to take place the next Saturday, so Billy used the week to organize our entire elementary school. He passed out maps and assigned kids places to be in the store. He got his dad to drive him to Richmond so he could talk to the store manager. The man was so intrigued that he advertised it in the newspaper and put a giant banner across the front of the store. He got a lot of press.”
“Did you help?” Nate asked.
“Oh yes. Billy put me in the section with the water toys. On the day, the store was packed with people. They were three-deep around the perimeter, but they let us kids run it all. Billy took a cart, the manager blew a whistle and Billy began running. We kids handed him toys that Billy put in the cart because—”
“That was the deal,” Nate said.
“Yes. Billy had to put them into a cart. Every few feet a kid shoved an empty basket forward and it was filled in seconds. I ran three carts to the register.”
“With all those toys, Billy must have been the most popular kid in town.”
Terri smiled softly. “He was, but not for that. It took forty-five minutes to ring everything up. The manager totaled the tabs and handed it to Billy. He climbed up on the checkout counter and read the number. It was a whopper! When the cheering stopped, Billy reached down, picked up a yo-yo and held it up. ‘This is mine,’ he said. Then he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to the manager. ‘The rest of this goes to them.’ There were four names on the list—an orphanage, a hospital, a women’s shelter and the local fire department.”
“Charity.” Nate’s voice held awe. “Was that planned?”
“Only by Billy. He hadn’t told anyone what he was going to do, not even his parents. Everyone started dancing around, and I remember his mother crying. The press was there and they were so stunned they nearly forgot to take photos of it all. Billy was a hero!”
Nate took a moment to reply. “That’s some kid.”
“Yeah, he was.” She leaned back in her chair. “That’s how Widiwick started. Mr. Cresnor now comes to Lake Kissel every year and he grants a wish. Within reason, of course, and only to Summer Hill residents or he’d start a worldwide riot. And it’s become a custom that the wishes must be for someone else.”
“What a great act of charity. So what kind of things has Cresnor given out?”
“A new van for the church. A two-year college scholarship. A wedding for a couple whose house flooded. My favorite was when a woman asked Mr. Cresnor for the meanest divorce lawyer on the planet for her best friend. Her friend’s husband was a real jerk.”
“All the wishes couldn’t have been unselfish.”
“Mr. Cresnor decides. He sits on a big chair and says yes or no. Some years the negotiations go on for hours. He truly enjoys himself! And his wife gets time with him when he’s in a good mood. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
For a while, they were silent, Nate with his head down.
“I got my aerobics for today.”
He looked at her.
“Chewing kale? Workout for the jaw? Get it?”
“Yeah. I—” He broke off to take his buzzing phone out of his pocket.
Terri saw the name Stacy, but Nate didn’t answer, just put the phone back in his pocket. “Why aren’t you answering her calls?”
Nate gave a one-sided grin. “Noticed that, huh? I don’t want to have to lie. I still haven’t picked up the tent and boxes she sent from Italy. After today, I don’t think her parents will let me have them.”
“The brunch was that bad?”
“Worse.”
She waited for him to go on, but he said nothing. Terri took her cell out of her pocket and sent a text. “There. It’s taken care of.”
“What is?”
“I told Bob to go get Stacy’s things and deliver them to Dad. What other problems do you have?”
Nate grinned. “Now who’s granting wishes? Okay, magician, how are you going to fix my office?”
“Can’t do that one. That’s between you and Stacy. You can’t move into the Stanton house for a couple of years so where are you planning to live in the meantime?”
Nate’s eyes brightened. “Is that house where we had the pizzas for rent?”
“The daughter of the mayor of Summer Hill staying at the lake? I don’t think so. When you entered the Thorndyke house to go to your office, what