size, and the dog looks like he came over on the Mayflower.
“Good morning. Y’all will have to excuse me, it’s been so busy around here that I haven’t had time to get dressed.” She takes my companion’s hand. “Tiger, darlin’, how are you?”
“I’m fine, Miss Elva. You remember Cash King, don’t you?”
Elva’s cheeks wrinkle and gather when she smiles at me. “Yes, indeed I do. How have you been, Cash?” She moves to a nearby chair. “How’s your mama?”
“I’ve been well, Miss Elva, and my mom is great.”
The dog makes a feeble attempt to bark. “Hush now, Rocco. Tiger and Cash are our company.”
She attempts to lower herself into a chair but hesitates. I go to her side, and the smell of rose petals and baby powder floats around her. “Here, let me help you.” She giggles when I take her upper arms and help lower her to sit.
“Thank you, dear. Getting old stinks.” She settles her housecoat around her and Rocco drops to the floor at her feet like he’s incapable of taking one more step. “Now what can I do for you two today?”
I nod to Tiger. This is her show.
“Well, Miss Elva, I’m happy to tell you that I have the money for the annual lease on the rec center.” You could land a plane with the beam coming off Tiger’s smile.
A foreign sensation shifts behind my ribs. I’m too young and in too good a shape for a heart attack, so I think it’s satisfaction. Which is bizarre because I’ve given thousands of dollars away, and never felt like this before. Maybe it’s that I’m not only helping my hometown, but this incredible woman too.
“What?” Tiger’s distressed cry pulls me back to the moment.
“I’m sorry, dear, but I’ve decided to sell the land,” Elva says.
“To who?” When I see her wince, I temper my tone. “I mean, who wants to buy the land?”
She fiddles with some papers on the end table beside her chair. “Now, where is that paperwork Mayor Watson gave me?” Her fingers pluck a page from the stack. “Oh, here it—”
“Brad?” Tiger sounds like she’s auditioning to be one of the Chipmunks.
Then her head jerks to me, but I’m way ahead of her.
“Watson was here this morning.” It’s not a question. I knew I saw him in that black Mercedes.
“Oh, yes, Mayor Watson brought me muffins and coffee from Trudi’s this morning. He’s so thoughtful.” The message her disappointed look conveys is clear. We’ve just lost points because we came empty-handed.
“Why would Brad want to buy the land?” Tiger addresses me, but our host is the one to answer.
“Says here, it’s the Cunningham Corporation.” Elva is holding up the evidence of Brad’s treachery. “They want to build a lovely resort there by the river.”
Tiger makes a strangled noise. “This is why he and the city council pulled the funding for the rec center.”
I hold my hand out to Elva. “May I see that?”
“Certainly.”
I scan the page and see the amount they’re offering, and it’s a respectable number. “So you haven’t signed anything yet?”
“No.”
“I’ll pay you ten thousand more than this offer.”
“What?” both women say at the same time.
Tiger moves and looks over my shoulder. “Cash, you can’t …”
“Actually, I can.”
“Really?” The look she gives me is better than any trophy or title I’ve ever won.
I try and fail to control the goofy grin that pulls at my lips. “Yeah.” I get myself together and turn to the woman who holds all the cards. “What do you say, Elva?”
“Well”—she wrings her hands in her lap—“I don’t know.”
“What would help you make your decision?”
“It’s just …” More hand-wringing.
Tiger goes to her and kneels beside the woman’s chair. “It’s okay, Elva. We don’t want to cause you any stress.”
Elva grins, and tears shimmer in her eyes. Her small hand pats Tiger’s face. “You’re such a sweet girl.” She grins at me. “You know what doesn’t cause me distress? You two together. It’s like homecoming all over again.”
Tiger’s right, this has to stop. “Actually, we’re not—”
“We’re not telling anyone.” Tiger holds her hand out to me.
I move to her and take her outstretched hand. What else can I do? The desperate look in her eyes is compelling, plus I just want to hold her hand.
Elva chuckles. “Well, darlin’, I think that horse has already left the barn. The whole town is talkin’ about it.”
I cringe on the inside. My mom has probably heard by now and will be mad that I didn’t tell her myself. How in