Safe & Sound (18 page)

“Hey, Lanie can you do me a favor?” I asked when she answered the phone.

“Sure. Anything you need.”

“Are you still at the house?”

“Ya.”

“Can you pack up the following items for me and have them shipped to this address?” I asked as I repeated the address for her.

“Sounds like you’re thinking about making that house a more permanent residence,” she mused.

“Ya. I think I am.” I hadn’t thought about it until I spoke the words out loud, but I was and more importantly, it felt right.

“I think that is awesome, Jill. I’m glad you have a plan. What are you going to do with all the stuff here?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I just figured out I want to stay here.” I laughed. We chatted about some other details and ended the call. I set the phone down and carried the paint can labeled “Master Bedroom” and other supplies up the stairs and set to work.

For the next several days my life fell into a familiar pattern. I got up early in the morning and went for a run on the beach, each morning going a little farther and feeling a little stronger. I then either spent the rest of my day painting or unpacking boxes. When I got low on supplies, I would walk several blocks to the local hardware store, which, as luck would have it, was right next to the local grocery store. At night I would sit on the deck and listen to the ocean oftentimes losing myself in my thoughts. The nights were still the toughest part. I still heard noises throughout the house, which caused panic to set in and keep me awake at all hours. During nights I was able to sleep, I was plagued by horrible nightmares that caused me to start awake, breathless and scared.

Finally, at the end of the week, the FedEx truck pulled up with the packages that Lanie had mailed me from the house. Mixed in with all the other packages were two packages I was not expecting. The first had a return label from Paul Wellon’s office. I scanned the contents, most of which seemed to be about settling different items in Jay’s estate. I made a mental note to call Stella and ask her if she would be able to look through the documents for me. The second package had no return label, but I knew who it was from the moment I opened it. Inside was a vintage wood frame with two pictures. The first was Lanie, Stella and me on the first day of kindergarten. It had faded over the years, but there we stood at the end of Lanie’s gravel driveway, holding our lunch boxes and smiling back at the camera. It had been in my living room back in Greensboro. The second photo, taken several days earlier, showed all of us on the beach at sunset. A small note accompanied it.

Jill,

Friends are the family you choose. No matter what you need, we are always here for you. Enjoy the house-warming gift.

Love,

Stella and Lanie

Lanie must have written the note. It was way too sappy for Stella. I carried the picture immediately upstairs and placed it on my dresser. It was the first picture I had displayed in my new house. I grabbed my phone to text my friends.

To: Stella Conner, Lanie Alexander

You guys are so sweet. Thank you for the gift.

Seconds later, my phone pinged back.

From: Stella Conner

You’re such a sap!

From: Lanie Alexander

Glad you like it. Where did you put it?

On the dresser in my bedroom.
I smiled.

From: Stella Conner

There are many things that should be in your bedroom and that is not one of them.

From: Lanie Alexander

Stella!!

You’re hilarious, Stella.
I didn’t care what Stella thought. Its home was going to be there.

From: Stella Conner

Suit yourself.

I rolled my eyes at Stella and set my phone down. I set my sights on the rest of the boxes that Lanie had packed up for me. For the next several hours, I hung portraits of family, different canvases Jay and I had collected and other pieces that had been up in the attic back home. I also found a home for Lanie’s shadow box from Christmas. Finally, I got around to the boxes of clothes Lanie had sent me. Each item was carefully folded and some even had small notes from Lanie pinned to them, commenting on my taste in clothes or how much she liked a particular item over another. After unpacking all the boxes I had asked for, I found yet another unexpected parcel. I tore it open and found another note from Lanie.

Jill,

You used to write all the time. I thought maybe it was time you should start again.

Love,

Lanie

Inside the envelope I pulled out my leather-bound journal, I recognized it immediately. It was the most recent journal I had been writing in at the time of Jay’s death. On the last written page was the poem I had read at his funeral. Lanie was right. I used to write in a journal all the time. It was the one thing, I think, that got me through my childhood. I knew she meant well but I could feel my temper flare up. Who did Lanie think she was? Not my mother. I would start writing when I was ready, if I was every ready again. It, like so many other things, just didn’t feel right after Jay’s accident. I rolled my eyes and tossed the journal and note onto the dresser.

The next morning, I walked over to the local grocery store and asked someone at the customer service desk if I could fax some documents. The 20-something-year-old kid, whose nametag read “Zach,” looked back at me as if I had three eyes as I tried to explain what a fax was. After several attempts, I asked to speak with his manager. The manager, who appeared to be not much older than Zach, agreed to let me fax my documents after apologizing for Zach’s lack of personality, among other things. I shrugged it off and called Stella on my walk home.

“I just faxed you some documents from Paul Wellon’s office. Can you read through the documents and let me know what I need to do and what it all says?” I asked.

“First thing Tuesday morning. You know it’s Memorial Day weekend, right?” she asked.

“Nope. I had no idea.” I had lost track of time ever since the accident.

“Well, it is. Just enjoy yourself. Also, remember that everything is all set with the construction company. I spoke with the owner, Jeff Powers. He and his workers are starting on Tuesday,” she informed me.

“They have been commissioned to finish replacing the windows, paint the exterior of the house, replace the roof, rebuild the deck and do some minor landscaping. It should take roughly two months, they are estimating. This was all under the original plan Jay had laid out for the house.” She paused to see if I had anything to add.

“What color are they painting the house?” That was all I had to add.

“It hasn’t been decided. Lanie and I decided that you should have the final say,” she said.

“Thanks. It’s only my house,” I snidely remarked.

“Hey, you weren’t in any condition to be making decisions for so long,” she snapped back.

“Okay. Okay. I get it. I’ll pick the color when they get here. Will that work? I don’t really have a means to go to them to pick out any colors. I’m without any type of transportation,” I reminded her.

“Oh, that reminds me. There was a note in the previous documents that Paul forgot to share. There are additional funds set aside to purchase a vehicle that would stay with this residence,” she said, sounding very formal.

“Seriously?” I was stunned.

“I was just thinking of getting a bike,” I added.

“You can do that.” She paused. “But it’s hard to ride a bike in the snow.”

I chuckled at her words. She had obviously forgotten how mild North Carolina winters were.

“I have my car back home.”

I thought about my old Jeep Cherokee sitting in the driveway back home. Jay had tried so hard over the years to convince me to get something new, something “shiny” as he put it. But it was a good car and it still worked. So what was the point of replacing it?

“On second thought,”—it was my turn to stun—“can you arrange for someone to put my car up for sale and the house too?” I took a deep breath. I hadn’t really thought the decision through, but as soon as I said it, I knew it was what I wanted—and needed—to do.

“Seriously?” It was Stella’s turn for disbelief.

“Did I stutter?”

“No, but are you ready for that? You have only been there for a couple days. Don’t you want to give yourself a little bit more time to think this through?” she said, sounding like Lanie.

“Lanie made me clean out most of Jay’s stuff months ago. So it’s not like I’m avoiding anything or running away from anything,” I argued.

“True, but I never thought you would just sell it. Are you going to go back?”

“Not unless I have too. I have most everything I need or want. There are a couple little things I can have shipped to me, but for the most part, everything else can be donated or sold.” My future seemed to be clearer now than it had even been several days ago.

“Sure thing, friend … only if you are absolutely sure.”

“I’m sure. Oh, also, I think I will take you up on the appropriated funds thing. I want a new Jeep, a Wrangler, cherry red. Can you arrange that as well?” I knew I was pushing my luck with Stella, but I wanted to see just how far she would let me go.

“Anything else I can help you with, your highness? It’s not like I’m a high-paid lawyer in New York with a full-time job,” she said, and I could picture the frown she probably had.

“Please, Stella? You love shopping and negotiations more than anyone I know … and … plus I am rideless, remember? So I can’t go do it myself.” I added my last point for good measure.

“You do have a point. I’m sure I can get Abbey, my assistant, to help me out on some of your requests.” I could hear her mulling over her priorities. “Yea. I can get this done. I’ll look over the documents you faxed as well and let you know. You’re so lucky we have a history, Jill Greenfield. I wouldn’t do this for just anyone!”

I was going to owe her and she was going to let me know it, but I didn’t care.

“Thank you, Stella, I owe you!”

“Yes. Yes, you do. Listen, I have to go. I’ll talk to you in a couple days. Roger is taking me to the Hamptons for the rest of this weekend.” I could hear her smile with delight at being treated to a luxurious weekend.

“Does Roger’s wife know?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“Don’t know. Don’t care.” Stella never had a problem with being the other women in a relationship. I often thought she preferred it that way because she could avoid getting too attached.

“Alright. Well, be safe. Have fun.”

“Thanks, love. Remember, you will have several hunky men there at your disposal on Tuesday. Don’t let it go to waste,” she said, and I swear I could hear her wink at me.

“Bye, Stella—”

“And Jill,” she said, interrupting me.

“Yea.”

“It’s nice to see you coming back to us,” she said softly.

“I agree.”

CHAPTER 23

T
uesday morning rolled around quickly and promptly at eight o’clock there was a loud knock at the door. I had just gotten back from my run and as I walked through the house, I wondered if I should be worried about how I looked. Nah. Whom did I have to impress? A burly man in his mid-forties with blonde hair stood at the door, dressed in jeans and button-up shirt and baseball cap.

“Mrs. Greenfield?” he asked, looking up from a clipboard when I answered the door.

“Call me Jill,” I replied, extending my hand.

“Jill, I’m Jeff Powers with Powers Construction. We started work on your place several months ago and we got an updated contract to finish up the work,” he said.

“Yes, that sounds accurate.” With that, Jeff took out the contracts, asking me to sign and initial several statements.

“Great. I would like to walk you through several of these projects and give you a timeline. We are going to try and stay out of your way as much as possible, but some of these projects will be loud and messy.”

“It’s not a problem.”

I didn’t want to tell him that I had nothing going on, so they wouldn’t be keeping me from anything. For the next hour, Jeff walked me through each project and the estimated time of completion. When we got on the topic of painting the house, he asked if I had chosen a color. I explained to him that I hadn’t been previously involved, so I didn’t know where we stood on that. He let me know that he would have someone bring by paint swatches, but they would need a decision soon so as not to delay the order.

“It’s not a problem” I found myself saying for the second time.

“Okay. Well, I’m going to start unloading my tools. My crew should arrive over the next couple hours and hopefully we can get started before the storm blows in.”

“Wonderful.” I turned and headed back in the house, glancing at the large black clouds that danced on the horizon. I had several errands I needed to run before the storm blew in. My first order of business was to go buy a bicycle. I had made it the last several weeks without needing one, but since I had decided to make this my permanent residence, I needed another means of transportation. So I headed out toward the local supermarket and hardware store as the construction crew started to arrive.

Mr. Colton ran the hardware store and assured me that my bike could be ordered and would arrive in the next several days. He would assemble the bike himself and give me a call when it was ready.

“How is the construction on your house coming along?” he inquired.

“Wow, word does travel fast around here. They just arrived this morning!” I couldn’t hide my shock.

“Mr. Powers and his team do good work.”

“How did you know?” My curiosity was peaked. My story was hardly juicy enough to become town gossip.

“You have an interesting story, Mrs. Greenfield, and it’s a very small town.” He winked at me and then turned to walk into the back room.

Perplexed, I headed home. Most of the dark clouds from earlier had moved on and it looked as if the forecasters were going to be wrong about the weather. At home, the construction workers were in full swing in various areas of the house. I could see roofers moving on the roof, throwing shingles off. Several crew members were unloading what looked to be new windows while several others were unloading new boards for the back deck.