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Now don’t get ave a lot to his faed to a country club, ent to private schools, we vacationed every su break, and my parents each drove a new Mercedes every two years But whentheir parents’ two-year-old Mercedes, I was driving the Blue Bomber, an old Buick LeSabre that had been passed down to each brother and in turn, to me

For the record? I loved that car When it finally went to the junkyard, I shed an actual tear I’d lostthat story All I will share is Beck on the radio, a foot on the ceiling, and a seat belt buckle iress The point is, my family had done well And le, I did rather well myself But not nearly as well as the worth of the land this house was sitting on Although, could you sell a house that was on the historical register? Is that even possible? I could think of a certain librarian ould know the answer to that

"You think Maude kneouldn’t sell it, huh?"

"I know she did, Vivvie"

"But, Ma, you should see what a wreck it is I can’t even iine how much it would cost to renovate this place"

"So sell your business to your father You knoants it That’ll give you so room to decide what you want to do"

"Sounds like you and Aunt Maude already knohat you think I should do"

"She was crazy, not stupid"

I snorted "She keeps her Johnny Mathis records in the fireplace, Ma"

"I rest hedIf I stayed and tried to make this work, I’d have to sell my business to my dad, which wasn’t the worst idea in the world I was proud of the little business I’d built but I could do it again If I wanted to The cash would allow me the opportunity to decide what I wanted to do I looked out the , to see if the ansere out there

They were Jessica alking up the front steps carrying a pizza With a smile, I pushed myself off the sofa and reached the front door just as she was about to knock

"I know I called you nosy, but this is bordering on Single White Female," I joked as I opened the door

"You’veher eyes "Besides, I told you I’ve been dying to see the inside of this house" She started to walk back down the steps in an exaggerated way "Or I could just take this box away; I’ot lunch plans"

"Get in here But I’ll warn you in advance, it’s a freakingthe door open so the pizza andto make the Butcher Block special a constant in my life, and I see no reason why I shouldn’t do exactly that, I’rooed so we had an audience She didn’t find thereat trails around here You knohere the state park is?" she asked, also patting her own stomach

"I think so I passed it on the way into town The Headlands?"

"Yep, there are so River I’ll draw you afor the stack of napkins and a pen

"Aweso I avoided looking directly at the dolls