“Good thing we’re meeting this morning,” Charlie said, tossing a thumb over her shoulder. “Looks like it’s going to start raining cats and dogs any second.”
“It’s not going to rain,” Tessa blurted. Then she furrowed her brow. “It’s not,” she repeated as though arguing with herself.
“Have you seen it out there?” Charlie said. She whipped out her umbrella and tapped it against her palm. “I hope you brought one of these. Is that your car? The orange one? Windows are down.”
“Yeah, but it’s not—” Tessa paused.Going to rain, a voice finished. She bit her lower lip and tucked her hair behind her ears. Her eyes darted toward the windows. Even from her vantage point, she could see the darkness hanging above the town.Howwas it not going to rain, and why did she keep thinking it wouldn’t? She cleared her throat. “Let’s talk about the house.”
“Mr. Jenkins said you’re wanting to fix up this place,” Charlie said, stepping into the living room, back out into the foyer, and then into the dining room. She lifted a sheet from a dining chair before dragging a finger along the chair rail encircling the room. “Gonna take a lot of work. You thinking a total redo or touch-ups here and there? What’s your end point?”
“First priority is making the house safe. Well, before that, I want to get rid of the infestation, and then I want to make sure the house is sound,” Tessa said. “Right now, I need to figure out how much it will cost to get this place market ready, and I’m not sure what kind of repairs it needs. I’m hoping you’ll give me an idea. Let me show you around.”
While they toured the second floor, her cell phone rang. “Excuse me one minute. Hey, Mama, I’m working right now—”
“Have you seen the weather channel?” Carolyn asked.
“No, ma’am—”
“Hasn’t Mystic Water suffered enough? I can’t believe it’s calling for a massive streak of thunderstorms. How is everyone taking it? Are they in a panic? I checked in on the renters at the house, and they’re doing just fine. They aren’t worried about a little rain, but I gave them your number in case they need anything local. Speaking of local, have you decided—”
“Mama, it’s not gonna rain here,” Tessa said, feeling more and more convinced.
“How could you possibly know that?”
“I justknow. It’ll pass right over us.” Tessa exhaled. “I’ll call you back, okay? I’m working.” She ended the call and shoved the phone into her pocket.
When it came time to assess the exterior of the house, including the crawl space, Charlie offered to show Tessa what lay beneath Honeysuckle Hollow. But Tessa had no desire to explore the darkness hiding under the abandoned house. Armed with a headlamp and flashlight, Charlie crawled beneath the house and disappeared.
After ten minutes, Tessa stared through the crawl space opening. “You okay?”
“All’s well,” Charlie called, and her headlamp swung toward Tessa. “A huge black snake is hiding out in the far corner, but otherwise, it looks uninhabited.”
After she emerged, Charlie wrote extensive notes and sketched in a notepad she kept tucked in her back pocket. After nearly two hours of discussion, Charlie agreed to take on the project if Mrs. Steele wanted to make repairs. Charlie was confident she and a team could start work on Honeysuckle Hollow by the end of the week. Before renovations could begin, though, Tessa needed to call Mrs. Steele concerning the budget.
As they stood on the front porch, Charlie stepped into the front yard and looked skyward. “Maybe you’re right,” she said. “Still ain’t raining. How about I callyoufor a weather report instead of watching the news?” She strode across the yard toward her maroon F-150.
Wind, heavy with moisture, whirled across the porch, dampening every space it touched. Tessa’s stomach clenched, and her palms began to sweat as she inhaled the scent of thyme. The echo of Crazy Kate’s words fluttered around in her mind. Was her confidence about the rain skipping over town because of the thyme she ate from Cecilia’s garden? If the garden could help Tessa predict the weather, what else could it do?
Chapter 8
Strawberry Pancakes
AfterleavingHoneysuckleHollow,Tessa returned to her office, checked messages, and then looked over Charlie’s notes. The house was salvageable, but extensive work was needed if it was to be returned to its former beauty. Tessa wasn’t sure how much money Mrs. Steele was willing to put toward renovations, so she created a few different options. One option would focus on basic repairs—electrical, plumbing, exterior and interior supports—and get the house market ready but only as a property in need of renovation. The next option required more upgrades—flooring, windows, doors, paint, and appliances, as well as other minor aesthetics. The final option would be to restore Honeysuckle Hollow completely, to recreate what the home had been when it was first built but with modern appliances and conveniences. The more extensive the work, the higher the listing price.
Tessa called Mrs. Steele, and when she received no answer, she left a detailed message regarding possible avenues to explore. She printed a few more listings for herself and texted Lily,Wanna come over tonight?
Lily responded,Be there at 7:00.
Tessa assumed Mrs. Steele would at least want the house exterminated before listing it. Charlie hadn’t mentioned the house was unsafe, so Tessa went ahead and scheduled a cleaning service. She felt comfortable paying the bill for both services until Mrs. Steele reimbursed her. Later that afternoon, she met the cleaning crew at Honeysuckle Hollow. Tessa walked them through the rooms and instructed them to do a basic cleaning—no deep cleaning until she had more information from Mrs. Steele. They scheduled to return the next day.
As the blazing red sun set, Tessa changed out of her work clothes and pulled on a pair of comfy purple joggers and her favorite LSU T-shirt. She held back her hair with a stretchy tie-dye headband and washed her face. In the kitchen, Tessa read through the recipe for strawberry chamomile tea that Cecilia had left for her. At the top of the index card, Cecilia had written,For when you need to relax and rest.Surely she could make a new tea recipe without causing harm to herself or anyone else. Tessa read over the ingredients. She needed strawberries, dried chamomile, honey, and lemons. She had everything, thanks to the Borellis, including dried chamomile from Cecilia’s garden.
Tessa opened a cabinet and grabbed a mason jar full of the dried herb. She filled a pot with two cups of water and put it on the stove to boil. Once the water boiled, she dropped in a handful of clean strawberries. The recipe required two tablespoons of dried chamomile. Tessa figured she could eyeball it. She tried to sprinkle the chamomile over the top of the strawberries, but the herb clumped together and stuck inside the jar. Tessa tapped the glass bottom and a heaping mass of the herb dislodged and fell into the water. Tessa winced. Would too much chamomile ruin the tea? She added honey and poured the mixture through a sieve and into a pitcher. Then she squeezed two lemons into the tea and added a pinch of salt. Tessa stirred the warm liquid with a wooden spoon and ladled a bit out to taste.
She smiled. “It’s good.”
Tessa dropped in a handful of ice cubes to help cool down the tea before she found a spot for it in the refrigerator. Then she gathered the ingredients for the pancakes.
Lily called a few minutes before she was supposed to arrive at the apartment and said two-year-old Rose had decided to smash spaghetti into Lily’s hair and she needed a quick shower. Tessa’s stomach growled. She could save Lily some time if she started cooking. After the tea success, she felt brave and competent. If she could make tea, she could make pancakes, right?
