Two days later, I walked down to the little yellow house and actually did sign a six-month lease with option to buy. I had put some money aside over the years for me and Charlie to go on one of those cruises, but he never felt like he could leave his work at our farm. I knew he would’ve said this was a better use for that money, by far.
No, I wouldn’t be moving. Sweetbriar Manor was now my home. And Pearl, my best friend at Southern High, was my next-door neighbor. And if the owners ever decided to sell this splendid retirement home, we’d find us a place where we could both go, along with Smiley and Lil and William and, yes, even Lollipop.
Jack borrowed Mr. Case’s produce truck and moved Juanita’s few belongings into my new house. I planned to buy it outright as soon as the farm sold. After much discussion with Charlie, I had called a Realtor and someone was going out to take pictures of the property and put it on the Internet.
We had furnished the yellow house on Sweeten Creek Lane nicely with things Betty Jo couldn’t fit into her new place, and Juanita was beside herself with happiness. The only thing that worried her was not being able to meet the rental payments. “Maybe I can get a second job,” she said. “Whatever it takes to live here, I’ll find a way.”
“I know you will,” I said. “But don’t be too hasty. If the government can adjust rents to make a place more affordable, why can’t I? We’ll take a look at your income and decide what rent would be reasonable for you. Besides, this house is an investment. Best decision I’ve made in years.”
That afternoon, my daughter looked the picture of contentment. I couldn’t ever remember seeing her like this before as she played the doting grandmother. I guess that made me the great grandmother.
Smiley rested on Juanita’s front porch glider, and I plopped down beside him. This had been a long and exciting day. I turned to my friend and planted a kiss on his cheek.
He looked at me and grinned. “What on earth?”
“Don’t you see? Everything’s going to be all right.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because everyone is pulling for each other and working together—just like a family should.”
Contemporary Women's Fiction: Agnes Hopper Shakes Up Sweetbriar (Humorous Women's Fiction) Page 22