The Chocolate Bridal Bash (27 page)

Then, just before we were going to leave, Aunt Nettie and Hogan beckoned us into Mercy’s bedroom.

“We wanted to give you your wedding present,” Aunt Nettie said.

“You’ve already done that,” I said.

Aunt Nettie’s gesture brushed away four place settings of pottery as insignificant. Then she handed me a flat box wrapped in white paper and embellished with a shiny gold bow. It weighed hardly anything.

I took the wrapping paper off and opened the box to reveal a whole lot of tissue paper. Beneath the tissue was a photo of Aunt Nettie’s house. I was puzzled.

“Keep looking,” Aunt Nettie said.

Under the picture was a legal document. I immediately handed it to Joe. He read it.

“Oh, my god! Nettie, you shouldn’t do this!” He turned to me. “She’s deeding us her house!”

I was too stunned to speak, and Aunt Nettie was too tearful.

A lot of hugging and eye-wiping went on before she explained.

“The house is
yours,
” she said. “You don’t have to keep it the way it is. You can tear it down, add on to it—or sell it. It’s just a piece of property, not a shrine.”

“But you’ve lived there for more than thirty years,” I said. “We can’t put you out of your home.”

“She won’t be needing it anymore,” Hogan said. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ve talked her into moving into my house. After we’re married.”

 

JOANNA CARL
is the pseudonym of a multipublished mystery writer. She spent more than twenty-five years in the newspaper business, working as a reporter, feature writer, editor, and columnist. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and also studied in the OU Professional Writing Program. She lives in Oklahoma but spends much of each summer at a cottage on Lake Michigan near several communities similar to the fictional town of Warner Pier. She may be reached through her Web site at
www.joannacarl.com
.