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CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
Liz was surprised at the amount of money Andie offered for the items she’d said were valuable. Andie had suggested that Liz could look them up online and see if she felt the offer was fair. Considering that Liz had thought most of the items were trash, she didn’t see the need. She trusted Andie and was happy to get some extra money that she hadn’t been counting on.
Should she have consulted her siblings? Maybe, but they hadn’t expected to get any money, either, so Liz considered it a windfall and was happy to save the time. Peter hadn’t been that concerned about it when she’d spoken to him, and she was sure Shelly felt the same. Plus, the extra money could pay for the new interior paint, which she needed to get done right away.
Andie had hauled most of the items away, leaving only a few pieces she would pick up later. Then she and Maxi had helped Liz lug the junk boxes to the curb.
Clearing out all of it made a huge difference. Maybe she should save the estate some money and move out of Tides. Giving up a free room at a quaint inn on the beach seemed crazy, but she felt at home here in the house now.
Don’t get too comfortable. She was only here until the house got fixed up. Then it would be sold. And after that, she had nowhere to go until she got her portion of the house sale. Not knowing how much that would be was stressful. It surely wouldn’t be enough to buy another place outright. Would a bank give her a loan if she had no income?
She didn’t want to dwell on her current lack of opportunities. If worse came to worst, she could rent a small place somewhere. Rents were expensive these days, and it would be a drain on her savings, but if she went to a more rural town, she would find cheaper rents.
For now, she’d better call Shelly and update her on the progress.
“Liz, how is it going? Do you need anything?” Shelly sounded chipper, and Liz appreciated the offer.
“It’s going good. I don’t need anything. There’s been a few developments.”
“Oh?”
“It turns out some of the things Mom and Dad had are worth a little money, so I had an antique dealer come and look at them.”
“Really? What was worth money?”
Liz hesitated. She hoped Shelly wouldn’t be mad. What if she wanted to keep an item for sentimental reasons? But if that were the case, she should have said something or come here to secure it. “Things you would never think of. Salt and pepper shakers. Ashtrays. End tables.”
“Wow. Who knew?”
“I hope you don’t mind that I sold them. The place needs a fresh coat of paint, and I was going to use the money to pay for that. It will sell a lot better with new paint.” At least Maxi thought so.
“I don’t mind at all. You’re in charge, so whatever you decide is good with me. Are you going to stay in the house now?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve made good headway cleaning it, and I know putting me up at Tides is expensive, but…”
“Look, don’t worry about the money. If Dad’s savings run out, I can chip in.”
Liz didn’t want Shelly to pay for her lodging. She felt guilty enough as it was that she was eating into what they would eventually divide among the three of them.
“I’d love to see what you’ve done with the place, and I wish I was there. There must be so many things from when we were kids. Did you find my Barbie dolls, by any chance? Those are probably worth money now.”
Liz laughed. “I doubt it. Ranger chewed the feet, remember?”
“I thought that was you who chewed them,” Shelly teased.
“Maybe. I think Mom got rid of our old toys when we all went to college. I can take some pictures and send them. The place looks pretty good now.”
They chatted for a few more minutes, and then Liz hung up and took some pictures with her smartphone and texted them to her sister.
She sent the text to Peter, too, and then called. They had a similar conversation about the state of the house and the items she’d sold. He claimed he was looking at his busy schedule and trying to clear it to come out and help. She wasn’t holding her breath.
Next, she called Sally Littlefield. Maxi had given her the woman’s name and said she’d be great for painting the walls. Sally seemed very nice. She could start right away and was willing to come over to give an estimate on the job in a few hours.
Liz picked some tomatoes from the garden and was washing them in the sink when a knock sounded on the front door. Was Sally here already? She opened the door to reveal a woman in her early fifties holding a casserole.
“Hi. I’m Sheila Donahue from number six.” The woman turned to look at a gambrel down the street. The house was the same age as Liz’s but had been much better cared for with a trim lawn, colorful flowers, and fresh paint. Sheila looked well cared for, too, with honey-blond hair and sharp blue eyes. She was wearing a flowered T-shirt and faded jeans. Liz liked her right away.
Liz introduced herself and reached out and took the casserole. “Nice to meet you. Won’t you come in?”
