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He grinned. “Never doubted it. Have a seat.” Bill gave me a longer than normal look. “Do you have something on your mind?”
The man had always been sharp.
“I’ve decided to list the house.”
I heard Sandra’s audible intake of breath. Bill’s expression turned thoughtful, then he nodded.
“When?" Bill asked.
"I've got the realtor coming this week.”
“You want to sell, not rent?” Sandra asked. “We could manage the property.”
I paused before responding. “I really appreciate the offer. I do. But no, I’ve never wanted to be a landlord.”
“We could do all the work, that way if you ever want to come back, you have a place,” Sandra said. Her eyes were pleading.
Bill leaned over and put his hand on his wife’s knee. She stopped talking.
“What brought this all about?” he asked.
“Two things. One, I have a long-term job that’s come up in Jasper Creek, right close to Pigeon Forge. The other is that I need a change. I loved Marie with my whole heart, but wandering around in that house that she decorated, conjures up too many memories.”
“But what about James? Do you want him to forget his mother?”
This was even harder than I thought it would be.
“Not at all,” I told Sandra.
“Sandra, the boy has a right to his feelings. And he would never allow James to forget Marie . You know that.”
I gave Bill a quick, grateful look before turning back to Sandra.
“Marie is James’ mom. I don’t ever want him to forget her, but he was just two when she died. His memories are foggy. When he asks about her, I have to bring out our family photo albums. And I do.”
“So do I,” Sandra concurred. “And there are pictures all around the house of her, so he sees her every time he comes over.”
“And that’s wonderful.” I nodded. “He’ll continue to see that when he comes for visits.”
“So you’ll still bring him for visits?”
I leaned forward. “Of course I will, Sandra. James and I wouldn’t have it any other way, it’s just not going to be every week. And what’s more, I’ll make sure what we get will be big enough for you to stay over.”
“If it’s close to Pigeon Forge, then we’re covered, Adam. They have great places to stay,” Bill inserted. “Think of it, Sandra, we would have little mini-vacations.”
She gave her husband an almost lost look. “But—”
“Honey, it’s going to be all right. James was going to start kindergarten in September, things were going to change anyway. We’ve always talked about taking a trip to Hawaii, but you didn’t want to leave Adam in a lurch. Now we’ll be able to.”
She looked between the two of us. “I suppose.”
“What can we do to help?” Bill asked.
“Just continue to do what you’ve been doing. I always felt like I won the in-law sweepstakes when I married Marie.”
“She felt the same way about your folks, Adam.” Bill smiled. “When do you have to start the job in Jasper Creek?”
“I’ve already got a friend looking for a place for me to rent. They want me there the week after next, but I can comfortably do what needs doing from here for the next four weeks.”
