“Helping my church unwind itself from a legal mess.”
“Whoa. Care to elaborate?”
“Maybe later,” he sent. “Right now I’m worn out.”
“Me too.” She took another bite of her food and thumbed through the files she’d brought home from work. “But good things are happening on this end. I might have an opportunity to make a sale. A really big one.”
“With a smile like yours, who wouldn’t buy a house from you?”
A girlish giggle slipped out as Katie thought about his words. Looked like their issues from the past were truly behind them. Better yet, it looked like their present—and their future—was brighter than ever. Especially if he kept saying things like that.
If they could just manage to spend a little time together. . .
“I wish things would slow down,” Karl sent. “I would ask you out to dinner.”
Katie smiled as she responded. “I would accept.”
“In that case. . .tomorrow night?”
“Sorry. I have a meeting.” She took another nibble of her meal, realizing it tasted a bit more like school paste than pasta.
“Friday then?”
Katie sighed as she typed, “I promised Hannah I’d help with her daughter’s birthday party.”
“Looks like I’m never going to see you again.”
As Katie stared at the screen, she realized just how painful it would be never to see him again. Perhaps the twinge she now felt was a small taste of what he had experienced the first few years after she left Paradise. Maybe she had it coming to her.
Or maybe God could use this opportunity to turn the tables.
“Want to come to a nine-year-old’s pizza party?” she typed. Katie leaned back against her chair and waited. Likely he would think she was nuts.
She couldn’t help but laugh when he responded with, “Pepperoni?”
“Sure. Whatever you like. Call me on Friday afternoon, and I’ll give you the specifics. In the meantime, I’ll be praying about your church situation.”
“Thanks. And I’ll be praying you make that big sale. Then you can take me out for a steak dinner to celebrate. With cheesecake for dessert.”
“Mmm.” Nearly as good as shoofly pie. “You’ve got a deal.”
“G’night, Katie.”
“G’night.”
As she signed off, Katie leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Funny, even with them shut, she could still see Karl so clearly in her imagination. His sturdy build. His blond hair. Those amazing blue eyes. His heart for others.
“Thank You, Lord, for showing me what I missed years ago,” she whispered. “And thank You—a hundred times over—for giving me a second chance. And now, Lord, a special request. . .please. . . help me not to blow it.”
❧
Karl tossed a load of laundry into the washing machine and poured in the detergent. As he did, he reminded himself to take his gray suit to the dry cleaners tomorrow morning, along with several dress shirts. For now, he was happy to wear shorts and a T-shirt—his usual after-work attire.
Closing the lid of the washer, he looked around the basement with a sigh. So many things needed to be done around the house, but he rarely had time. Still, he couldn’t stand the idea of things being in disarray. Every night as he laid his head on the pillow, Karl promised himself: Tomorrow. Tomorrow I’ll get organized.
Unfortunately, with his workload so high, tomorrow never seemed to come. Maybe one day he would hire one of those home organizers to come and help him put everything in its place. Someone who had an eye for such things and time to accomplish them.
Karl’s thoughts shifted to the farm where he’d grown up. Everything was always in its place in his father’s shed. Every tool taken care of. Every square inch of the house in perfect order at all times.
Karl sighed. Seemed that no matter how hard he worked, he could never keep up with things, though not for lack of trying.
Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Where the words came from, he couldn’t be sure. Had the Lord dropped them into his heart, or were they his own? Regardless, Karl made a quick decision to pay special attention to the message. As long as he gave every situation his best, he had no reason to scold himself for the things that remained undone, right?
And speaking of things that were undone. . .
He smiled as he thought back over his instant message with Katie. Their back and forth bantering had been fun, but he hated to read too much into it. Once before, he had given his heart to her only to be disappointed. Was she just toying with his emotions this time around, or had a spark really ignited between them?
Karl offered up a prayer, asking the Lord for a second chance. He dared to hope for what had once seemed impossible. And once again he opened his heart, making himself completely vulnerable.
Surely this time around nothing would go wrong. He prayed. As exhaustion set in, Karl was reminded of Katie’s invitation to her niece’s birthday party. He could hardly wait. And who knew? Maybe a pizza party with a bunch of nine-year-olds would be fun. He enjoyed being around kids. Certainly, getting to see Katie once again would make his day.
If only he could keep his heart in his chest from now till Friday, he would be just fine.
THIRTEEN
The following day, Katie showed the million-dollar property to the Morrison family from Southern California. They were particularly drawn to the land around the house, and why not? Surely it was some of the prettiest in the county. Green rolling farmland beckoned, and the spacious yard was dotted with colorful flower beds. The house, a sprawling five-bedroom, proved to be more than big enough for their feisty brood of four children.
Katie fell in love with the youngsters right away, especially the tiniest girl, who, ironically, shared her new niece’s name: Rachel. The youngster—probably no older than four or five—held Katie’s hand as they wound their way through the many rooms of the house. The little girl oohed and aahed over many of the home’s upgraded features, as did others in the family.
And who could blame them? The beautiful two-story, five-bedroom home sat on some of the prettiest acreage in Bucks County. And being this close to the lake was a plus, especially for a family used to living along the Pacific. Mr. Morrison told countless stories about his boat, and Mrs. Morrison raved over the spacious kitchen with its updated cabinets and granite countertops.
All the while, Katie kept her cool and answered their questions. She didn’t want to do anything to sway them one way or the other. If the Lord intended them to have this house, they would have it. In the meantime, she would simply enjoy being with them. She could imagine herself a part of a family like this one day. A sprawling house. A handful of kids. A husband who talked about his boat.
Maybe. Someday.
A couple of hours later, she received the call. The Morrisons wanted the house. And the best news of all. . .she now represented both the buyer and the seller. That meant the full 6 percent commission.
Katie contacted the owner on his cell phone. He answered on the third ring.
“Mr. Hamilton?” She tried to contain her excitement so as not to give away the surprise.
“Yes?”
“Katie Walken from Bucks County Realty.”
“Calling with good news, I hope.”
“Very good news. We have an offer on the property—full asking price.”
“Excellent news. I want to move forward, but I, um. . .” Here he hesitated, albeit slightly. “I guess I should tell you that I have a few wrinkles to iron out first.”
“Wrinkles?”
“Yes, I’m dealing with a probate issue related to the property.”
“What?” Katie felt her stomach twist in knots. “Are you saying the house is still tied up in probate? That it’s not technically yours?”
“Well, I think I told you this was my mother’s property before she passed. She left it to me. I’m an only child and the executor of her will.”
“Yes”—she
tried to maintain her cool—“but I had no idea it was still in probate. I would never have listed it. That’s. . . unethical.”
“You’ll have to forgive me, Ms. Walken. I’ve never been in this position before. I’m sure you heard the part where I said I lost my mother.”
“Yes.” She swallowed hard, memories of Datt surfacing. How would she feel if someone confronted her on something related to his death, after all? She tried to soften her approach. “I’m sorry. Really I am.”
“I’ve never been down this road before,” he explained. “I went ahead and contacted a Realtor because I’d been told it was just a matter of time before the property would be released to me. To be quite honest, I didn’t think we’d receive an offer so soon. You’re really good at what you do.”
Katie opted to let his flattery slide right by her. She needed to stay focused on the issue at hand.
“I figured the whole thing would be settled before the first showing. Turns out, settling the estate is a bit more complicated than I thought, especially without a probate attorney. Guess I should’ve hired one.”
Oh no. Please don’t tell me this.
Brian Hamilton continued on, his voice never wavering. “A savvy lawyer could take care of this in no time, I’m sure. I hate to think it’s come to that, but I might have to hire an attorney to get the whole thing squared away.”
“Oh!” As she reached to look at her cell phone to get Karl’s number, a wave of relief washed over her. “I happen to know an excellent real estate attorney, and I’m sure he’s familiar with probate issues. He could probably get this settled quickly.”
“Great!”
“In the meantime, we’re going to have to stop the process. You know that, right?”
He dove into an argument, claiming that the whole thing would be dealt with by the time they went to closing, but Katie knew better. She would have to pull the listing, at least for now.
She didn’t want to alarm her potential buyers. But surely they would wait a few weeks longer to officially make an offer if they really wanted the house badly enough.
Katie committed the whole thing to prayer. God had brought this amazing property to her, hadn’t He? Surely He would see fit to help her with its sale, no matter what road bumps might get in the way.
❧
Karl approached the pastor’s office a little unnerved. From what Jay had told him over the phone, the church was about to be embroiled in a serious legal mess. And, from the looks of things, Karl would likely end up smack dab in the middle of it. He didn’t have to get involved, but with so much at risk for his church family, he needed to make himself available, even if it took him away from his other work.
After rapping on the door, he heard Jay’s familiar voice call out, “Come on in, Karl. It’s open.”
He entered the small office, sensing the tension in the air. Looking beyond the stacks of books and papers on the cluttered desk, Karl took note of the concern etched into the forehead of his good friend.
“You look terrible,” he offered.
“Thanks.” Jay sighed. “I know what the Bible says about not worrying, but I’m having a hard time with this one.” He shook his head and looked Karl in the eye. “I wouldn’t tell that to just anyone, you know.”
“I know. But who could blame you?” Karl opened his briefcase and pulled out his digital recorder. “Do you mind if I record our conversation? No one will ever hear this but me. I just like to go back over things when I get home, and that’s tougher to do with handwritten notes because I don’t always catch everything.”
“Sure, I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“I only know what you told me on the phone,” Karl said as he fumbled with the recorder in an attempt to get it to come on. “When Mildred Hamilton passed away, she left the church a piece of property out on the lake.”
“Yes.”
Karl smiled as he remembered the elderly Mrs. Hamilton. She always had an impish grin on her face and a finger in every pie. The four-foot-eleven dynamo had headed up everything from the benevolence ministry to the prayer team over her many decades at Grace Fellowship. The only thing church leaders hadn’t let her do was drive the church bus. And since her passing a few months ago, she had been sorely missed by all.
Jay let out a sigh. “I know how much this meant to her— making sure the church had the property for our new facility. We discussed it at length. It had always been her plan to leave it to the church. She figured the house could be used for a parsonage. In fact, it’s large enough that it could be used for both a parsonage and a retreat center for missionaries on furlough. There are acres and acres of prime land that would be perfect for the new sanctuary, parking lot, gym. . . everything.”
“And now someone in the family is trying to sell it out from underneath you?”
“Her son.” Jay shook his head. “He’s a nice enough guy. Lives in Texas. Doesn’t have any plans to move onto the property himself, so it’s not an emotional issue for him. From what I understand, he and his mother were distant. Not really estranged, but he rarely showed up to help her, even toward the end.”
“So he just wants the funds from the sale.”
“Looks that way.” Jay shrugged. “Though it’s not my place to say. I certainly don’t know his heart. But it seems mighty strange that he’s shown up now, after her death, and not before.”
“You’re sure the property isn’t already in his name? Maybe she was just living there but didn’t own it outright?”
“Oh, the house was definitely in Mildred’s name.” Jay sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “And the donation of the property is clearly stated in her will. I have a copy. But her son claims to have a different will, one that names him as the beneficiary of the land.”
“Have you seen his version?” Karl asked.
“I haven’t.” Jay drew in a deep breath. “And I suppose it’s possible that Mildred drew up another one I knew nothing about, though she talked about that new facility right up until the day she passed away. So the whole thing just smells—”
Karl almost envisioned the smallmouth bass Katie had tossed back into the creek as he responded with, “Fishy?”
“Yes. And here’s the thing. Let’s say the will her son has in his possession is older than the one we have. Even then we’re going to have problems, because this guy intimated that Mildred was coerced into making the donation to the church, and that she wasn’t in her right mind when she made it.”
Karl couldn’t help but laugh at that. Mildred had been in her right mind, to be sure—and happy to give folks a piece of it, which she did regularly.
He pulled out a pen and paper, preparing to hear more. “Surely there were witnesses to the version of the will that the church has in its possession?”
“Yes, but all three were church members, and from what I’ve been told, that’s not going to look very good. I wish we’d thought of it at the time.” Jay went off on a tangent, expressing his many regrets over that particular decision.
Karl did his best to calm his friend. “Still, those individuals aren’t direct beneficiaries, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Well, that’s good. I guess.” Jay rubbed his brow with his palm, but the wrinkles only deepened.
After pausing to think things through, Karl prepared to get to work. “Okay. I need you to be more specific now. I need names. Facts. Dates. Details. And I’ll need to see a copy of the will, if you have it handy. And Jay. . .”
“Yes?”
“Most estates take months to settle. Years even. We refer to this as a probate gap. I can guarantee your patience is going to be tried as this thing moves forward. Just be prepared for that.”
Jay let out an exhausted sigh then spent the next half hour filling Karl in on every detail. When and where the will was signed. Who witnessed it. Mildred’s final instructions upon her deathbed. The location of the property. The appraised value. The full name of Mildred’s son, along with contact information.
And the name of the Realtor who’d listed the property about a week ago.
It wasn’t until Karl heard Katie Walken’s name that he realized just what a pickle he’d gotten himself into.
FOURTEEN
Katie decided to take a stiff upper lip approach to the Hamilton property. She removed the listing at once, fighting the sick feeling that washed over her at the loss of such a hefty commission. It’s just for a few weeks, she reminded herself. Afterward, she telephoned the Morrisons, bringing them up to date on the issues surrounding the property. They opted to wait it out, even if it took awhile. They wanted the house. Period.
Though this whole ordeal would surely try Katie’s patience, she made a decision to see it through to the end, no matter what. Surely the reward would be great as long as everyone’s tenacity held firm. And she would eventually earn the commission. No two ways about that.
Katie was thankful her evening meeting was canceled, giving her a few hours to spend as she pleased. On a whim, she decided to stop off at an appliance supercenter on her way home from work. She didn’t believe in counting her chickens before they’d hatched, but she did believe in being prepared. If God saw fit to bless her financially, whether it was next week or next year, what would it hurt to go ahead and start putting a plan in motion for her kitchen? She wanted to be a good steward of her income and would take the next few months to shop carefully, finding the best possible deals on every appliance. That way, when the time came, she would know just what to buy and from which store.
With excitement leading the way, Katie eased her way into the massive appliance center, unsure of where to begin. She’d shopped for a great many things over the years, but rarely refrigerators, stoves, and dishwashers. Thankfully, her condo had come equipped with those, but they were in serious need of updating. No problem—out with the old, in with the new. Right?
Red, White and Blue Weddings: Red Like Crimson, White as Snow, Out of the Blue Page 39
