amenities, for an expensive sailboat to be moored. Kathy gave her a stern glare.
“You have a beautiful home,” Kathy said, sounding desperate to steer the conversation in another direction.
“Thank you. It’s been featured in Architectural Digest, Home Beautiful, and Country Living magazines.”
“I’m sorry I missed it,” Kathy said with sincerity. It was Tori’s turn to glare at her friend.
“Well, I’d better get back home. It’s time to feed my dogs,” Lucinda said.
“Dobermans?” Anissa asked.
“No, Yorkies.” If Lucinda was offended by Anissa’s suggestion, she didn’t show it. She smiled, and this time it seemed a little more genuine. “Welcome to the neighborhood.” She turned and started back toward her driveway.
“Thank you,” Kathy called after her.
Tori and Anissa turned their gazes on Kathy. “You don’t live here,” Tori reminded her.
“And technically you don’t, either.”
“You haven’t decided to buy that crappy old house, have you?” Tori accused.
“Of course not, I mean, not just after one viewing.”
“Kathy,” Tori admonished.
“We’d better finish up here. We can still get a few hours of work in on your grandpa’s house tonight.” She looked toward the bungalow. “I’ll collect the rakes.”
Tori waited until she was out of earshot. “Can’t you convince her that buying that house would be a huge mistake?”
Anissa shrugged. “I’m not convinced it would be. If you’re gonna stay with your Gramps, why wouldn’t you want your best friend nearby?”
“I would love it, but I don’t want to see her go broke trying to resurrect that wreck.”
“I never got a chance to check out the basement for her. I can’t give her a yay or a nay until I do.”
“Thank goodness for that.”
“Shhh—here she comes,” Anissa warned.
Kathy struggled to hold onto the rakes and the weed whacker. “Grab the loppers and we can load up the mower.”
Tori did so and joined the two women by the car. Kathy looked disappointed. No doubt, Anissa had told her she couldn’t comment on the house. Good.
Tori placed the loppers in the back of the car with the other tools and the three women hefted the mower into the back once more. They secured it with the bungee cords and then turned back to examine their work one last time.
“What color are you going to paint it?” Tori asked, hoping it wouldn’t be the same mustard yellow.”
“I don’t know. Maybe hot pink. That might annoy old Lucinda,” Anissa said with a smirk
“You’re bad,” Kathy scolded.
“Maybe—maybe not,” Anissa admitted. She let out a long breath. “I can’t thank you guys enough, and not just for helping me with the yard. I feel like I’ve made a couple of new friends today.”
“One new friend,” Tori said indicating Kathy, “and got reacquainted with an old one.”
Anissa laughed. “Yeah.”
“If you get lonely, I’m going to be staying with Gramps through at least the weekend. Then I need to go back to Rochester to start shutting down my apartment.”
“So, you weren’t shitting old lady Bloomfield. You really are going to reopen the Lotus Lodge?” Anissa asked.
Tori shrugged. “I don’t know. It was terrible of me, but I just felt the urge to bug her by telling her yes.”
“You bad girl, you,” Anissa said and laughed.
“Yes, you’re very bad,” Kathy said with disapproval.
“Don’t tell me you like that old bat,” Anissa accused.
“I don’t know her well enough to make that kind of judgment,” Kathy said.
Instant shame gushed through Tori, making her blush. One of the things she admired most about her best friend was her honesty and sense of fairness. “We’d better get going,” she said to hide her embarrassment.
“Yeah,” Kathy agreed. She turned to Anissa. “Any chance you can come with me to look at the basement of that house tomorrow morning? That is, if I can get Jerry to come back and show it.”
“Sure thing.”
“Great.”
“You have a beautiful home,” Kathy said, sounding desperate to steer the conversation in another direction.
“Thank you. It’s been featured in Architectural Digest, Home Beautiful, and Country Living magazines.”
“I’m sorry I missed it,” Kathy said with sincerity. It was Tori’s turn to glare at her friend.
“Well, I’d better get back home. It’s time to feed my dogs,” Lucinda said.
“Dobermans?” Anissa asked.
“No, Yorkies.” If Lucinda was offended by Anissa’s suggestion, she didn’t show it. She smiled, and this time it seemed a little more genuine. “Welcome to the neighborhood.” She turned and started back toward her driveway.
“Thank you,” Kathy called after her.
Tori and Anissa turned their gazes on Kathy. “You don’t live here,” Tori reminded her.
“And technically you don’t, either.”
“You haven’t decided to buy that crappy old house, have you?” Tori accused.
“Of course not, I mean, not just after one viewing.”
“Kathy,” Tori admonished.
“We’d better finish up here. We can still get a few hours of work in on your grandpa’s house tonight.” She looked toward the bungalow. “I’ll collect the rakes.”
Tori waited until she was out of earshot. “Can’t you convince her that buying that house would be a huge mistake?”
Anissa shrugged. “I’m not convinced it would be. If you’re gonna stay with your Gramps, why wouldn’t you want your best friend nearby?”
“I would love it, but I don’t want to see her go broke trying to resurrect that wreck.”
“I never got a chance to check out the basement for her. I can’t give her a yay or a nay until I do.”
“Thank goodness for that.”
“Shhh—here she comes,” Anissa warned.
Kathy struggled to hold onto the rakes and the weed whacker. “Grab the loppers and we can load up the mower.”
Tori did so and joined the two women by the car. Kathy looked disappointed. No doubt, Anissa had told her she couldn’t comment on the house. Good.
Tori placed the loppers in the back of the car with the other tools and the three women hefted the mower into the back once more. They secured it with the bungee cords and then turned back to examine their work one last time.
“What color are you going to paint it?” Tori asked, hoping it wouldn’t be the same mustard yellow.”
“I don’t know. Maybe hot pink. That might annoy old Lucinda,” Anissa said with a smirk
“You’re bad,” Kathy scolded.
“Maybe—maybe not,” Anissa admitted. She let out a long breath. “I can’t thank you guys enough, and not just for helping me with the yard. I feel like I’ve made a couple of new friends today.”
“One new friend,” Tori said indicating Kathy, “and got reacquainted with an old one.”
Anissa laughed. “Yeah.”
“If you get lonely, I’m going to be staying with Gramps through at least the weekend. Then I need to go back to Rochester to start shutting down my apartment.”
“So, you weren’t shitting old lady Bloomfield. You really are going to reopen the Lotus Lodge?” Anissa asked.
Tori shrugged. “I don’t know. It was terrible of me, but I just felt the urge to bug her by telling her yes.”
“You bad girl, you,” Anissa said and laughed.
“Yes, you’re very bad,” Kathy said with disapproval.
“Don’t tell me you like that old bat,” Anissa accused.
“I don’t know her well enough to make that kind of judgment,” Kathy said.
Instant shame gushed through Tori, making her blush. One of the things she admired most about her best friend was her honesty and sense of fairness. “We’d better get going,” she said to hide her embarrassment.
“Yeah,” Kathy agreed. She turned to Anissa. “Any chance you can come with me to look at the basement of that house tomorrow morning? That is, if I can get Jerry to come back and show it.”
“Sure thing.”
“Great.”
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