I believe it would work. Want to go see it when we leave here?”
“Are you serious?” Teresa asked.
“You bet I am.” Sam nodded. “I’ve wanted a place like that for years, and we all need somethin’ to do to move forward. It’ll give us old guys who hate to cook a place to have lunch, and one of the bedrooms can be for playin’ dominoes. I’ll even donate a few boxes. In the summertime, I’ll bring garden vegetables, and I’m sure old Lucien Williams would be willin’ to donate a hog in the winter. Will, are you up for a paint party this weekend?”
“I’m in,” Will agreed. “I get off work about five on Friday, and I’ll bring the pizza.”
“That quick?” Noah asked. “Friday is only three days away. That won’t give me much time to investigate the legalities.”
“Might as well have it ready when we get the green light to open up.” Sam grinned.
Kayla was stunned speechless, but she could feel Miss Janie’s approval down deep in her soul.
“Which reminds me, Sam,” Will said. “Do you think maybe I could also look at that other property you’ve got for sale? The big old two story on the other end of town? It keeps calling out to me every time I’m in that area. I realize it’s too big for one person, but I’m tired of living in a tiny apartment, and I’ve been thinkin’ about getting a dog.”
“You bet we can.” Sam grinned. “It needs paintin’, too. You help us, and we’ll all pitch in and help you if you decide to buy it.”
“Sounds like a fantastic deal to me.” Will grinned back.
Kayla had thought he was handsome before, but when he smiled, the whole room lit up for her like fireworks on the Fourth of July. That might be a strange way to feel at a funeral dinner, she thought, but Miss Janie would like that a lot. Now the week ahead of her didn’t look so bleak and empty.
Chapter Eighteen
Teresa pulled the covers up over her head on Wednesday morning when the alarm went off. She’d awakened every hour through the night and sat straight up in bed, thinking that she should check on Miss Janie. Then she’d realize that she was in her own room, not Miss Janie’s, and that her foster mother was gone.
“I don’t want to face her room without her in it,” she muttered as she finally threw off the covers and headed downstairs.
“Well, don’t you look chipper this morning,” Kayla said in a flat voice. She pointed toward the cabinet. “Now that you’re finally awake, I heated up a breakfast casserole, and there’s blueberry muffins in the cake plate.”
“And you sound downright grumpy,” Teresa said.
“I am,” Kayla told her. “I’m mad at Miss Janie for dying before I could tell her how much I really loved her.”
“I’ve moved past that one,” Noah said as he joined them. “I was in denial when I first got here in June. Then I got mad at myself for not coming sooner and at her for not seeking out a doctor before the cancer got so bad that she couldn’t be treated. After that I tried bargaining with God. If He would let her live to see another Christmas, I’d go to church every Sunday. If He would let her be able to walk again, or not be in so much pain, I’d be a better person. It’s the stages we all have to go through to find peace.”
“Where are you this morning?” Teresa asked.
“Somewhere between depression and acceptance,” he admitted. “We really lost Miss Janie a while back and were lucky to get a few glimpses of her before she left us. I peeked into her room when I walked past it and found it depressing.”
Sam stuck his head in the back door and said, “I’ve come to help y’all with the next step.”
“What step is that?” Teresa asked.
“You can tell me no if you want to, but we need to clean out Miss Janie’s bedroom. The clothing can go to the church clothes closet for folks in need. Prissy Wilson’s great-uncle needs a hospital bed and can’t afford one. If y’all don’t want to donate it to him, we can take it to the veterans center, along with the shower chair and the bedside potty.” Sam helped himself to a cup of coffee and sat down at the table with them.