by P. C. Zick
She prayed to God to keep Jacob safe, but she knew in her heart they had to talk, especially after Dean’s confession today. As she sat there on the rock, she heard her heart assure her that everything would happen as it should.
And tomorrow there would be the reading of the will.
“Why did Jim mention me in the will?” she asked aloud to the trees swaying in the gentle breeze. She noticed a gator on the opposite bank sunning in a patch of light filtering through the leaves of the cypress tree. She looked around on her side of the river to make sure she wasn’t in the way of an alligator trying to bask in the sun.
By the time she arrived back at Susie’s, the house was empty. She decided to get a book she’d packed the night before and sit on the porch where the ceiling fans whirred their approval. She’d put all of the turmoil of the past few days out of her mind and escape into the world of romantic fiction. The books she read at night always seemed to be such fantasies, but as she looked at the cover of the paperback with the two lovers embracing, she realized she’d always hoped that type of love existed in the world. Now she knew it did.
Her cell phone rang as she sat down on one of the rockers. Caller ID showed a Jacksonville number. Joe Moran, the lawyer Big Jim hired to write his last will, wanted her to attend a meeting the next afternoon. She agreed to meet with him at 1 p.m. at the attorney’s office in Victory. She wondered how Harlan Landis, the Davis family attorney for years, felt about Big Jim going out of town to hire a new lawyer.
The next day, she took Susie to the dry cleaners so she could use her car to run some errands and then keep her scheduled time with the lawyer. When she entered the cool of the small reception lobby of the office on Main Street, the front desk was empty. As soon as she shut the door behind her, Harlan came out to greet her.
“Come on back, Leah,” he said as he held the door to the offices open for her to enter. “We’re just waiting on Geraldine and Jacob.”
He led her into a conference room with dark paneling, dark red carpeting, with a long walnut table dominating the room. A man sat at the head of the table, and he rose as Leah entered the room. As she came toward the table, she saw Dean already seated to the man’s left.
“You must be Leah,” the man said as he reached out his hand in greeting. “I’m Joe Moran. We spoke on the phone yesterday.”
They were shaking hands when she heard the front door open. In a few minutes, Jacob and Geraldine entered the room.
“I have no idea why you’ve dragged us down here today, Harlan,” Geraldine said as she entered the room. “This is plain ridiculous to think that Big Jim might have another will that I didn’t know about.”
“Hello, Mrs. Davis,” Joe said as he moved to greet her. “I’m Joe Moran.” He held out his hand, but Geraldine ignored him and moved to the other side of the table.
“Hello, I’m Jacob,” Jacob said as he reached for the hand rebuffed by his mother. “We spoke yesterday.”
“Yes, of course, Jacob. It’s nice to meet you,” Joe said. “Let’s all be seated and get started.”
When Geraldine headed for the other side of the table, she stiffened at the sight of Dean. She sat down at the opposite end from Joe. Jacob and Leah sat across from Dean. Harlan reached over Geraldine and picked up a folder and legal pad sitting in front of her before sitting down next to Dean.
Joe cleared his throat and straightened a pile of papers in front of him. “Harlan, thank you for letting us use your office today for the reading of this will.”
“Glad to be of assistance,” Harlan said.
“I’m surprised that you filed an earlier will,” Joe said, “when you knew Big Jim had another one drawn up a few months before he died. That makes things a little more complicated, but once a judge sees the two wills, the one with the later date will prevail.”
“I didn’t realize there was any difference when Big Jim brought the new one to me,” Harlan said. “I didn’t pay any mind to it and just put it in his file. Must have gotten confused.”
“Let’s hope, for your sake a judge sees it that way,” Joe said.
“Now you listen here, I didn’t let you use these offices so you could throw around threats,” Harlan said.
“Calm down, Harlan,” Joe said. “No harm intended. Let’s just get on with the reading of this will, which represents the final wishes of James Dexter Davis.”
He read all the legal language at the beginning and then started with the bequests.
“To the Sunshine Church, I leave an endowment of one million dollars to be used for church improvements and programs to further the church’s ministry to the community and to the global projects we sponsor.”
Jacob and Leah smiled at one another. The money would take a great burden off the budget, and maybe keep Geraldine from being so miserly with supporting the church’s programs. Leah knew that meant a lot to Jacob.
“To my oldest son, Dean Charles Davis, I offer my sincere apologies for not doing more to take care of him over the years. I hope he finds peace, and can find it in his heart to forgive me. Because I know he always loved the farm and hated it the day we stopped operations, I leave him the entire property of two hundred acres, including all buildings and their contents. May he return to the land he once loved so much. I also leave him one million dollars to do with as he sees fit.”
Leah looked over at Dean who kept his head down, staring at his hands. Leah wasn’t sure if Dean knew about the money or not. Big Jim’s public acknowledgement must mean more than any of it, Leah thought.
“How can you let this travesty continue, Harlan?” Geraldine asked from her end of the table. “What kind of game is being played here?”
“I can assure you this is no game, Mrs. Davis,” Joe said.
“Geraldine, please listen to the man,” Harlan said. “There’s nothing you can do about it.”
“To my son, Jacob, I leave my sincere wishes that he find what it is that will make him happy,” Joe read from the will. “He went to seminary school because he thought it would please me, and he came back to Victory to take over the ministry to please his mother. Neither of those things were what he really wanted, and I’ve always known that. I want him to have the freedom to discover what makes him happy, and not anyone else.
“When Dean left, he tried every which way to please us to somehow to make up for that heartache, but he forgot to do the one thing that would have made me the happiest. Jacob forgot to take care of himself. To ensure that he finds what it is he wants to do with his life, I am leaving him a trust fund of one million dollars. I urge him to go out into the world.”
Geraldine let out a loud snort, but didn’t say anything. Leah turned to Jacob and touched his arm. They smiled at one another, and she noticed that his eyes were hazel, just as she’d thought yesterday. Big Jim hit on something Leah had always suspected. Jacob made the motions of a caring minister because he was a good person, but there was nothing behind it. His faith often left him, and that’s why Leah spent much of her time with him bolstering him up. Joe started speaking again, and when she heard her name, she turned to the head of the table and began listening again.
“Leah Bryant came into our lives a few years ago and blessed us all with her goodness born of a loving heart and generous spirit. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but she’s even more gorgeous on the inside. The work she does with Soup’s On is the true definition of Christianity as Christ envisioned it. I know it’s been a struggle at times to keep the kitchen open with the concerns of the church budget. I want to ensure that she never has to worry about where the next meal will come to feed those in our community who are unable to feed themselves. A trust fund for Soup’s On will see that Leah’s efforts are supported financially for the rest of its existence with Leah as the executor of that fund. I also leave a trust fund for Leah of $500,000 so she will never have to worry about where she lives again.”
Leah looked up at the lawyer with tears in her eyes. Big Jim had just given her everyth
ing she’d ever wanted. She looked across the table at Dean, who was smiling at her. Everything she had wanted until three days ago, she thought as she smiled back at Dean.
Geraldine let out a big gust of air as if she’d been holding her breath. “You must have been giving Big Jim something more than your smile.”
“Shut up, Geraldine,” Dean said. “If you say one more word, I’ll come down there and pick you up and throw you out into the street.”
“Let’s continue. There’s one last bequest,” Joe said. “And then we’ll be done.”
“To my wife Geraldine, I leave a stipend for monthly expenses for the rest of her life. I also leave a warning. If she should attempt to contest this will, Joe Moran has been left with a sealed envelope containing documentation of her despicable behavior over the years. Joe has been instructed to turn over that envelope to the authorities if she should attempt any trouble with what I’ve left in my will and with the people mentioned herein.”
All eyes looked down the table toward Geraldine, who sat with her hands on the table, her face turning bright red. Leah waited for the explosion surely to come. Geraldine sat very still staring over Joe Moran’s head. Jacob reached for Leah’s hand and pulled it close to his face.
“Your worries are over,” he said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Leah looked across the table, as Jacob held her hand to his cheek. She pulled her hand away, but not before Dean stood and left the room.
“I need to go,” she said. She pointed her head toward Geraldine. “Talk to her.”
Jacob stared at his mother then he stood and walked to the end of the table and sat down next to Geraldine. Leah walked out of the office, leaving the two alone to sift through the news. Leah doubted Geraldine would be in any mood to discuss anything rationally, but Jacob was the only one to try to talk to her now.
When Leah walked outside, she didn't see Dean's bike parked in front of the building as it was when she entered. She decided to walk down Main Street to Dew Drops where Clara waited with plenty of food for her to take down to the river. She smiled to think of telling Joshua and Carol the news about Soup’s On, but she wished Dean could be there when she told them.
Leah’s mind raced as she imagined the renovated barn with the large front room with a kitchen at the back. Tables for eating, playing cards, and chatting would be scattered around the room, but they'd have to save room for a pool table and maybe even a ping-pong table. She knew providing a place where they could do activities, other than sitting on the banks of the river all day, would be helpful. Also keeping the barn in shape and cleaned would give them a daily routine, which Leah knew was extremely important to feeling useful. The new Soup's On would be everything she'd ever imagined she wanted to have for the Deer River folks. With the money Big Jim gave her, it might even go further than just the small town of Victory.
With the addition of a garden, they'd be able to serve fresher food. Perhaps they could even get some chickens. As she approached Dew Drops, she wondered if Dean would work the farm as his father and grandfather had before him. She looked up and down Main Street for his bike. Maybe he just needs time alone to absorb the news, she thought as she walked inside.
Clara greeted her in the kitchen.
"Soup's On is back on," Leah told Clara as the women pulled trays out of the walk-in refrigerator. "Big Jim left a new will and in it, he left a trust fund for the kitchen."
"Honey, that's just wonderful," Clara said as she came and wrapped Leah in her arms. “Big Jim always did live his beliefs.”
"Even though the church has decided to let me continue at the hall, I'm going to renovate the barn out on the old farm for the kitchen and a lot more."
"What's Geraldine say about that?" Clara asked.
"She doesn't have a whole lot to say about it," Leah said. "He left the farmland, including the barn, all to Dean."
Clara whistled. “If I know Miss Geraldine she won't take that kind of thing lying flat on her back."
"The will is very clear on the terms of contesting it. She can’t do anything."
"We’ll see. I know you love that woman for helping you out, but I never liked her. She's just plain mean.”
“I’ll be back in a few minutes to pick up the trays,” Leah said. “I left the car at the lawyer’s office.”
When Leah drove the food down to the barn, she found Dean's bike parked next to the tables they set up the day before.
He came out of the barn, as she was getting out of the car.
“I thought you’d be celebrating with Jacob,” Dean said.
“Why? These folks need to eat. I’m not sure I understand everything that happened today, but I really hope it means what I think it means—that I won’t have to worry again about funding Soup’s On.”
“Here let me help you with that,” Dean said, as she struggled to get a large tray out of the trunk. “You don’t have to worry about a location either.”
“So we’re still on with the barn?”
“Of course. As I understand it, the trust fund for Soup’s On only covers costs of the day-to-day operations,” Dean said. “Joe explained some of the finer points before the rest of you got there. The money I receive can be used for anything, so I thought we could set up a non-profit corporation for Soup’s On, and I’d make donations, which could then be used for renovating the barn.”
“Why not just pay to have it renovated?” Leah asked.
“Because I want you to know this barn is for Soup’s On, and to be used in any way you see fit. I don’t want you to worry about ever losing it.”
Leah stopped fussing with the food and eating utensils to look at Dean. “You’d do that for me?’
Dean stared back at her. “Yes, I’d do that for you. Don’t you know that by now? And I’m going to help get the work done here so you can be out of the church in the next month. No matter what you decide about Jacob, I’ve decided to help you get this thing going. I believe in you and in your vision.”
Leah stepped closer to him and reached out her arms to give him a hug. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. She laid her head on his chest, and they stood there not moving or speaking. When they heard Joshua yell as he approached, they pulled apart.
“Hello there, Leah and Dean,” Joshua said as he came closer. “I wondered if I’d see you today.”
“I was just headed down to tell you soup’s on,” Leah said. “In more ways than one.”
“What’s that mean?” Joshua asked.
“Big Jim’s new will was read today, and he left me enough money to fund Soup’s On for as long as it’s in existence. He also left this barn to Dean, and Dean’s agreed to turn this over to the kitchen, after he helps renovate it.”
“I’m blown away,” Joshua said as he gave Leah a hug. “That’s great news. I think we should all be involved in the renovation as well as tending the garden. What do you think?”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Dean said. “It’ll give the folks a sense of community and pride.”
“I have so many wonderful things I want to do here, Joshua,” Leah said, her eyes filling with tears. “It’s going to be a community for everyone.”
“We’re already a community, but this place will help the others feel what I’ve known all along. Thank you both,” Joshua said. “I’ll go tell the folks to come for lunch, and you can tell them about it then.”
“I’ll be back serving tomorrow in the church,” Leah said. “Dean thinks we can whip the barn into shape in a month or so, and then we’ll be down here permanently.”
Joshua left the two of them alone again. When the food was all set out, Dean grabbed Leah’s hand.
“No matter what happens, I’m glad I came back,” he said.
“Me, too.” She didn’t ask the one question she wanted to ask ever since the will was read. Was he going to stay after the barn was finished?
“I was pretty upset when Dad stopped working the fields down here,” Dean sai
d. “Geraldine talked him into it, right before I left town.”
“Is that one of the reasons you left without fighting?”
“I left mainly because of Geraldine, but when the farm stopped, it never felt the same.”
“Maybe you can get it going again,” Leah said. “It might help, unless you can’t wait to get back to South Beach so you can tattoo all those rich ladies.”
Dean laughed and came around to Leah’s side of the table.
“I think the days of Harold Grant are just about over. It wasn’t me, not really. When I walked over these fields the other day and went down to the river, I realized I was home. It didn’t matter what Geraldine said or did. She couldn’t hurt me anymore.”
“That’s a big lesson to learn. I didn’t realize the land meant so much to you.”
“It’s more the sense of place it gives me. It makes me feel in sync somehow. I certainly never felt that back at the parsonage, and I never once felt it in Miami. Why do you think I used a different name?”
“I wondered about that. Dean Davis is a much nicer name than Harold Grant.”
Dean laughed again, and gave Leah a brief hug before the others reached them. “I haven’t felt this good since I was a kid skinny dipping in the river with Reggie and the rest of the boys.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The work began the next day when Dean brought an old friend of his to the barn. Stan Thomas owned a small construction firm near Victory, and Dean wanted him to consider doing the work with some help. He asked Leah to meet them at the property after she finished serving lunch.
“Leah, Dean tells me you have a vision of the sort of place you’d like,” Stan said after the introductions were finished.
“That’s right. I need a kitchen of good size. I’d like bathrooms—male and female—that have showers and changing rooms. The rest of the ground floor needs to accommodate ten to twelve tables, a pool table, and a ping-pong table. I’d like the upstairs to be a large loft for cots, with a divider down the middle to separate males and females. Maybe some gym equipment.”