For Sale By Owner

by Marlene Bateman

  She and Sara were deeper in the woods now. The bare branches of the trees rubbed against each other, whispering scratchily in a light breeze which was sweet with the scent of pine.

  “You’re thinking of him, aren’t you?” Caught up in the solemn stillness of the woods, Sara spoke in a whisper. It was almost as if they were wandering in a sacred place.

  Kenzie was startled. Could Sara read her mind?

  “You know—that boy.”

  “Actually, I was thinking about him.” Kenzie had told Sara all about those magical summers. Her daughter had been fascinated—but Kenzie wasn’t sure if it was because it was hard to imagine her mother had ever been a young girl or because it sounded so magical. Whichever it was, Sara listened spellbound whenever Kenzie talked about going on picnics, fishing in the pond, or catching grasshoppers.

  “He liked to catch bugs,” Sara recalled.

  “I’ll say. I wasn’t too crazy about it but asked my mom for a net anyway. I’d chase after grasshoppers and other flying bugs while Tyrone went for the creepy crawlies. Like under rocks and rotted logs. Ugh.” Kenzie shivered, making Sara laugh.

  “What did you do with the bugs you caught?”

  “Put them in quart jars. My dad punched holes in the lid so they had air. But every day before we went home, I made Tyrone turn the bugs loose. Far away from me!” Kenzie smiled. “Tyrone wasn’t too happy—he wanted to keep them—but I insisted. I’d go off a ways, and he’d lay the jar on its side. When we came back the next day, the bugs would all be gone.”

  How carefree her childhood had been! How foolish she’d been—longing to grow up. She’d had no understanding of the difficulties that came from adulthood. Kenzie scuffed her toes in the snow. You could get blindsided when you least expected it.

  A little over two years ago—still reeling from Larry’s revelation and his demand for a divorce—Kenzie had come home to lick her wounds in Lake Forest. Shortly after her arrival, Kenzie had come here to meander the shady trails that had occasional patches of sunlight crossing her path. She’d walked for hours, but it wasn’t far enough to leave the pain behind.

  Her visit had ended abruptly after that dreadful talk with her father. His words had wounded her beyond measure, and without thought, Kenzie had packed and left. She always regretted not telling her mother good-bye, but hurt and anger had overridden all else.

  Sara took her hat off and, stuffing it in her pocket, went off the trail, following deer tracks in the crusted snow. As she approached a clump of oak trees, her presence set off the insolent squawking of starlings.

  Kenzie trailed after her. The old axiom that the wife is always the last to know had certainly been true in her case. There had been signs, of course, but they were easy to ignore when you trusted your husband. It was only when Kenzie looked back that she was able to see what she had missed. At the time, she hadn’t given it a second thought when Larry exited his e-mail the second she walked into the room. The same went for his complaints about how his boss kept forcing him to work late. First it was once a week, then twice. How strange when Larry refused to let her use his cell phone when her battery had run down. And why the anger when she asked about unusual charges on their credit card bill? But she didn’t worry until Larry began picking absurd things to fight about—as if cooking too many potatoes or planning a movie night with friends was a call to arms.

  His decision to stop attending church had come as a shock. A crisis of faith, a friend told her, and Kenzie took care not to push or prod. She counseled with the bishop and determined to be a loving, supportive wife. How proud she’d been of herself for not making something out of nothing. Until the day Larry sat her down at the kitchen table and acted astounded when she didn’t know he’d found someone else. He’d fallen out of love, he’d said. He needed to start a new life. The conversation was one-sided. All about what Larry needed, what he wanted, and what he was and wasn’t going to do.

  And because of Larry’s new life, Kenzie got a new one as well.

  The pain took a long time to ease, but eventually it did. And when, after a year and a half, she heard Larry’s new love had left him for someone else, she didn’t rejoice as she might have in the early days. Instead, it just seemed sad.

  When an icy snowball hit her leg, Kenzie jumped. Behind her, Sara burst out laughing and laughed even more when Kenzie tried to make her own snowball—the icy snow refused to stick together.

  Fearlessly, Sara ran to her mother. “It doesn’t hold together too good.”

  “I noticed.”

  They returned to the path. All around was the muffled quietness of winter-cold air. The pale winter sunshine shone down from a vault of tender blue, burnishing Sara’s head as she gazed at the dark pines and the brown dappled expanse of leafless trees.

  “I love it here,” Sara said contentedly, tilting her head at her mother. “You do too, don’t you? Is that why you wanted to move here?”

  Looking at her daughter’s smooth, pink cheeks, Kenzie smiled. “Part of it. I do love it in the woods. Coming here brings back a lot of awesome memories.”

  Sara made a halfhearted attempt to skip, but her boots made her clumsy, and she abandoned the attempt. “Maybe you’ll meet that boy here. Tyrone.” She made a face. “What a dumb name. Sounds like a dork.”

  Inhaling, Kenzie said sharply, “It’s not a dumb name! And Tyrone was not a dork!” Sara was startled by her mother’s vehemence, and Kenzie added more gently, “He was my friend and a really nice boy.”

  “Sorry.” Sara was full of remorse.

  Kenzie took her daughter’s hand. “It’s okay. Tyrone really was wonderful. He was smart, kind, thoughtful, and a lot of fun to be with.”

  “And he was your best friend.”

  “He was.” Kenzie arched an eyebrow. “So remember, you can’t judge a dork by his cover—I mean, by his name.”

  Sara giggled as they rounded a curve.

  “Tyrone was very self-conscious about his name—said he hated it and was going to change it when he grew up.”

  “You really liked him, didn’t you? I can tell by the way your voice changes when you talk about him.”

  Really? She’d had no idea.

  Sara went on. “Me and Grandma were talking about him yesterday. I think Tyrone moved back here.”

  Kenzie scoffed. “To Lake Forest? I don’t think so.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “I don’t know.” Kenzie held her daughter’s hand a little tighter. “I wish I did.”

  They returned to the house. That night after dinner, they played games together for family home evening. Sara had great fun sending her grandparents’ tokens back to home as they played Sorry. Allen and Elaine pretended great anguish each time, adding to Sara’s delight. When the hour grew late, they packed up the games.

  “It’s time for bed, Sara,” her mother told her.

  Sara protested, “I don’t want to—I’m not tired.”

  “Do you want to go Christmas shopping tomorrow?” Her little daughter nodded solemnly. “Then you need to get some sleep.”

  “Or you could wait a few more days, and you and Grandpa could go together.” Elaine winked at Sara. “You see, Grandpa always waits till the last minute to do his shopping.”

  Allen bent across the table toward Sara. “I only do that to give your grandma time to buy what she wants. Then I don’t have to go shopping at all.”

  “Actually, your grandfather always buys exactly what I want,” Elaine confessed to Sara. “He must be a mind reader because he always picks perfect gifts. I don’t know how he does it.”

  Allen smiled smugly but said nothing.

  Kenzie grabbed Sara’s hands to help her up, but Sara pulled back. “I want to play another game.”

  Her grandfather nudged her. “If your eyelids droop anymore, you won’t be able to see where you’re going. You’ll bump into the furniture and get bruises on your legs. Then we’ll have to carry you everywhere because you won’t be able to w
alk. And if you can’t walk, you won’t be able to go Christmas shopping.”

  Sara giggled and, giving up, let her mother escort her to the bedroom.

  Chapter Eleven

  After breakfast, Elaine, Kenzie, and Sara left in high spirits for their shopping trip. They drove to Jo-Ann’s to buy rhinestones for a present Sara was making for her grandparents. She’d outlined her hands on half a dozen pieces of colored foam and, after cutting them out, glued pictures of herself on each thumb and finger. She was also working on a poem, which she planned to glue in the palm of each hand. After adding rhinestones and tying a ribbon at the top, Sara would hang the handprints on the Christmas tree for her grandparents to find Christmas morning.

  Next was a stop at the dollar store so Sara could buy presents for her cousins. Then they went to downtown Lake Forest and to the shops on Main Street. By twelve thirty, everyone was dragging. When Sara asked if they could have lunch at Jared’s Café, Elaine agreed. Kenzie would have preferred eating the Tic Tacs she had in her purse, but Sara and Elaine were oblivious to her reluctance, and away they went. With a heavy sigh, Kenzie followed.

  Pam recognized them and gave them a warm welcome. She looked especially cute today with her short hair tucked behind her ears. As luck would have it, Jared—wearing his white chef’s hat—was behind the counter making sandwiches.

  “I like to make sandwiches to suit the customer,” Jared told Sara when they got to his prep station. “Maybe I should sprinkle some princess powder on yours since you’re so pretty. “

  Sara beamed. “And what about my mom’s sandwich?”

  With a mischievous expression, Jared responded, “Oh, she gets extra pickle.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Kenzie said wryly, taking her tray.

  They sat in a booth near the window so they could watch Christmas shoppers pass by.

  “Heavens, it feels wonderful to sit down!” Elaine said. “My feet are aching—along with the rest of me.”

  She wasn’t alone; Kenzie was also glad to take a break. They chatted easily as they ate. Kenzie was nearly finished when she noticed Sara put the rest of her sandwich on the tray. “Are you going to be able to finish your sandwich, sweetie?”

  “I’m full,” Sara said in a woebegone voice.

  “That’s too bad. I was going to buy you a piece of fudge when you were done.”

  “Maybe I could eat a little more,” Sara said, reaching for her sandwich.

  Kenzie glanced toward the candy counter and saw Pam looking in their direction. Pam went over to Jared, putting a familiar hand on his arm as she talked. She then glanced back at Kenzie.

  Scott, the stocky young man who cleaned tables, spoke to a customer then started wiping crumbs off a nearby table. Sara tilted her head in curiosity then asked, “What’s the matter with that man?”

  Kenzie answered, “I think he has Down syndrome. People with that sometimes need a little help learning things, but that’s okay. His name is Scott.”

  When the young man walked past them, Sara spoke up in a friendly voice, “Hi, Scott.”

  The young man stopped, looking a little puzzled. “Hi.”

  Kenzie hurried to introduce herself, Sara, and Elaine. Then Scott said to Kenzie, “I remember seeing you before. You were talking with Jared.” He then went back to his work.

  When Elaine finished her sandwich, she went to the restroom. While she was gone, Sara looked up at her mother with big blue eyes. “I heard you talking with Grandma and Grandpa last week. Grandpa thought you decided to move here because they were moving away. Did you?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Grandpa sounded hurt.”

  “I know, but he didn’t need to be. Lately, Grandpa gets hurt by almost anything I say.” Kenzie had to be honest. “And sometimes I do the same thing—feel bad when he doesn’t mean to hurt me. It’s a bad habit we’ve gotten into.”

  Sara nodded like she understood. “I know you’re still mad at him.”

  This wasn’t something she liked admitting, but . . . Kenzie took a deep breath. “Yeah, I guess I still am. I shouldn’t be, but he hurt my feelings—a lot.”

  “Can’t you forgive him?”

  “That’s exactly what I need to do.” Kenzie put an arm around her daughter and squeezed. “But I decided to move here because I believed it was the best thing for us, not because I thought Grandma and Grandpa were moving. I think it’s great they’re going to stay.”

  “Me too!” Sara smiled hugely.

  What would be even greater was if she could buy Tom’s house. She hadn’t given up. Inwardly she sighed. It didn’t seem likely, so why was she still hoping? Maybe it was the season—there was just something about Christmas that made you believe in sugarplums and impossible dreams. She’d come home thinking everything would turn out the way she wanted, but she should have known better. Life always had plenty of monkey wrenches to throw into the works.

  Picking up their napkins and cups and putting them on the tray, Kenzie thought about what Mandy had said—that she had come back to Lake Forest to fall in love. Ha! Kenzie had a lot of reasons for returning, but falling in love was not on the list. And yet . . . perhaps she was ready for a relationship.

  And what of Sara’s belief that Tyrone was in Lake Forest? Wishful thinking or premonition? Certainly she and Tyrone had developed a deep and special bond. An idea struck her—could her childhood friendship have been a subconscious motivator behind her decision to return?

  As her mother approached, Kenzie glanced at Jared. Of course he would pick the same exact moment to look at her. Their eyes caught and held. He actually was quite good-looking—striking, even, in that white chef’s hat. Jared gave her a slight smile then went back to work.

  “Well, girls,” Elaine said, picking up her sacks. “Ready to go?”

  Sara slid off the seat and led the way to the candy display. Kenzie had such a hard time deciding between fudge flavors that Elaine finally asked Pam to give them two of each.

  As they pulled their coats off the coatrack, Kenzie told her mother, “I have one more stop to make. Do you mind taking Sara home?”

  “Of course not, but we can come with you.”

  “I wanted to see Tom at his office.”

  “Oh, I see. How are you going to get home?”

  Inspiration struck. “Why don’t you two go to Sweet Pea’s Ice Cream, and when I’m finished, I’ll walk over and meet you there.”

  Sara’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! Let’s do that!”

  “I thought you were full,” her grandmother teased.

  “I’m full of sandwich. Grandpa told me you can never be too full to eat ice cream. It just melts and fills in around the food in your stomach.”

  Once outside, they separated, with Kenzie cutting across the street to Tom’s office. Fortunately he was in. He came around and gave her a hug.

  “You look nice today,” Kenzie said, admiring his cream sweater and striped tie. Although her brother was a big man, he was not overweight and wore his clothes well.

  “Thanks. What brings you to town?” Tom settled into the padded chair behind his desk.

  “A little Christmas shopping.” She raised the bags in the air, then put them on the floor, taking a chair beside his desk. “Sara wanted to get something for her cousins, and Mom and I went around the shops here.”

  “Ah, Sara didn’t need to buy presents for us. What a sweetheart. What did she get me? I can make a list if you want—”

  Kenzie laughed. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your house.”

  A veiled look came over Tom’s face, and he put his feet flat on the floor as if bracing for an onslaught. “What about it?”

  Putting as much of her heart and soul into her voice as possible, Kenzie pleaded, “Isn’t there some way you could sell the house to me?”

  “I told you before, Kenzie—I already accepted Jared’s offer. Exactly what part of that don’t you understand?”

  “But you’re a realtor! Isn’t there some way
you can get around that? I mean it was just an offer . . .”

  “A legally binding offer.” Tom pronounced each word distinctly.

  “But surely there’s some loophole—”

  “You mean something only real estate agents know about? Secret tricks of the trade on how to get out of an agreement?”

  Now they were getting someplace. Kenzie nodded eagerly.

  “Well, why didn’t you say so?” Tom leaned forward, then peered toward the reception area to make sure no one was within earshot. “I know a number of underhanded strategies we can use to double-cross Jared and break our legal agreement.”

  “Very funny. That isn’t exactly what I meant.”

  “Really? It sounded like that to me. Look, the only way this sale wouldn’t go through is if Jared doesn’t sell his home by the twenty-fourth. When he made the offer, it was contingent on selling his home by then so he could qualify for a loan.”

  This was exciting news. “And if he hasn’t sold his house by then, would you sell your house to your loving sister?”

  “I suppose.” There was a lot of doubt in Tom’s voice. “But it’s a slow time of year—Jared might ask for more time.”

  “You’re the one who told me you had a legally binding offer. If he asks for more time, tell him your hands are tied and you have to abide by the terms of the offer,” Kenzie said sweetly. “He’ll understand you can’t give him more time when you explain you have another buyer.”

  “My dear sister, who is waiting in the wings.”

  “Right.” Kenzie’s spirits soared. She still had a chance to get the house. Jared only had a little more than a week and a half left.

  “Don’t get your hopes too high,” her brother warned. “Jared just reduced the price on his house, and I’ve had a few people call. I’ve got a couple of showings lined up, and Carlos and Tracy Perez, who own the travel agency down the street, are very interested in it.”

  Her brother was right; she had to be realistic. “All right, all right. If you’re set on stiffing your sister, you’d better show me what other homes you have available.” Kenzie pulled out her cell phone. “Would you be able to take me home afterwards? I told Sara and Mom I’d meet them for ice cream, but I’m going to be here longer than I thought.”