“It’s really not all that complicated, Tracy. You sign away your rights for certain things, like developing it down to the last inch, and we give you money.”
“Marsh?” She shook her head. “Here’s your chance to be the soul of honesty.”
“Okay, you can’t develop it at all, if you want the truth. But you can improve the houses that are already here, maintain the driveways and the yards, maybe even put up another house or two on the old foundations, but you can’t build, say, a marina, or condos.”
“Garages?”
“Yeah, you could do that for the houses that are standing now. You can add on some, but you can’t turn them into mini-mansions. We’ll be watching you.”
“You’ll pay me for these rights? But I keep the land?”
“Decent money, too. But your heirs have to abide by the covenants we agree to. The land can never be developed. Not ever.”
“And I get tax benefits on top of that?”
“Boo-coo. The land loses value once the ability to develop it is lost. The county will evaluate it accordingly, and that’s how you’ll be taxed. Plus you get other tax breaks right up front. So you can keep all this acreage, afford to live here and enjoy it, and even improve and rent out the cottages if you want. Down the road, you can sell them if you find a buyer willing to go along with the plan.”
“There’s a group of developers who want it. Maribel’s been negotiating with them. They’re tough guys and willing to fight you in the courts.”
He just looked at her, tilting his head in question.
“I would be rich,” she pointed out.
“You already are.”
Tracy knew he wasn’t talking about money.
He smiled. “You’re going to let us have it, aren’t you?”
“I just may.” She rose up on tiptoe and kissed him.
He put his arms around her and held her there. “You decide soon, okay? Because I’m getting kind of tired of waiting for a little happiness of my own, and I don’t mean Happiness Key.”
“A little?” She laughed. “What makes you think it will just be a little?”
He was too busy kissing her to answer.
epilogue
Thursday night had become their night together. None of the women was sure how it happened. Nobody decreed it. The first Thursday night Janya had the neighbors to her house to practice her henna tattoos. Then the following Thursday Wanda had them over for sweet potato pie, and to show off the new marble tile Ken and Tracy were planning to install when work slowed a little at the rec center. Last week Tracy had invited them for dinner to prove that she was indeed learning to cook at the center’s basic cooking class and could now make a mean macaroni and cheese—if nothing else.
Tonight was Alice’s turn. She had asked them to come for dessert, and the smell of chocolate greeted Tracy when Alice let her in. She could hear voices and knew some of the other women were already there, including Katie, who was becoming one of the gang. Alice was particularly fond of Frankie, who was screeching somewhere nearby.
“Wow, look at these Halloween decorations!”
“Karen loved Halloween.” In the past weeks Alice’s speech had improved measurably, and she had gained much-needed weight. Without Lee hovering over every move, she had also gained confidence, which helped with everything else. She was driving again, which helped most of all with Olivia’s after-school activities, although sometimes Olivia just walked to the rec center to go home with Tracy.
“Are these some of her things?” Tracy picked up a ceramic haunted house in the middle of a scary village on a side table.
“Lee stored some boxes. In the utility room. Olivia found these.”
“It must be comforting for her to carry on her mom’s tradition.”
Alice smiled gravely. “She is so much like Karen.”
Janya came out of Olivia’s bedroom carrying Frankie, and Katie followed with her arm around Olivia.
“Hey, gang,” Tracy said. “Do I smell brownies?”
“Cupcakes,” Olivia said. “Like my mom made every single Halloween. I made them myself.”
Halloween wasn’t for another month, but Tracy could see that the intervening weeks would be rich in celebration. “Hey, if you’re that good at cupcakes, I think you ought to have a party for your friends out here on Halloween night.”
She started to suggest a haunted house over at Herb’s, which was finally empty of all belongings and ready to rent again for the winter. But maybe a haunted house was too close to the truth. Herb had, in his own way, haunted each