“There’s a bit of a tie-up with my mother’s estate, but my lawyer says the funds will come through any day now.”
Could it really happen? Could she have the money to pay off Mr. Barlowe and save Nana’s cottage? Her heart did a double beat with hope.
“I—I don’t know what to say.”
Susan grinned. “Say that you’ll put the money to good use.”
“Oh, I will. You see, my grandfather took out a loan and they are demanding repayment now, and I was going to lose this cottage. It was breaking my heart. But now… now I have hope that I can save it if the funds come through in time.”
“It looks like Genevieve’s kindness is coming back to help you then, doesn’t it?” Susan’s eyes lit up with pleasure.
“It does.”
“Well, I should go. I just wanted to come in person to meet Genevieve and thank her for her kindness. But I’ll convey my gratitude to you instead. Your grandmother was a special person.” Susan stood.
“She was.” She started to walk Susan to the door. “Oh, wait right there for a moment.”
She hurried away and returned with the framed ornament she’d unwrapped from the Christmas box. She held it out to Susan. “Any chance that this is your mom with Nana?”
Susan took the ornament and a gentle smile spread across her face. “It is. Look at them. They were so young.” Tears shimmered in the corner of her eyes.
“Take it,” she insisted. “Keep it as a memory of the friendship they shared and how an act of kindness can help in unexpected ways.”
“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.” Susan walked out the door and turned back. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I know something. Really, it should be any day.”
Evie couldn’t wait to tell Tally the good news. She still had a little over a week left to repay the loan. Surely the funds would come through by then and Nana’s kindness would save the cottage.
She burst into Magic Cafe, her heart racing with excitement. She spotted Tally over by the coffee counter and rushed over, barely able to contain her smile. “Tally, you won’t believe what just happened!”
Tally looked up from the coffee machine, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “What’s going on? You look like you just won the lottery.”
She leaned against the counter, taking a deep breath before launching into her story. “Better than the lottery. Remember how I told you about Mr. Barlowe claiming that my grandfather owed him money and that I had to pay back the loan or lose the cottage?”
Tally nodded, her expression turning serious. “Of course, I remember.”
“Well, something incredible just happened. A woman—Susan Green—came to see me. Her mother, Linda, was a close friend of Nana’s years ago. Apparently, Nana deeded Linda a house when her husband left her alone with no money and a small child. She even gave Linda some funds to start her own business.”
Tally’s eyes widened in surprise. “Genevieve was always so generous. She had a heart of gold.”
“And guess what? Genny Cosmetics—you’ve heard of them?”
Tally nodded.
“The company is named after Nana. Her friend, Linda, founded the company.”
“Wow, that’s quite a story.”
“And that’s how it comes back to me and Nana’s cottage. Susan told me that Linda recently passed away, and on her deathbed, she told Susan about Nana’s kindness and asked Susan to repay that debt by giving me the proceeds from the sale of the house Nana deeded to her mother.”
Tally gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “That’s wonderful! How much are we talking about?”
She grinned, barely able to contain her excitement. “Enough to save the cottage, Tally. It’s more than enough to pay off the loan and keep Nana’s home in the family.” She twirled around in happiness. “Don’t you see? This means I can stay.”
Tally wrapped her in a tight hug. “Oh, I’m so happy for you! Didn’t I tell you that Belle Island had a way of making things work out?”
Evie hugged her back. “There’s just one small catch,” she said as they pulled apart. “The funds are tied up in some estate mess right now because of some issue with the trust Linda set up. But Susan assured me it should be resolved any day.”
Tally squeezed her hands. “The important thing is that you have hope now. I’m certain the cottage will be saved, and it’s all thanks to your grandmother’s kindness coming back to you.”
