CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I pulled into the driveway ready for a swim before dinner with the kids, glad the workday was over.
It had been a frustrating one with a private dinner cancellation due to illness and having to juggle around waitstaff.
Everyone was trying to earn as much as they could leading up to Christmas, willing to work for the extra money it would provide.
When I walked into the house, I expected to see Liana, and suddenly realized her car was gone. I called to Robbie, who ambled into the kitchen holding a can of soda. “Where’s Liana? Where are Bailey and Ned?”
“Dad’s here in the pool with them. He sent Liana home,” said Robbie. “I’m playing a game online.”
“I’ll surprise them,” I said, hurrying into my bedroom to change.
A few minutes later, I headed out to the pool and stopped a moment to watch Vaughn playing with the kids. Seeing him like this reminded me that he was how I, as a child, had pictured what a grandfather would be like if I’d had one.
Vaughn looked up and smiled. “C’mon in. The water’s great.”
“What a pleasant surprise to see you here,” I said, slipping into the shallow end and letting out a gasp at the cool temperature.
He came over to me and kissed me. “I was going to call for a ride and figured you’d be too busy. Besides, I like to surprise the family. And I know Liana has been working overtime. She needs a break.”
“How did the audition go?” I asked.
“Very well. There’s a role for me in this new limited television series. One I’m really excited about. A caretaker falls in love with her middle-aged client.”
“Sounds interesting,” I said. “Who’s going to play the romantic interest?”
“They’re talking to Darla Delaney,” said Vaughn. “That would be delightful. And with she and Meredith living part-time in Florida, it makes it easy to go over the scripts together.”
“It seems like ages since we’ve seen them. We must include her for our post-holiday party.”
“That’d be nice,” said Vaughn, turning as Ned threw a blow-up football at him.
Vaughn caught it. “Okay, go out for a pass.”
Ned swam into the deep end of the pool and waited for Vaughn’s throw.
I joined Bailey, sitting on the steps. “How did it go at school today?”
Bailey shrugged. “I’m not part of the popular group. Some of the girls were mean to me.”
Uh-oh. I put my arm around her. “You’ve only been here a short time. They haven’t had a chance to get to know you. Not really. Give it time.”
“I miss my friends back home. I miss Mom and Dad,” Bailey said, snuggling closer to me.
“Life has been very chaotic,” I said. “But by the beginning of the year, you’ll be close to getting into your own house with your own room.
With the new year, you’ll have new chances to make friends.
Moving to a new place can be an exciting experience.
Difficult too. But in the end, it all works out. ”
“Thanks, Gammy. I love you,” said Bailey, smiling up at me.
“Love you too.” I leaned over and kissed her cheek. All these changes hadn’t been easy for her, and though I knew she’d have to handle some of the smaller frustrations on her own, I’d already decided to speak to her teacher to see what insight I could get.
Vaughn and Ned started a game of football tag, which allowed swimmers to duck under water to avoid the ball touching them.
“C’mon, girls,” called Ned.
Chuckling at being included as a girl, I grabbed Bailey’s hand, and we joined them.
Later, as I got out of the pool, I was relieved to see the smile on Bailey’s face.
###
That night, as Vaughn and I snuggled in bed, I brought him up to date on the latest happenings.
“As hard as it is, it’s wise for Clint to leave this company,” said Vaughn. “Nothing about it sounds straightforward, and Claudine is a piece of work. To think she even brought Brock Goodwin into the picture. That’s not very smart.”
“You can imagine how angry that made Rhonda,” I said.
Vaughn chuckled. “I can.” He sobered. “I wish there was something I could do to make up for the accident to Clint. It’s such a shame he’s physically hurting as he goes through this process.”
“I’m sure we can find something for you to do regarding the move,” I said, cupping his cheek in my hand.
He took hold of it and brought it to his lips. “It’s great to be home.”
###
The next morning, I was surprised by a call from Liz. “Can you stop by my house before you head to the hotel? I want to discuss something with you. Nell, Angie, and I have come up with a plan, and we need your input and Rhonda’s.”
“Okay,” I said. “Rhonda has agreed?”
“Yes,” said Liz. “It’s a bit daring, but it will be a lot of fun. You’ll see when you get here.”
“Okay, now you have me curious,” I said, laughing. I never knew what our girls would come up with. They were a trio of creative women.
I helped Vaughn get the kids off to school, and then I headed directly to Liz’s house, curious to see what plan she and the other two had come up with.
I pulled behind Rhonda’s car, got out, and went inside.
Angie, Rhonda, and Liz were sitting at the kitchen bar when I walked in.
“Hi, Mom! Thanks for coming,” Liz said. “I’m going to call Nell after we’ve had a chance to chat.
Yesterday, I received a call from Hester Wiley to say they had already moved out.
When their children heard about the opportunity to sell, they worked together and with an estate salesperson to empty the house.
It has been cleaned from top to bottom and is in move-in condition.
They called Nell to let her know that as soon as they were paid, she could take over the house. ”
“That’s awesome! But Nell indicated that with a second mortgage on the house, she couldn’t come up with the money they needed to buy the house here.”
“That’s where Mom comes in,” said Angie. “If she would provide a swing loan, Nell could pay for the house and have control of it right away.”
“That’s when the fun begins,” said Liz. “Nell, Angie, and I want to paint the interior rooms with the help of friends and family. People from the hotel have offered to go in on the surprise for Clint. With his injured arms, he won’t be of much help.”
“Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?” asked Rhonda. She crooked an eyebrow at them.
“Yes and no,” said Angie, wrapping an arm around Rhonda. “There was no point in getting excited about it if people didn’t want to help out. And I was sure you’d agree to the loan. I don’t ask you for much myself, but I’m happy to ask for a friend.”
Rhonda hugged Angie, and dabbed at her eyes. “I’m very lucky that I’m able to do this. If I hadn’t dreamed about winning the Florida Lottery, I never would have played. And now that I’ve won all that money, I love being able to help others. Of course, I’ll lend them the money.”
“Nell wouldn’t allow me to ask you or Vaughn,” Liz said to me.
“I understand,” I said, “though we would have been pleased to do so. One thing I know is that neither Nell nor Clint would renege on a loan.”
“Okay,” said Liz. “Our lawyer had already drawn up the sales agreement. As soon as the funds are received at the bank, we can proceed with executing the sale. Nell is flying in this morning.”
“Thanks, Mom,” said Angie. “Let’s go ahead and call Nell.”
“One thing before you do,” I said. “I know employees are trying to earn extra money for Christmas. I’m willing to pay some of Manny’s workers to help with the landscaping and with painting the exterior. My treat.”
“No,” said Rhonda. “Our treat.”
Liz and Angie gave one another a high-five.
“We’ve got the best moms in the world,” said Liz.
Rhonda and I exchanged looks of satisfaction. It was such an easy, fun thing for us to do.
Liz called Nell and put her on the speaker to give her the news.
“Oh, my! Thank you! Thank you! You know we’ll pay it back, Rhonda, as soon as our house sale goes through in January,” said Nell.
“Clint and I had a long talk about my doing this, and we’d already decided to put the house in my name only for right now because of Clint’s legal fight with the company.
We also agreed it was only fair for me to have the chance to work out a deal on my own.
He knows it’s an opportunity for the kids and us.
He trusts me to handle the details. That’s important to me. ”
“Give us the word, and Angie and I will round up some helpers,” said Liz. “Mom and Rhonda are paying for the house painters and the landscaping. We’re going to have a couple of painting parties with friends of ours that we’d like you to meet.”
“Wow! It sounds as if you’ve got everything worked out,” said Nell. “Rhonda, I’m going to fax you some papers, and when I get into town, I’ll sign the loan agreement.”
“That will work,” said Rhonda. “I can easily handle the money end of it. We’ll hire the lawyer to oversee the loan papers when he works on the sales agreement.”
“I like that we women are able and fortunate enough to make this work with elbow grease and a lot of luck,” I said.
“Thanks for everything. Love you all,” said Nell. “I’ll be arriving late this morning. Clint may have to stay until Christmas.”
Liz ended the call, and the four of us gazed at one another.
“I love our family,” said Liz. She glanced at Angie. “Meeting you as my roommate was the luckiest day ever.”
“Look at what’s happened to the four of us since then,” said Rhonda. “It’s too early for a cocktail, but how about another cup of coffee?”
“Hear! Hear!” said Angie. “And I brought Grandma DelMonte’s sugar cookies.”
“Oh, my! Who can resist those,” I said, hugging her. I loved our family too.