with Ian,” Kelly said. “I don’t know why you want to build a house there. And seriously, that property has a horrible reputation.” Kelly paused a moment and looked at her father, who turned in his seat, looking back at them, his seatbelt off. “Dad, haven’t you always told us that when building a house, you need to consider resale? From what I understand, that property was off and on the market for years. And no one wanted it. After a house gets built on it, it could have the same problem.”
“Resale is not an issue,” John said. “We plan to make it our forever home. I don’t see you two ever leaving Frederickport, considering Joe and Lily. If you’re here, this is where we want to be.”
“And we plan to live a long life,” June said. “So when you inherit the house, I’m sure whatever stigma the property had will be long forgotten by then. Now, let’s go tell Lily. I hope she’s a little more excited about all this and not such a naysayer like you two.”
“I have one favor to ask you,” Ian told his mother.
“What’s that?” June asked.
“When you give Lily your news, please don’t say anything about her going back to teaching,” Ian asked.
June frowned. “Why not?”
“Like Ian said, this is a lot to take in,” Kelly said, opening her car door.
Sadie heard them first. She waited patiently by the front door for it to open, while Lily stood by the breakfast bar, going over a to-do list for Connor’s birthday party.
The moment the four walked into the kitchen, Sadie trailing behind them, her tail wagging, Lily announced in a soft voice, “Connor is napping.”
John looked down at Sadie and asked, “How did you train Sadie not to bark when we come in? I remember how she used to always bark when anyone came to the door.”
“I don’t know how they did it,” Kelly said, setting her purse on the breakfast bar. “But since Connor was born, she only seems to bark at people when he’s awake. It’s like she knows she can’t bark when he’s napping.”
“Now, if you could just teach the dog not to lick Connor,” June said, setting her purse next to her daughter’s.
“What was it your parents wanted to show you?” Lily asked Ian.
“Our parents are moving to Frederickport,” Kelly blurted.
Lily’s eyes widened. “Really? When?”
“Technically, we are homeless now,” June said with a laugh.
Lily looked questioningly to Ian.
“Our parents have sold their house, and the new owners have already moved in,” Ian said.
Lily looked at her mother-in-law and asked, “Where is all your stuff?”
“It’s in storage,” June explained.
“My father plans to build a house and, in the meantime, find something here to rent,” Ian explained.
“Wow,” Lily muttered. “Um… that’s great. But I imagine it’ll be hard to find a lot for sale. Not many vacant lots in Frederickport.”
“Our parents already bought a lot,” Kelly said.
Lily looked to Kelly.
“They bought the Marymoor property,” Kelly told her.
Seventeen
“You’re joking?” Lily looked from Kelly to her husband.
Ian shook his head in a silent, no, she is not joking.
Lily turned to her mother-in-law, who stood frowning from Lily to her two adult children.
“I certainly did not expect this reaction,” June blurted. Turning from the group, she marched to the living room, leaving the rest of the family standing by the breakfast bar in the kitchen.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings,” Lily said in a rush, glancing nervously to the living room, where her mother-in-law had fled.
“We were so excited to give you this surprise.” John looked to Ian and Kelly and said, “Your mother especially. She’s the one who wanted to keep it a secret. We never expected this reaction.”
“John, it’s not about you moving here. It’s awesome you’re going to be living in Frederickport. It will be wonderful for Connor to grow up with his grandparents nearby,” Lily insisted. “The reaction is about the property you bought. It’s just that it really has a reputation in Frederickport. That’s what threw me.”
“She’s right, Dad. I really wish you would have discussed this with me first,” Ian said.
“Discussed it with you? I didn’t realize I needed to ask your permission.” John turned and joined his wife in the living room.
Kelly groaned. “I can’t believe this is happening.” With dramatic flair, Kelly rested her folded arms on the breakfast bar and buried her face in them.
Lily stared at her sister-in-law a moment and then asked, “This isn’t just about them buying that lot, is it?”
Kelly peeked up at Lily, her elbows still resting on the breakfast bar. She arched her brows. “Are you seriously okay with them moving here?”
Lily blinked several times, glancing from Kelly to Ian and back to Kelly. “You don’t want your parents to move to Frederickport?”
Kelly groaned again and threw her face back in the nest of her arms for a moment before looking back up. After another groan, she said, “Oh, part of me would love my parents living in Frederickport. I miss them, and it really would be nice not to feel guilty when we don’t spend Christmas with them.”
“And part of you doesn’t want them to move up here?” Lily asked.
“Yes, that part of me that doesn’t want Mom taking over my wedding or generally trying to manage my life,” Kelly explained. “But you still didn’t answer my question. Are you seriously okay with them moving to Frederickport?”
Ian wrapped his arm around Lily’s shoulders and said, “Lily is exempt from answering those types of questions.”
Kelly scowled at her brother. “Why?”
“It’s in our contract,” Ian teased.
Connor woke up not long after Ian, Kelly, and their parents arrived back from their drive. Lily changed his diaper and brought him and his stuffed Winnie the Pooh out to the living room. She set them both on the floor. A moment later, June snatched the boy up and onto her lap. He didn’t seem to mind, yet a moment later he began shouting, “No, no, no!”
They all looked at June and Connor. Startled, June stared down at her grandson, who continued to yell, “No, no!” while pointing to his Pooh bear on the floor. Connor didn’t seem to be upset with his grandmother—he seemed angry with his stuffed animal.
Sadie started barking, yet not at the belligerent child, who continued to shout while waving one chubby hand toward the stuffed animal. The dog stood in the middle of the living room, focused on the space behind Winnie, and kept barking.
“Quiet, Sadie,” Ian ordered. Reluctantly the dog sat down, stopped barking, yet continued to stare at the floor behind the stuffed animal.
Lily walked over to June, took Connor from her, and set him on the floor. He stopped screaming and immediately crawled to his stuffed animal. The adults watched as he grabbed Winnie, hugged him to his chest, and looked to the spot where Sadie focused her attention. Waving his hand at the spot, he shouted once more before giving his stuffed animal a tight hug.
“What was that all about?” John stammered.
“I don’t understand,” June said, shaking her head in confusion. “He seemed fine with me picking him up, honest. He was sitting on my lap all happy, and then it was like he saw something that upset him.”
Kelly, who stood si
lently behind her brother and Lily, watched her nephew a moment and said under her breath, “Sometimes I feel like this house is the one with the issues, not the Marymoor property.”
While she didn’t intend to be heard, everyone in the room had. They all turned to her.
“What is that supposed to mean?” June asked.
Unprepared for the question, Kelly looked from Connor to her mother and the others. She shrugged.
“June, I’m sorry if you misunderstood me,” Lily said, refusing to respond to Kelly’s comment. “We’re thrilled you’re moving to Frederickport. But you have to understand, it just threw us when we heard you bought the Marymoor property. But that’s only because it’s sort of infamous here in Frederickport.”
“I lied to my mother-in-law,” Lily told Danielle and Walt thirty minutes later. The three sat in the parlor, with Connor on Lily’s lap.
“Lied about what?” Danielle asked.
Lily recounted the events of that morning.
“Well, we heard Adam had sold the property. But none of us imagined it was to Ian’s parents,” Danielle said.
“I could clobber Adam for not giving Ian the heads-up,” Lily grumbled.
“That’s not really fair,” Danielle reminded her. “From what I understand, John expressly told Adam not to tell anyone about the purchase. Adam had to follow his client’s instructions. And if he had told Ian—or you—Ian would have said something to his father, and that would come back and bite Adam.”
Lily let out a sigh and sat back on the sofa. “I suppose.”
Connor wiggled restlessly on Lily’s lap. Silently, Walt stood up, retrieved a bucket of toy blocks from the desk, and dumped them on the floor by the sofa. He took Connor from Lily and set him by the blocks. The small boy happily accepted the offering.
Lily flashed Walt a smile. “Thanks.”
Walt smiled at Lily and sat back down.
“You said the sale is final?” Danielle asked.
