Even so, she decided to call Abby for some reinforcement. She explained having coffee with Caroline and how depressed she seemed. “The poor thing, she can’t even go into her backyard because it’s literally a dump site.” Then she told Abby about her Mexican helpers and what they were doing, as well as her little spending spree just now.
“Wow,” Abby sounded impressed. “You’ve had a busy day.”
“The reason I’m calling is that I’m a little worried about putting it all together. And you have such a good eye for design that—”
“So you didn’t call your friend Bonnie?” Abby teased.
“Did you want me to?”
“Of course not. Although Caroline might’ve enjoyed meeting her.”
“That’s true. But I was hoping you could help. And maybe Marley, too. I just don’t want the yard to look like it came from the clearance section of the—”
“I’m getting an idea,” Abby said. “You said there’s a lot of junk back there, right?”
“That’s about all there is back there. Junk.”
“Well, why don’t you save some of the more interesting pieces?”
“Save them?”
“Yes. I saw a cute idea on HGTV where they spray painted some funky old things in bright colors, then positioned them in a garden like found art. It was really fun and lively—and unique.”
“Oh, yeah. I get it.”
“So maybe you could ask your guys to set a few things aside to be reused.”
“I’m on my way.” Janie started her car. “I’m so glad I called you.”
“I’ll let Marley know what’s up,” Abby said. “How soon do you think the guys will get the place cleared out so I can come and look around?”
“I have no idea. It could be next week or next year. It’s a huge mess, Abby. I’m surprised the city hasn’t gotten involved.”
“Well, just make sure you go over and save some things. I’ll go through my landscaping files for more ideas.”
“You have landscaping files?”
Abby laughed. “Oh, I’ve been clipping magazines for years. You just never know when they might come in handy.”
“Well, I can see I called the right person. But I better go if I’m going to salvage some junk.”
Of course, as Janie drove through town, she questioned this idea. Did she really want to salvage anything from that yard? To her surprise, the guys already had the pickup loaded and were about to leave. So she quickly explained to Roberto this new plan. To her relief, he seemed to get it.
“So I’ll go back and mark some things,” she said quietly, taking the roll of duct tape from him. “I’ll stick some of this tape on the items I want saved. And you will set them aside—and not take them to the dump. Okay?”
“Sí.” He nodded, pointing to the silver tape. “Tape—no dump.”
As she walked alongside the garage, she still wondered about the sensibility of this whole plan. Really, what had made her think she could accomplish something like this? What had motivated her? Caroline, of course. She was doing this to lift her friend’s spirits. Hopefully neither of them would be disappointed.
But Janie did feel disappointed when she saw the backyard. Not only did it not look improved since earlier, it almost seemed worse. Suppressing the urge to turn and run the other way, Janie forced herself to walk around the yard. And then she spied something near the fence—Caroline’s old bicycle! Nearly covered in blackberry vines, a rusty blue fender stuck out. Janie leaned down and grabbed hold of the tire and gave it a pull. She tugged and yanked and finally dislodged the bike. She pulled off a piece of duct tape, stuck it to the blue fender in what she hoped was an obvious way, then went off in search of some other items.
By the time Janie gave up her search, she’d marked the bike, a wheelbarrow, a watering can, an old Tonka dump truck, a couple of old metal chairs from the fifties that (although falling apart) could probably hold up a potted plant, and a number of other items that might or might not be useful. She’d let Abby decide.
Now all she wanted to do was go home and take a nice long shower and get all this grime off. Unfortunately, the final plumbing fixtures and faucets wouldn’t be installed until the end of the week, after Mario finished the last of the tile work. Deciding to forgo her regular workout, since she was already sweaty not to mention filthy, Janie drove over to the fitness club and headed straight for the showers with her gym bag in hand. She walked through the club’s posh lobby feeling like she was the object of some questionable attention. She wondered what her Manhattan friends would have thought if they’d seen her picking through the junkyard just a little bit ago.
Chapter 19
Abby
“How are you holding up?” Abby asked Janie as they met at the bank parking lot on Friday morning. “You look a little worn out.”
“Short of needing a good manicure, I’m fine.” Janie held up a hand to show off her raggedy-looking fingernails. “Really, the guys have made amazing progress. In fact, if you have time later today, I wish you’d come over and share your expertise. Gardening isn’t exactly my strong suit.”
“I’d love to come.”
Abby pushed open the door to the bank. “I’m so excited,” she confessed. “I can’t believe how this is coming together.”
“That’s because you did your homework, Abby. If you hadn’t been on top of things, this would’ve been a missed opportunity.”
“Leslie sounded surprised that the short sale came up as quickly as it did,” Abby explained as they went over to the loan officers’ area. Noticing that Leslie’s desk was unoccupied, Abby felt concerned. “Leslie said she’d be here.”
“Maybe she’s just running late.” Janie pointed to the chairs by Leslie’s desk. “Why don’t we just wait for her?”
Abby sat down, placing her purse in her lap and nervously twisting the strap. What if the deal had fallen apart at the last minute? Maybe they felt Abby was a loan risk or wondered why Paul’s name wasn’t on the loan too. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake.
“Are you nervous?”
Abby nodded, glancing over her shoulder to look for Leslie. “I hope nothing went wrong. Leslie said it wouldn’t be easy, but she promised to have the loan approved by now.”
“It’s convenient that the short sale is being handled by your own bank,” Janie said lightly, as if she wasn’t the least bit concerned. Janie was probably used to making big deals like this. Abby wished she had that kind of calm confidence. Instead, she was drumming her fingers on the smooth surface of Leslie’s desk.
“Remember to just breathe,” Janie reminded her.
Abby took another deep breath and stopped drumming. “Thanks. I needed that.”
“Trying to purchase real estate is a bit like having a baby.”
Abby nodded. “It is, isn’t it? All this apprehension, waiting … wondering how it’s all going to turn out, hoping it’ll be healthy.”
“And remember,” Janie said, “getting the loan approval and making our offer is simply the first step. We have no guarantee that it will even be accepted.”
“But it’s a full offer,” Abby pointed out.
Janie just nodded.
“Paul thought we should’ve offered less,” Abby admitted. “So we’d have some bargaining room. But I reminded him this was my business, not his.”
“Do you want to reduce the offer?” Janie said quietly. “It’s not too late. We haven’t signed anything yet.”
“Here comes Leslie now.” Abby waved with relief. “No, I think the offer is fine as is.”
“Sorry to be so late,” Leslie shook both their hands with a warm smile. “I was just getting the final sign-off on this.” She held up a folder of paperwork. “Now was that quick or what?”
Abby nodded. “Yes. I a
ppreciate that.”
“Well, you and Paul have been good customers for ages.” Leslie smiled at Janie now. “And we’re happy to have your new business partner transferring her account to our bank as well.” She handed them both a pen. “Are we ready to sign?”
“I am,” Abby said, and Janie nodded. Then Leslie began to explain the various pages, and, to Abby’s relief, Janie actually took the time to read through each one before signing. Doing this transaction without Paul’s blessing was hard enough, but he really was the one with the business experience.
“It’s so nice to be partners with an attorney,” Abby murmured after Janie gave her the okay to sign the first section. On and on it went, taking nearly an hour to finish.
“Now you both already know that a short sale is different in a number of ways,” Leslie said finally. “In this case there will be no inspections. Everything is as is. The decision will be made quickly, and the sale closes upon acceptance.”
“Do you know how many other offers there are?” Abby asked.
Leslie just smiled. “All I can say is that you’re not alone.”
“So we’re done?” Janie asked.
“We are for now.” Leslie shook both their hands. “Good luck,” she told them.
“How soon will we know?” Abby asked nervously.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I hear back from corporate. That could be as soon as the end of today or not until early next week.”
“Is there much chance our offer will be rejected?” Abby asked.
“I can’t say, but I’ll let you know as soon as I know. I have your phone numbers.” Leslie shook their hands again. “Have a good day.”
Abby let out a little groan as they exited the bank.
“You’ve done all you can for the time being, Abby. Now you just get to wait.”
“Like having a baby.” Abby had a sinking feeling—what if this baby was stillborn? All her doubts assaulted her. “Hopefully we’ll hear something today,” she said nervously. “I don’t know how I can wait until next week.”
“I have just the solution to distract you,” Janie said in a teasing tone. “Bring your own gloves.” She waved her chipped fingernails under Abby’s nose.
“Yes.” Abby nodded. “I’ll go home and change into my gardening clothes and meet you at Caroline’s.”
“Thanks. Remember, be sneaky.”
“Sneaky.” Abby nodded. “Now I get to be both pregnant and sneaky.”
Janie laughed. “Who would’ve thought?”
Abby tried not to obsess as she drove home. Really, there was no point in worrying. So far, she’d done well to keep praying about everything, and this was no time to give in to despair. So, once again, she gave the whole thing to God, asking for his will to be done. By the time she got home, she was surprised at how relaxed she felt. She was also surprised to see that Paul hadn’t left for work yet. She found him in the bathroom popping a couple of Tums.
“Is that a bad reflection on my breakfast?” she asked.
He smiled. “No, your blueberry waffles were great as usual. My problem is just that, as usual, I ate too many.”
“See, this is exactly why I should be running a bed-and-breakfast. I always cook too much.”
He nodded, but she knew he wasn’t fully on board with this idea, and she suspected that he’d be hugely relieved if their offer was rejected and someone else bought the old house.
“Aren’t those your gardening overalls?” he asked as she pulled them out of the closet.
She told him about the Caroline project. “If you don’t have anything better to do, you’re welcome to come over and join us.”
“No, thanks. I’m already running late. I’ve got an appointment with a building inspector at eleven.”
Abby told him good-bye, then braced herself as she pulled up her overalls. She hadn’t worn them for a couple of years, and she knew she’d put on a few pounds since then. But the soft worn fabric of the overalls was forgiving. Then she dug out her old green Crocs and her floppy straw hat, and before long she was happily on her way to Caroline’s.
“Wow,” she said quietly to Janie as she came into the backyard. “Talk about a blank slate.”
Janie just shook her head. “You have no idea how much hard work went into erasing this particular chalkboard.”
Abby looked over to where a couple of Latino men were busily laying sod. “That grass will be a nice touch,” she told Janie.
“And the covered patio survived,” Janie said, pointing to a small square of pavement that looked freshly washed. “The plan is to make it larger with those.” She nodded to stacks of cement pavers.
“Aha.” Now Abby spotted what looked like a small junkyard over in the corner of the lot. “Is that our stash of found art pieces?”
Janie nodded and they both walked over to investigate. “The guys thought I was crazy for wanting to save this stuff, and I must admit I’m still a bit skeptical.”
“Caroline’s old bike.” Abby smiled at the rusty old Schwinn. “It’s perfect.”
“I’ll trust you on that.”
“I’ve got spray paint in my car.”
“Feel free to go at it.” Janie held up a can of landscaping paint. “I just stopped by to mark where the pavers should go so the guys can start on that after they finish with the lawn, but I’m not really sure how to arrange them. Do you have any ideas?”
Abby followed Janie back to the small patio, talking even more quietly close to the house. “The obvious plan would be to outline the patio, but you could also change its shape.”
“Change its shape?” Janie frowned. “How?”
Abby moved the toe of her shoe through the dirt, drawing a rounded section along one side. “You could fan the pavers out like this,” she said, “make kind of a half circle. Then do the same over there. Then fill in around the corners with some pea gravel and add some potted plants or whatever—something to add interest.”
“Like a small water feature or birdbath?”
“Sure,” Abby said. “Either would be great.”
Janie handed her the landscaping paint. “Why don’t you handle all the spray painting today?”
“You trust me?”
“Totally.” Janie stepped back and held her hands up. “I knew I was in over my head, but I was hoping you or Marley would bring in some creativity. I sure didn’t want to have to call in Bonnie.”
Abby made a face. “Thanks a lot.”
“Anyway, you have fun. I’m heading back to my house to fill pots. I decided to plant them over there, and then the guys can transport them back here all at once so they don’t get in the way.”
“Smart idea.” Abby walked back out to her car with Janie. “Has Caroline seen any of this yet?”
“Not that I know. I made her swear to not look until I give her the go-ahead. My biggest challenge now is how to replace that fence without making noise. The guys tried to prop it up as best they could, but come next big wind, it’ll be flattened.”
“Why not get some of those prefab sections of fence delivered?” Abby suggested. “The guys can plant the posts in the old holes with some cement, then bolt the eight-foot sections onto the posts in relative silence.”
Janie blinked. “You are brilliant.”
Abby beamed back at her. “Why, thank you. That’s not something I hear a lot.”
Janie patted her back. “Well, maybe that’s about to start changing.”
Abby thought about that as she got the box of brightly colored paints from the trunk of her car. It would be nice to do something that utilized her various talents, because despite Paul’s sometimes-dismissive attitude, Abby knew she had something to offer. Running a bed-and-breakfast seemed the perfect answer. A rush of excitement ran through her as she imagined working i
n her old garden, redecorating the bedrooms, outfitting her old kitchen, and all the other tasks associated with a successful inn. She just knew she could do it.
She propped Caroline’s old bike up against a tree and began cleaning off the dust and spiderwebs with a dry rag, then paused. What if their offer was rejected? What would she do then? Not that she wanted to think negatively, but she knew acquiring her old house was not a done deal. It could go either way. Maybe she should make some kind of backup plan, something to keep her from feeling crushed if the short sale fell apart. She smiled to herself as she spread out a disposable drop cloth over the dirt. Laying the bike on its side, she picked up a can of spray paint. Who knew? Perhaps she could start her own landscaping company, featuring recycled yard art.
“What’s going on back here?”
Abby peered up from under her straw hat and saw a strange woman approaching. “Who are you?”
“Darlene Kinsey.” The woman smiled, nodding toward the house. “The respite caregiver for Mrs. McCann.”
“I’m Abby Franklin, a friend of Caroline’s.” She lowered her voice. “We’re supposed to keep it quiet out here. Did we disturb her mom?”
“No. She’s napping.” Darlene held up what looked like a baby monitor.
“How’s she doing?”
Darlene sighed. “She seems to be going downhill, but that’s not unusual at this stage of the disease.”
“I wonder how long Caroline will be able to continue caring for her.”
Darlene shook her head. “I don’t know. But I do know it’s wearing on her. She seemed really depressed this morning. She had a hard time with her mom last night. It’s taking a toll on poor Caroline.”
Abby explained a bit about what they were doing in the backyard and how they hoped it would cheer up Caroline.
“Well, you’re good friends. And I look forward to seeing the results.” Darlene waved and went back into the house.
Abby picked up the can of hot-pink spray paint again, shaking it vigorously. She aimed it at the old bicycle and started to spray, thoroughly coating the surface, then leaving it to dry in the sun. Then she continued cleaning the other junk pieces and painting them various bright colors. It was actually really fun—almost enough to take her mind off the house-buying business.
Hometown Ties Page 18
