Chapter 7 #2
seconds and sometimes thirds of whatever was put in front of him.
“I thought his estate was still in probate.” Mom sipped on her glass of tea.
Dad set down his spoon. “I noticed a Gran Turismo parked in front of Second Chapter yesterday when I stopped by the diner.
Is that his?”
“Yep. Smalls and I were checking it out Saturday night after work. She’s a beaut.”
“It’s just a car,” Via muttered. She didn’t care what Fergus and his best friend thought about it.
“Just a car?” He shook his head. “That’s like saying the Statue of Liberty is just a statue.”
“Or the Mona Lisa is just a painting.” Dad’s two cents.
“How did you find out about Leo, Fergus?” Dora asked.
“Zander said he was in his store that morning. They talked for a little bit. He was asking for some music recs.”
Apparently Leo had gotten a head start on meeting the Pecan Corner business owners.
“When did he move into Earl’s place?” Dad asked Via.
“A few days ago.”
“How long is he going to be here?” Mom queried.
“Until the end of the month.” She stirred her soup, tamping down her aggravation, although she didn’t blame her parents for being curious.
Thankfully, the subject changed, and for the rest of the meal no one mentioned Leo, Second Chapter, or his three-hundred-thousand-dollar
car. If she had that kind of money, she could pay off the rest of her business loan and the money she owed her parents, freeing
her up to buy Second Chapter. But there was no point in wishing for something she couldn’t have. The best she could do was
make sure Leo kept his promise not to sell to Percival and hopefully convince him not to throw away Earl’s collection. So
far he hadn’t said he would do that, but she couldn’t assume that he wouldn’t.
When they were finished eating, Via began to clean the kitchen while the rest of the family went to the living room to watch
the pro football game and play dominoes. But her mother stayed behind.
“I’ve got it, Mom,” Via said, taking a stack of bowls to the sink. “It’s my turn, remember?”
“The soup didn’t take much effort.” She picked up a kitchen towel. “You wash, I’ll dry.”
Her mother was the only person she knew who had never owned a dishwasher. Even Via had one at the café, although she found
washing mugs in the sink to be more convenient sometimes.
They worked in silence for a few moments. “How are you handling all this?” Mom suddenly said.
And now Via knew why her mother had wanted to help. She rinsed the suds out of the Crock-Pot. “Fine. I always knew Earl’s
estate wouldn’t be in probate forever.”
“And his nephew? That had to come as a surprise.”
A fork slipped from her hand underneath the soapy water. She fished around for it. “Like Birdie said, everyone’s entitled to their secrets.”
“Do you know what Leo has planned for it?”
“He’s going to sell it.” She handed her a long silver ladle.
Mom took it. “The apartment too?”
“His half of the building.” And because her mother would hear about it eventually, she told her about helping him.
“Are you sure you have time for that?”
Via shut off the water and turned to her. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to fall for him like I did Trevor.”
“That never crossed my mind.” Mom eyed her. “Obviously it crossed yours.” She set down the dish towel. “Honey, everyone makes
mistakes—”
“Trevor wasn’t just a mistake, Mom. And I don’t want to talk about him.”
“Okay, then let’s talk about your insistence on paying us back.”
Via pressed her lips together. It seemed they had this conversation every few months since her canceled wedding.
“Your father and I would rather you invest your money in your business. Or save it for something else.”
She shook her head. “I owe you.”
“You don’t—”
“I do!” She faced her mother. “We keep going around in circles on this. Please . . . just take the money, Mom.”
Mom hesitated, as if she were going to refuse. “If it makes you feel better—”
“It does.” She couldn’t erase the past, but she could make up for it.
And every time she wrote out that monthly check to them, she was reminded of her failure.
Of not seeing the red flags Trevor kept flying during their relationship and letting him make a fool out of her because she refused to see him for who he really was.
The financial sacrifice was easy to bear.
The emotional one was more costly, but necessary.
They finished the kitchen in silence, and when they were done, Via hugged her mother. “Thank you,” she said. “For always wanting
what’s best for me.”
Mom hugged her back and stepped out of her arms. “I’m proud of you, honey. You bounced back from a difficult situation and
forged ahead with your dreams. But don’t forget—we’re here for you if you need us. You don’t have to do everything on your
own.”
Via nodded, and they went arm in arm to the living room, Sir padding behind them. He sat in her lap as they played dominoes
on the coffee table, punctuated with cheers and moans as the Cleveland Browns game played out on TV. Sir pawed at the little
dotted rectangles every time they were shuffled. At five o’clock, everyone headed home, and Via put Sir on his leash.
Fergus left first, waving to his sisters before taking off on his motorcycle. Dora was parked behind Via, but before she went
to her car, she stopped her. “Are we okay?” she asked, apprehensive.
Via nodded and picked up Sir. He didn’t resist and settled into her arms. “Thanks for not mentioning Leo.”
“Turned out I didn’t have to,” she said, giving Sir a quick chin rub. “I wasn’t going to say anything anyway.”
“Mom and Dad would have found out soon enough. Word travels fast in Pecan Corner. Leo’s flashy car doesn’t help.”
“Charlie can’t stop talking about it.” Dora shook her head. “He’s walked past it every day on his lunch hour, just to get
a glimpse.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Me neither.” She smiled. “I hope you and Leo work things out.”
“Dora—”
“Obviously something happened between you two. If you need to talk about it, let me know.”
Via nodded. There was nothing to talk about, mostly because she wasn’t sure what had happened in her office right before he left.
Dora touched her arm. “See you tomorrow.”
They each got into their cars and left. Via lived the closest, and it wasn’t long before she was pulling into her parking
space behind Pawsitive Vibes. She and Sir got out of the car and went inside through the back entrance. She was rounding the
stairwell when she heard the sound of an engine revving up outside.
“Meow!” Sir tugged on his leash toward the front door.
Via didn’t bother to yank him back, picking him up instead. She peeked out the small window in the door in time to see Leo’s
car back out of its parking space, then drive away. Sir stopped squirming and she let him down again.
Although she didn’t want to, she wondered where Leo was going, then banished the thought. It wasn’t her business and she didn’t
care. She had plenty of things to think about other than Leo Brewster. She was sure she wasn’t on his mind at all.