“I know, dear. That's a sneaky, underhanded trick, but you don't know Bob the way I do. He's vindictive. He'll know you'll try to save the toys...save jobs. He'll sell the rights to the toys to some greedy company instead of you just to be mean.” Betty shook her head. “Dear, you focus on making sure you show the winning lottery ticket to Mrs. Greenstone. Let me handle Bob.”
“Okay...but, Betty, why can't we build a new toy factory in Pine Snow?” Candy pleaded. “Pine Snow is our home.”
Betty took a slow, thoughtful sip of coffee. “Candy...dear...listen to me...and listen closely. Promise?” Candy nodded. Betty obviously had something very important to say. “There is a small island for sale. The island sits in the northern part of Lake Ontario. It's not a very big island...about three miles in width and about four miles long. The island is owned by a very wealthy banker who has become extremely ill. He's selling the island.”
“An island—”
“A toy island!” A nervous smile touched Betty's eyes.
“A toy island...” Candy looked at Betty as the words fell off her lips like Christmas snow. Suddenly, Candy felt a jolt of...excitement...fear...hope...rush through her heart. A toy island? Never in her life had Candy imagined buying an island and turning that island into aToy Island. Toy islands were only alive in books and movies...not real life. Right? “A toy island...”
“Candy, dear, listen to me,” Betty's voice became urgent and excited. “There are buildings on the island and a huge mansion. There is a large, brick airplane hangar that we can turn into a toy factory and other buildings that can be turnedinto supply and work buildings. All the workers can live in the mansion...including...me.”
“You?” Candy asked and then kicked herself. Of course, Betty would be part of the toy island. “I mean...of course, Betty. It's just that...this is all so sudden...but I love the idea.”
Betty took a quick sip of her coffee. “Dear, I know the banker personally. He's my...cousin,” Betty confessed. “However, he is married to an awful woman. If I work fast, I should be able to talk him into selling us the island before his wife sells it.”
“Will we have enough money?” Candy asked.
“Candy...dear...you just won two hundred and twenty-two million dollars. We'll...you'll...have more than enough money. Besides that, I'm paying half the cost of everything. We'll split everything fifty-fifty.” Excitement poured from Betty's voice. “If we work fast, we should be able to move the entire operation to the island before Christmas and be set up for business by next Christmas.”
“I...well…” Candy sat stunned. It was clear Betty had been at work behind the scenes. “Betty, Pine Snow is home.”
“Oh, dear, Lake Ontario isn't far from Pine Snow,” Betty pointed out. “The lake is about a half hour drive west of Pine Snow. Plus,” Betty smiled, “there's a bridge that leads out to the island. The bridge is in great condition, too.” Before Candy could speak, Betty took a sip of coffee and continued. “The road leading to the bridge is on privately owned land. The only way to access the land is to go through a secure security gate. There is also a security gate at the entrance to the bridge.”
Candy took a quick sip of her own coffee. “Keep going,” she urged Betty, curious to learn more.
“My cousin likes his privacy. If we buy the island, we'll have all the privacy we need. No one will bother us, dear. I say that because there are quite a few people who want to buy the rights to the toys. Once we buy the rights...well, no one will be beneathsabotaging our operation...including the woman Bob has been seeing behind my back.”
“Oh...I didn't know the situation was this serious.”
Betty nodded. “Dear, you would be amazed at how many sharks are in the water. I was hoping and praying that Bob and I could save our marriage. Now that I know Bob has sunk low enough to put a knife in my back, I can't trust him anymore. Once the trust is destroyed, the marriage is over...but not the fight. We won't let the toys die, dear. We have to keep the heart of the toys alive. If anyone else gets their hands on the toys, they'll kill the heart. We can't let that happen.”
“We'll save the toys, Betty. I promise.” Candy sat back and took a few minutes to gather her thoughts. So much had happened in such a short period of time. Candy had awoken to a new day expecting to spend eight happy hours at the toy factory like she usually did and then go home to her warm home and spend the evening with Snowball watchingJeopardy(Snowball likedJeopardy). Instead of encountering a pleasant day, Candy had stepped into a blizzard. The blizzard had ended with her winning one of the largest lotteries in the nation.
Candy was fully aware that she could tell Betty to leave her home. Candy could claim her fortune, buy a yacht, sail around the world, and spend the rest of her days soaking up the warm sun on private beaches...the works. However, Candy preferred cold and snow over warm, sunny beaches. She didn't mind water but didn't care much for fancy yachts. She was the type of a woman who enjoyed the simple things God had put into His world: snow, cold winter winds, warm fireplaces, Christmas lights...and yes, toy factories. Candy was not interested in expensive mansions, fancy dresses, or flashy sports cars. Candy loved Christmas, snow, and toys. Those three gifts completed a very special place inside of her heart.
“Betty,” Candy spoke again.
“Yes, dear?”
Candy raised her beautiful eyes. “I'm forty years old...and I'm divorced. I'm not exactly the life of the party. I'm not funny or charming or witty. In fact, at times I feel downright boring. I watchJeopardywith Snowball—” Snowball let out a happy bark. “That's right, baby boy...we love to watchJeopardytogether,” Candy continued. “I always eat the same meal for lunch, and every Wednesday is pizza night. Every Sunday evening, Snowball and I watchHow the Grinch Stole Christmas...every Sunday, over and over again. Why? Because it's tradition.”
“Dear...what are you getting at?” Betty asked.
“I love my life, no matter how boring it is...or how boring I am,” Candy explained. “I love the toy factory...I love Pine Snow...I love the grocery store. But now...everything has changed. The toy factory is going to be destroyed.” Candy stood up and began walking around her kitchen. “Can we really buy a strange island and turn that island into a home?”
“You could drive to the island every day, dear,” Betty offered. “It's like I mentioned. Pine Snow is only about a half-hour drive from Lake Ontario.”
“I suppose I could make the drive. However, Betty, you know just as well as I do how treacherous the roads become during winter. I don't even like driving from my home to the toy factory at times. Black ice is very dangerous.”
“Well, dear, the island does have a very beautiful mansion on it that I thought we could turn intoToy Island Mansion,” Betty pointed out. She stood up, walked to Candy, and patted her hands. “I've been inside the mansion many times. To say that a person could get lost inside it would be an understatement. The mansion is impressive in size and design. It looks like a giant castle to be perfectly honest. So, for the fun of it, let's just call the mansion a castle.”
“A castle? A...toy castle?” Candy asked.
Betty said yes. “Candy...dear...I know you're confused and scared. So am I. Today, both of our worlds were turned upside down. But look at what God is doing for us! You won the lottery! If that's not a sign that God is with us, then I don't know what is.” Betty squeezed Candy's warm hands. “Sometimes we have to leave one foxhole and get into another foxhole.”
“I guess you're right,” Candy had to agree.
