Back Home Again by Melody Carlson

head. “Why, he’s nearly as old as I am.”
    “He’s experienced and established in our community,” said Alice. “Maybe we should get a second opinion from him.”
    “And lose time? Jim has already said that if we get a jump on this we can get a good portion of the exterior projects completed before winter sets in.”
    Alice waited as Jane and Jim came back into the house.
    “Well, I think Jim was right,” announced Jane as they joined them in the foyer. “I can see now that most of that post is perfectly fine. It’s only the bottom few inches that are rotting. And, he’s absolutely right, we’ll save all kinds of money by not having to replace it.” She smiled with satisfaction.
    “That’s true,” said Jim as he slipped a pencil behind his ear. “A post like that would have to be special ordered and specially milled. Not only is it expensive but it takes a long time too.”
    Jane patted Jim on the back. “So, aren’t you glad we found such an expert, Alice?”
    Alice nodded mutely. Perhaps she was being too sensitive. After all, Jane and Louise and even Fred had spent more time with Jim than she. They all seemed to think that Jim was the next best thing to sliced bread.
    “So, do we have a deal then?” he asked with a broad smile.
    “As far as I’m concerned, we do,” said Jane.
    “I’m certainly in,” agreed Louise.
    Alice nodded again. “Then so am I.”
    So they all shook on it before they went into the study to sign the papers.
    “I thought perhaps we might open a checking account with the inn’s name on it,” explained Louise. “That way we can use those funds for renovation expenses and whatnot. It will help us to start keeping all our finances straight, for business records later on.”
    “That sounds smart,” said Jim. “But if I’m going to start on Monday, I’ll need a deposit up front by then.”
    “How much do you require?” asked Jane.
    “I usually like half up front and half upon completion, but since this is a fairly good-sized project, we could break it into more payments.”
    “That would be nice,” said Louise. “Perhaps in thirds?”
    He nodded. “Thirds would be fine.”
    Still, Alice felt a little nervous. These were large sums of money they were talking about, most of it Louise’s, although she and Jane were contributing as much as they could afford. Still, she could think of nothing concrete to say that would deter them. She had no legitimate reason to put the brakes on this deal. So it was all settled. Louise and Jane both seemed elated over the arrangements.
    “We’re getting a really good deal,” Jane assured her two sisters over a lunch of crab cakes and salad.
    “I think so too,” admitted Louise with excitement. “I’ve always enjoyed watching
This Old House
on public television and I’ve seen just how much these kinds of historic renovations can cost.”
    “I wish we’d had Fred look at the final paperwork,” said Alice.
    “Now that’s a good idea,” said Louise. “It’s not too late. I believe there’s a three-day recision period for a contract this size. Maybe you should run the papers over to Fred for a second opinion.”
    “Would that make you feel better?” asked Jane. “You still seem a little uncomfortable with this, Alice.”
    Alice shrugged. “Oh, I’m sure I’m just being silly, but then I’ve never had much to do with such large sums of money. Goodness, whenever I buy a car, which certainly hasn’t been too often, I tend to fret over the whole transaction for weeks. I suppose I’m just being overly cautious with the house. But if you two don’t mind, I’d like to ask Fred to go over it.”
    Later in the day, she paid Fred a visit at the hardware store, but since it was Saturday and he was having a seasonal sale, he asked if he could take the papers home with him and look them over more carefully later on thatevening. Alice felt relieved as she walked down Hill Street. She remembered how her father had often