As Young As We Feel

by Melody Carlson

  Janie got a thoughtful expression. "I suppose I should think about that."

  "Yes!" Abby said eagerly. "And you should fix the house in a way that you could live there if you wanted to. Just in case."

  Janie nodded. "Yes, you're probably right." She turned to Victor. "Thank you for your hospitality."

  "Yes," Abby said. "Thank you, Victor."

  "Hey, you're the ones who brought lunch," he said. "Thank you!"

  "Well, thanks for sharing your beach, then," Janie said. "I wish we could stay longer. It's really lovely here."

  "Anytime." He smiled at Janie in a way that made Abby wonder if he was flirting. IVIi casa es su casa. "

  Janie laughed. "Well, I've already admitted that I really like your house. You might want to be careful with an offer like that."

  Abby blinked in surprise. Was Janie flirting back?

  "I'd like to see you again," Victor said as he walked them to the door. "Before you leave for New York. If you have time."

  "Sure." Janie nodded. "Maybe we should all get together one more time. I'm not sure about Caroline, but my flight home is on Thursday."

  "How about Wednesday, then?" Victor suggested.

  "That reminds me," Abby said. "Wednesday is Cathy's memorial service. At three o'clock at New Hope Church."

  "So a dinner get-together might be a good follow-up," Janie suggested.

  "I'd be happy to have everyone here," Victor said, "but you already know that I can't cook to save my life."

  "I'll cook," declared Abby.

  "And I'll help," offered Janie.

  "If you want to have it here, I'll clean it up and get everything ready."

  "Sounds like a date," Abby told him. As she and Janie headed out to her car, she started planning the menu in her head.

  "Victor's such a nice guy," Abby said as she drove them back toward town. "I get the feeling he likes you."

  Janie laughed. "He likes you, too, Abby. And Caroline as well."

  "No, not like that. I mean I think he's interested in you."

  "And I think you're imagining things. Besides, he knows that I'm going back to New York. Really, what would be the point?"

  "Yes." Abby nodded sadly. "I suppose you're right."

  "Besides," Janie continued. "I think Caroline is interested in him. And it probably makes sense for her."

  "Makes sense?" Abby frowned. "Are we talking about potential romance or a business deal here?"

  Janie chuckled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to sound so clinical. I simply meant that Caroline seems genuinely unhappy with her life in LA. Plus she has her mother to think about. Really, it wouldn't surprise me at all if she decided to move back to town."

  "Seriously?" Abby felt strangely hopeful. "You think she'd come back here for good?"

  "Why not? She's fairly free to do what she wants. Working in a restaurant isn't the sort of thing to tie one down. Why wouldn't she want to move back home?"

  "That actually makes a lot of sense." Abby nodded. "She could help with her mother and maybe slow down a little. Enjoy life more. Who knows? Maybe she and Victor would get together in time." Abby glanced at Janie in time to see her jaw clench ever so slightly. Perhaps Janie was more interested in Victor than she let on.

  "So are you really serious about helping with my house?" Janie asked.

  "Absolutely. In fact I was about to suggest we stop by and do a walk-through. I'd like to know what I might be getting myself into."

  "I'll warn you, it's not pretty."

  "Not yet anyway." Abby chuckled. "But when we're done, well, you just make sure you get some good `before' photos so I can show it off afterward."

  "You know, Abby, if you're really good at this kind of thing, like I suspect you are, you might consider doing it professionally. It might be easier than catering. Plus you have Paul in your back pocket. You guys could be quite a team."

  Abby considered this. "Well, before I start running ads in the paper, I'd better make sure I can deliver."

  "And make sure you really like doing it." Janie pulled her BlackBerry out of her purse. "Because sometimes we get into a career for all the wrong reasons, and by the time we figure things out, it's too late."

  "Too late?"

  "Oh, you know. You're invested in something and you can't just quit because you're tired of it."

  "Oh." Abby wondered if Janie was talking about herself.

  "At our age-I'm not saying we're old-but at this stage of the game, who wants to get into something that's not right for them?"

  "I see your point." Abby did see it, but that only made her more determined to work on Janie's house. Because more than anything, Abby wanted to do something with her life-something beyond making beds, shopping for groceries, and sitting around feeling sorry for herself or guilty about something that was beyond her control. Yes, Abby decided, she was ready for more. It remained to be seen whether that something would be Janie's house, but Abby was done with frittering away her time. Finished, through, kaput!

  Chapter 12

  JANIE

  "Oh, Janie," gushed Abby, "this is such fun!"

  "You honestly think so?" Janie pushed a strand of hair away from her face, then took another energetic swing at the last of the kitchen's old upper cabinet. The sledgehammer caught it solidly this time, and the whole thing came crashing down with a loud boom, erupting a volcano of dust. Debris, grime, and shattered remnants of what once had been "home" were everywhere, and Janie was getting worried that she and Abby might be in over their heads. But it was too late to back out now.

  To be fair, it was Janie's fault. She'd been the one to start pulling up the carpet last night. But it felt good to see the wood floors again. It made this project seem possible. Then Abby had met her here this morning, arranging for Paul to stop by and drop off tools as well as some advice.

  "Oh, I know it's not going to be easy," Abby assured her as she pushed the broom across the kitchen floor to create a trail. "And if we don't get done, we can always have Paul send a crew in. But you have to admit it's a hoot tearing things up."

  "It's actually been kind of therapeutic, like I'm in control of the situation." Janie laughed as she kicked a wooden drawer with the toe of what had been a top-notch running shoe. "But I'm afraid the feeling is rather delusional."

  "You are in control, Janie. It's your house and you're doing what you want with it."

  "You mean tearing it down." Janie frowned up at the decrepit light fixture hanging over the sink. It wasn't just ugly, but probably a fire hazard, too.

  "And don't forget, you're saving money by doing the demolition yourself."

  "Yes. Saving money is good. We'll need to be disciplined to stay on budget." Janie and Abby had gone over finances last night, and already Janie was feeling a little worried. This renovation was definitely going to stretch her for a while. But she hoped the project would be completed in a couple of months and the house would be sold before the holidays.

  At least Abby thought it was possible. Paul had been a little skeptical, and Janie knew that was something of a red flag. Still, she was trying to be optimistic. Besides, Abby was right. Taking the place apart was kind of fun. Already they'd had the appliances and plumbing fixtures removed by some of Paul's guys, who'd known to turn off the water first and shown Janie how to work the electrical panel so that no one got electrocuted. Abby's goal was to have the whole place gutted before Janie left town on Thursday. After that the subcontractors could start coming in and putting things back together. Really, it sounded fairly simple. But Tuesday was nearly over, and so far Abby and Janie had only managed to pull out the carpets and tear down the kitchen cabinets.

  "Hello, ladies?" called a voice that sounded like Paul.

  "In here," Abby called back.

  "How's the demo crew holding up?" He looked around the kitchen with a hard-to-read expression.

  "We're okay," Janie told him. "Does this look like we're doing it right?"

  He stuck his hand into one of the holes that had p
opped open in the wall when a cabinet came down. "You'll need to do some Sheetrock repairs."

  "Sheetrock repairs?" Janie frowned.

  "Drywall." He picked up a chunk of the wall, crumbling it so that white plaster dust splattered his jeans. "But I can send some of my boys in here to help with it."

  "Oh." Again, Janie wondered what she'd gotten herself into.

  "I forgot to ask you last night," he continued. "Are you going to change the footprint of the house?"

  "Footprint? I didn't even know my house had feet."

  He chuckled. "Are you going to take out any walls, make any additions, change anything from the original design?"

  "No." Janie glanced at Abby to see she looked blank. "I don't think so."

  "Good. That'll save you from having to pull permits. As long as you leave your plumbing and electric where they are."

  "And if I want to move a light or something small?"

  "It'll probably be okay. Just don't start changing everything," he warned. "That will really send your expenses climbing."

  "Okay." Janie tried to absorb all this.

  "I see that your Dumpster's been dropped." He tossed the chunk of Sheetrock to the floor. "Looks like you'll be needing it."

  "Let's get this cleaned up and call it a day," Abby told Janie.

  "How about if I get my wheelbarrow for you to use?" Paul offered. "It's in my truck anyway."

  "How about if you roll up your sleeves and help us?" Abby asked.

  But Paul just laughed. "Sorry, ladies, but it'll be a cold day in you know where before I go back to doing grunt work again."

  "Real nice," Abby said as she picked up the sledgehammer and gave a whack to the last cabinet.

  "That's right," Janie told her. "Take out your aggressions if you like."

  It was nearly six by the time they hauled all the junk out of the house, and both women were exhausted. Janie couldn't remember when she'd ever been so dirty. "Oh, Abby," she said as she examined her ruined nails, "have we lost our blooming minds?"

  Abby laughed in a tired way. "Maybe. But I do think we could finish the bathrooms tomorrow."

  "No." Janie shook her head. "I think we need to call it quits and let the professionals take it from here. Tomorrow is Cathy's memorial service, and we promised to cook dinner at Victor's. I'm so beat now that I can't even imagine how sore I'll be by then."

  Abby sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid you're right. I'm going home to soak in the tub."

  "I wish the hotel had a tub. That sounds good."

  "They have a hot tub by the pool."

  Janie didn't normally like the idea of public hot tubs, but today she was willing to make an exception. "That sounds great, except I didn't pack a swimsuit."

  "I'll bet they have some in the hotel gift shop." Abby was digging her purse out from beneath a pile of dust.

  "Thanks so much for your hard work," Janie said as Abby headed out. "I'll see you tomorrow."

  "Don't worry about how bad things look right now," Abby called back. "It's all going to fall into place. You'll see."

  Janie walked around the empty, ravaged house, and she wondered if she'd made a mistake. Really, wouldn't it have been much simpler to just sell the house as is, or even rented it? Who would possibly want it now? And what if something went wrong during the renovations? She would be so far away. What could she do? She wondered what Phil would say about this. He was always so sensible, and yet he'd also been more of a risk-taker than she. Perhaps he would think this was a great adventure. Janie didn't want to consider how her parents would've reacted to what she'd done. If they hadn't already passed on, Janie was certain they'd both fall down dead if they could see their house now. But it wasn't their house anymore. It was Janie's. This great big mess belonged to her.

  Outside, the yard looked as dismal as the interior. She locked the door, not that there seemed much sense in locking it now. Really, why would anyone want to go in there? And what could they possibly take? She attempted to brush off her dirty jeans before getting into the rental car, but her effort seemed useless. If the pants hadn't been expensive and a perfect fit, she would probably just throw them out. As for her running shoes, they were history.

  Feeling like a battle-fatigued soldier, Janie drove back to the hotel, parked the car, and slowly walked up to the door. She hoped that she'd packed some Advil.

  "What happened to you?"

  Janie turned to see Caroline coming from behind her.

  "Don't ask." Janie just shook her head.

  "Seriously, you look like you've been in a train wreck." Caroline peered curiously at Janie's hair. "What happened?"

  So Janie gave her a quick rundown on the renovation. "It's not for the faint of heart," she said as they walked through the lobby.

  "I've decided that the only hope for my mom's house is probably a bulldozer," Caroline said. "Or a well-timed fire." She chuckled. "Mind you, I'm not into arson, I'm really not."

  "No, you wouldn't want to do time for arson." Janie was heading for the elevator. She usually took the stairs, but now she could barely put one foot in front of the other. "Oh, I just remembered, I was going to see if the gift shop has swimsuits."

  "Swimsuits?"

  Janie nodded. "So I can soak in the hot tub."

  "Oh, don't waste your money on their ugly suits," Caroline said as she pushed the up button. "I can loan you one."

  "Really?"

  "Sure. In fact I'll join you in a soak. I'm still feeling sore from my failed surfing attempt yesterday."

  Janie sighed as they went into the elevator. "Isn't aging fun?"

  "I'll change and then bring the suit by your room," Caroline said before getting out.

  "Thanks, I'll grab a shower first." Janie touched her filthencrusted hair and cringed. "I'm sure the maintenance people will appreciate it." As Janie went into her room and began peeling off her grimy clothes, she felt conflicted about Caroline again. On the one hand she wanted to dislike Caroline immensely. She wanted to believe that the woman was shallow and selfish and just plain silly, like she'd been back in high school.

  And yet Janie was continually surprised to discover that Caroline seemed to be kind and thoughtful and refreshingly genuine. Besides that, she was cheerful and fun. So why was Janie feeling disturbed? As she showered and scrubbed, Janie pondered this. Was it because Janie suspected it might all be a very good act? After all, Caroline had gone to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting. What if she was good at it?

  Well, what if? Why should Janie care one way or the other?

  As she toweled dry, she wondered if her concerns were related to Victor. No, that seemed ridiculous. What difference was it to Janie if Caroline wanted to pursue a relationship with Victor? If anything, Janie should encourage her. Quit acting like you re in middle school!

  "Hello?" called Caroline from the hallway as she knocked on the door. "Anybody home?"

  Janie tied the belt of the thick terry robe and went to answer it. "Come in," she told Caroline. "I'm almost ready."

  Caroline wore her lime-colored swimsuit with a brightly colored sarong wrapped around like a skirt. "Here." She handed Janie a plastic bag. "I'm going to see if I can find us some refreshments." She winked. "Meet ya down there, okay?"

  "Sure." Janie thanked her and closed the door. As she pulled on the sleek navy blue one piece, she wondered what kind of refreshments Caroline had in mind. It wasn't that she cared particularly. Mostly she just wanted to soak her tired muscles, then call it an early night.

  Janie was relieved to see that no one was in the pool area, and the hot tub wasn't being used either. She sighed and closed her eyes as she eased herself down into the hot churning water. Bliss.

  After a few minutes she heard Caroline giggling. "I got treats," she said as she set two plastic cups with little paper umbrellas and lime wedges on the edge of the hot tub. Then she pulled two bottles of water from her bag and set them there as well. "In case we get dehydrated."

  Janie peeked into one of the plastic
cups and saw something pale and icy inside. "What is it?" she ventured.

  Tina coladas. The bartender made them special."

  Soon Caroline was in the hot tub and they were both sipping pina coladas, and Janie could imagine that before long she'd be feeling no pain.

  "Is this the life or what?" Caroline said happily.

  "Uh-huh." Janie took a sip of water and sighed.

  "I wish we'd been better friends in high school," Caroline said unexpectedly.

  "Better friends?" Janie peered through the steam at her. "We weren't friends at all."

  "Oh, I know we didn't hang out together, but I still thought of you as a friend."

  "Seriously?"

  "Sure. Don't you remember I used to say hi to you?"

  Janie shrugged, then sank deeper into the water. "I probably thought you were just trying to make popularity points. I mean, you were always running for something. Homecoming queen, prom queen, cheerleader queen. Good grief, Caroline, how many crowns do you have anyway?"

  Caroline laughed. "Oh yeah, I'm just buried in crowns. The problem is, I don't have a kingdom. Or even a king."

  Something buzzed Janie's memory now. "Didn't you get married once?"

  Caroline nodded. "Once and briefly."

  "Why didn't it last?"

  Caroline set her pina colada aside and pushed her bangs back. "There were a few reasons."

  "You don't have to tell me if you-"

  "No, that's not it. I just don't want to tell it falsely. You know, I've told that story for so long that the truth is a little blurry."

  "Oh."

  "I was pushing thirty when Max and I met. He was about ten years older and had never been married. Kind of a confirmed bachelor, you know?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "Well, I really wanted this guy. I mean he was everything I'd ever hoped for. He was a director and had a great car and a house in Malibu. But besides that, I was in love with him. It was actually pretty magical."

  "And?"

  "We got married and we were deliriously happy for a while. But his dream had always been to have kids. He'd put off marriage and family for his career, but his career was taking off and he was ready."