10

Just when I wondered how I would get through the weekend, Mr. Ballard called.

“Bailey, I got your message. We’re on our way home. Hope everything’s all right.”

“Long and embarrassing story short, Mr. Ballard. My ex-fiancé has taken possession of Pinewood Manor and is showing it to the public, charging admission.”

“Your grandmother would be turning over in her grave, child.”

“What can I do?” I bit my lower lip and hoped for a quick end to this drama.

“How in the world did he manage to do that? The more information I have, the quicker we can get this thing taken care of.”

I closed my eyes and shrugged. If it meant getting Gran’s house back, I would suffer through it. “He claims I signed a quitclaim deed. The only thing I signed was a power of attorney. We had it notarized in a notary’s office on Main. Which, by the way, is no longer occupied. Shortly after that, Darryl and I broke up.” I hoped I wouldn’t have to elaborate any further.

“One document can’t be mistaken for the other. Did you read it, Bailey?”

“Yes, I read every word. I am completely clueless how he thinks he can get away with this.”

“Hmm, well, I’ll see what I can find out. I’ll call you back and we’ll make a plan. Try not to worry, Bailey.”

Jim Ballard had handled all my grandmother’s affairs for years. I felt a little better knowing that he would take care of this for me.

Although glad for the privacy earlier in the prayer garden, now I didn’t want to be left alone with my self-deprecating thoughts. Sure, it was outrageous what Darryl had done, but what kind of person lets that happen to them?

Tracy knocked on the door and let herself in. I could have eaten her up, I was so glad to see her, to see anyone at that moment.

“Mom wants you to come over and watch a movie with us. Let’s go.” She grabbed my purse and held open the door.

I guess I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t mind at all.

She didn’t act like she knew anything about my traumatic day, but I suspected this served as a mission to keep me from being alone.

Liz cooked a chicken dish mixed with green beans, water chestnuts, rice and cream soup. Comfort food to the max. She pulled blankets out of the closet and tossed us each one.

“I know it’s hot outside, but you have to snuggle up to watch a movie,” she said. “At least it’s cool in here.”

Mercifully, Liz and Tracy did not pick out a serious romance, but that silly old The Happiest Millionaire.

“Why don’t you spend the night, Bailey? We can sleep in tomorrow and maybe have a picnic or something,” Tracy said.

“Do you go to church, Bailey?” Liz asked.

“Yes, or at least I did until about a year ago.” I didn’t want to spoil my somewhat lighthearted mood by talking about Darryl, so I didn’t offer more.

“We haven’t been since Shelley died,” Liz said. “It will be great when Paul and Scott feel like starting things up again at the diner. Shelley was such a big part of everything.”

Exit 477—a one-stop shopping experience all around. “Tracy mentioned that to me the first day I arrived. I noticed the Bibles on the shelf at the diner.”

“We don’t have a regular preacher, per se,” Liz said, “but Paul always led a Bible study, and Shelley would help us sing some worship songs. Pastor Weatherby, a truck driver, preaches when he’s in town. Very informal, but full of love and blessing. We always had truckers in there for service, and then we all ate together afterwards. I really miss it.”

These people of faith lived out their lives tucked away in the East Texas trees, impacting and loving everyone around them. They—one in particular—had certainly touched my heart. I found myself thinking about Scott’s kiss. So sweet.

“Thanks for the invite, but I have a new job, and I better get back on it.”

“A new job? You’re not leaving us are you?” Tracy cried, throwing off her comforter and standing up before me.

“No, I’m not leaving. As a matter of fact, I’m staying. I’m going to manage Shelley’s Heart.”

“Hooray! I knew it.” She bounced back down on the couch. “I knew Scott would ask you. I’m so glad.”

“Let’s see how it works out, although I feel perfectly at home on Exit 477.”

“Yes, it has that effect on people,” Liz said. “It’s just a little turn off the road, but the West’s arms are open wide to everyone.”

I smiled at her. The warmth of being so wanted washed over me. Perhaps I would be hiding from my real life, but for now I planned to stay put.

“I’m starving. Let’s celebrate. Mom, let’s make some chalupas,” Tracy said, jumping from the couch to the kitchen in a flash.

Before I could protest, Liz fried corn tortillas in a cast iron skillet, and Tracy warmed up seasoned meat and refried beans in the microwave.

“There are some tomatoes and lettuce in the fridge, and a little grated cheese, Bailey, if you wouldn’t mind.” Liz piled fried tortillas on a plate. “Oh, and there’s a jar of my homemade salsa somewhere in there, too.” Like girls do, we jumped from fashion and makeup to boyfriends. I knew it was coming.

Tracy plunged in. ‘So…you haven’t talked to creepy guy, have you?”

“Tracy!” Liz’s eyes widened at her daughter.

“It’s all right. He met someone else. At least that’s what I thought. I discovered today that he really only wanted my property. It’s a nasty situation, and I wish it was over. I’m very grateful for sanctuary here.”

“You mean Pinewood Manor?” Liz asked. “Tracy told me you owned it.”

“He claims he has a legal right to it. Our lawyer is looking into it.” Can’t get away from it, even here.

“Wow, Bailey, I hope you haven’t lost it,” Tracy said.

“Me, too. I will be glad when it’s over.”

“How in the world did he think he could get away with that, for crying out loud?” Liz asked.

“He’s threatened to embarrass me by telling everyone that I gave it to him in a desperate plea to hang on to him. I’m afraid I acted kind of desperate when the new girl came on the scene, but I would never have given him my house. Never.”

“Of all the arrogant, jacked up…” Tracy ranted. “I don’t believe it. I can’t imagine you acting desperate. So beautiful and accomplished. I don’t even know what you do, and I have the idea that you’re successful. And that smile. What an idiot. He should go to jail.”

“I just want to get my house back and never see him again. Darryl Graham is out of my life. It still hurts. I mean I thought I was going to get married, live in Pinewood Manor, and have children. Now that’s all gone. I was so hopeless the day I drove in here, but now—”

“Darryl Graham! That scoundrel,” Liz said. “It figures. He doesn’t deserve you. Good riddance.”

“You don’t mean that loser who won’t let us buy our dream house? You were with that guy? Gross, he’s old!”

When she called Darryl gross, I had to laugh. It started in the pit of my stomach and bubbled up. I couldn’t catch my breath I laughed so hard. What was I doing with that “gross” old man? The release loosened my tongue.

Tracy rolled her eyes. “Bailey, come on. You can do much better than that.”

“You know, he had me on a diet. We would go out, and he would eat whatever he wanted. He would order for me and cut up my dry little piece of chicken for me.”

Liz tried not to laugh. She covered her mouth and closed her eyes, but out it came.

Tracy had no such restraint. “He cut your meat up for you? Give me that knife, is what I say,” she said, picking up her dinner knife. She stabbed it into several slices of tomatoes and stuffed them into her mouth.

Her mother had tears streaming from her eyes. I couldn’t catch my breath.

“Please tell me you didn’t let him pick out your clothes,” Tracy said between attempts to regain her composure.

“Clothes, shoes, hairstyle. The whole thing. I was an idiot. Fat and desperate.”

“What? Fat? Because you have a little meat on your bones? What is he, blind?” Tracy said.

“I don’t know. I could stand to lose weight. I was getting close to thirty with no prospects. He was handsome and successful. Deep inside I couldn’t believe he loved me, but I wanted to believe it so bad that I put up with a lot of humiliation.” It sounded so simple. How could I have been so stupid?

“You didn’t, um, give him something that didn’t belong to him, did you? You know what I mean?” Liz asked, embarrassed.

“No, thank heaven. It’s weird, though. He never even tried. I thought he was being a gentleman. But he never looked at me the way he looked at Phoebe. She came to work for us, and that was the end of that. What in the world is wrong with me?”

“Nothing, except maybe you lost your vision for your future,” Liz said. “Pastor Weatherby said that if we don’t have a clear vision of what God wants for our lives, then we can get distracted, discontent, and then devastated.”

“All I’ve ever wanted is a home and family. Gran made such a beautiful home for mother and me after my father left us. It’s not the beautiful house—although that was an amazing place to grow up. It was the love, the memories, the fun.”

“I guess it would be wonderful, having the run of a great big house like that.” Liz said.

“We cooked together, played games, talked. Gran would sometimes hold tea parties for my Sunday school class. She let me in on all the planning and preparations. Sometimes, although rarely, she would allow elementary classrooms to come for a tour during Texas History Week. I got to be tour guide. I loved every minute of it.”

“I’d love to see the inside of Pinewood Manor,” Tracy said.

“Well, I’ll be glad to show it to you. The place has a serious gas leak and atrocious, outdated plumbing so we had to shut it down. I planned to open a bed-and-breakfast after business school, but shortly after graduation I met Darryl.”

“Ugh, the villain enters,” Tracy said, pretending a mustache under her nose with her finger.

Liz shushed her daughter. “Be nice, Tracy. Let the girl talk. How did you meet him, Bailey?”

“I was at Pinewood doing some cleaning and dreaming when he knocked on the door. He already knew it wasn’t for sale. So many had tried to buy it before; I would never sell that house. He just wanted to see it. I was bowled over by his looks and genuine interest in the history of Pinewood, so I let him in. He called me later that week for a date. It was a whirlwind after that. He tried to change me. I thought it was for the better, but somewhere I completely lost myself and my joy. My friends Mandy and Macy were dead against our relationship, and my mom wasn’t happy about it, but I plunged head on. I thought it was the answer to my prayers,” I said, rambling my thoughts out loud, even then trying to make sense of it.

“I see,” Liz said. “You’d been praying for a life partner and he showed up. But I doubt he was the kind of man you really wanted.”

“No, we didn’t have the same values. At first, I thought he was all business, but in reality, he was harsh and judgmental. I would question his attitude and actions, and he would talk about his high standard of excellence…that he thought it was the best thing he could do for people—to make them reach for that same excellence. I convinced myself that he was making me a better person. Truth is, he never knew me.”

“Well, we can thank God that you’ve been delivered,” Liz said. “Surely you know what a wonderful woman you are, so much different than Darryl Graham. I dare say that he wouldn’t have pitched in to help Scott that day the campers showed up.”

“You’re right. He would have called the Health Department and complained, or written a scathing review for the newspaper.” I shuddered at the thought of Darryl polluting Exit 477 with his presence.

“See? But you wrapped loving arms around the situation, and gained trust and friendship.” Liz reached across the table and patted my hand. “That shows a beautiful heart. Now, we could all stand to eat less and get a little more exercise. You want someone who sees past all that into your heart. You should accept nothing less from a life partner.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks.

Tracy handed me a napkin and put her arm around me. “Mom is always telling me that girls should be about God’s work, doing and becoming the best woman we can be, and then Mr. Right will appear. It’s hard sometimes, but I think she’s right. I watch my friends go from one relationship to another, getting their hearts broken. I’d rather have just one in his right mind.”

My own mother had taught me the same thing.

“If you don’t mind my asking, how did your husband die?” I asked Liz.

“An accident out west on an oil rig,” Liz said. “But God, Paul, and Shelley, saw us through. We decided to take a drive after the funeral. We pulled off here at Exit 477, just like you did. We got a bite to eat at West House, and the next thing I knew, they were taking care of us. They stood by me as I went to cosmetology school. They helped me set up my shop. Now Tracy is working for Scott. But she’s going to college if it’s the last thing I do, as soon as I can afford it. Her father wanted that.”

I turned to Tracy. “And what do you want to study?”

“I want to be a missionary. I don’t have any idea where God wants me to go or the process of how to get there. We can’t afford college, and I don’t want to leave Mom. We’re waiting on the Lord.”

“Marshall has an excellent Christian college,” I said. “Have you looked into it?”

“Private schools are even more expensive.” Liz put her arm around her daughter. “Yet it would be nice for her to go somewhere close to home. We’ll see.”

“First things first. We’ve got to get into a house and out of this trailer.” Tracy planted a kiss on her mother’s cheek.

“I think college is first, but you insist on our getting a house,” Liz teased. “This girl can be pretty persuasive. She helps pay the bills, so I let her have a say.”

Tracy grinned. I suspected that she knew if her mother had to pay for college that she’d never get a home of her own. This young woman was all about taking care of her mother.

Wheels turned in my brain. How could I help them?