“I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“Before all the bad happened, did you ever do any woodworking or any building?”
She shook her head. “No. I was more into painting. I wasn’t very good at it, but that’s what I did.”
“Would you like to get some paints and see how you like it?”
She took a moment to think. “I don’t know. I kind of want to figure out if I can do other things. Like working in the garden was good. I’m not sure how that would translate into a job.”
"Not everything you do has to translate into a job skill. Some things you do because you love them. I started making furniture because I liked constructing things, and it's kind of difficult to keep building houses, so I started building tables and dressers. I was just lucky I was good at it."
Calla chuckled. “I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t be very good at painting. I wasn’t before. It was just something I liked doing at the time.”
She could see the large house now. The place was charming with the wide porch and rocking chairs. It looked like one of those places in books, but bigger. The amount of work Elowen had done impressed her. She knew it was unfair to judge what she’d accomplished versus other people, but seeing the progress Elowen made left her feeling like maybe she wouldn’t ever be successful at anything.
“How do you keep yourself from coming over here and sitting in the rocking chairs every morning?”
Elowen chuckled. “I do sometimes. After cleaning the place when guests leave, I usually take time to enjoy the cabin. Eventually, I might decide to live here. I like my small place, but this house is nearly magical. I love what I did with it.”
Calla followed Elowen inside, stopping in the entrance. “Wow, this is really nice.”
"Thank you. I wanted both masculine and feminine touches. I wanted a place that would be timeless, too. That way it doesn't look dated in a few years."
She narrowed her gaze, trying to figure out what Elowen was talking about. “Sorry, I’m totally out of the loop. What do you mean?”
“There are some really cool new things to do in the kitchen. Some people are putting in concrete countertops, others are mixing wooden surfaces with granite or quartz. I think some of them look good, but I needed something durable that wouldn’t stain or get damaged.”
"Oh, yeah. I get that." They moved into the kitchen, and Calla saw what Elowen meant. The kitchen looked perfect. Much better than the old one at her parents' house. Also the style was fresh, but not so niche it would be obvious in ten years it was old.
Elowen checked the refrigerator and dishwasher, then looked under the sink. She wondered what Elowen was looking for but didn't ask.
The last thing she wanted to do was be a bother. She followed Elowen around the house, impressed by everything she saw. The house was beyond beautiful. There were small touches, like chairs set up beside bookshelves in corners. It looked like the perfect place to live.
She helped Elowen by emptying bathroom trashcans and wiping out sinks. They worked together well, and she liked that they’d accomplished something.
“I’m amazed by how good this place looks. I was trapped in my parents’ old house for so long. I forgot what it was like to live with beauty.”
Elowen nodded. “I guess that will be yours.”
Calla shook her head. “What do you mean?”
“Brent will probably go to jail. And he killed your parents. Everything will probably go to you.”
Shock pulsed through her. “Oh, I hadn’t even thought about that.”
“I don’t know that you’d want to live there, though.”
Calla shook her head. “Never. I wonder if they ever will catch Brent. If they do, would he go to prison for murder?”
Elowen shrugged. “Probably. If he gets convicted, he won’t be able to inherit any of their property or money if they have anything left.”
It was unbelievable to her that the house could be hers. “I hadn’t even thought of that.”
"The detectives will want to talk to you again, and it will be a long process, but you will have some money coming to you."
“I guess that’s good.”
“I’m sure you would rather have lived a normal life, but finding the good in what you can will help.”
