All three girls giggled, not noticing Eli had returned to the group. He groaned. “I think I need to go inside and talk about nails or hammers or plumbing.”
“Sorry, not sorry,” Tessa joked. “What do y’all think about the garden? It’s a little further along than the house, of course, but it’ll be lovely out here when they’re all done.”
Eli pointed toward the oak tree. “It’ll be a great place for a small wedding.”
Tessa agreed. “They used to host weddings here. People were married in the garden, and then they used the house as the reception area.”
Eli cleared his throat. “I meant forourwedding. Anna, are you gonna tell them, or should I?”
“Guess the cat’s out of the bag,” Anna said. “Eli proposed, and I said maybe. I’m kidding. I said yes!”
Eli pulled a ring out of his pocket and passed it over to Anna. She slipped it on her finger and held out her hand toward Tessa and Lily. The diamond sparkled like magic in the sunlight, casting shimmery rainbows on Anna’s cheeks.
Tessa oohed and aahed over it. “It’s beautiful.”
Lily reached for Anna’s hand and shook her head. “How could you not have told me?”
“I wanted to tell you both at the same time. We came back home for a few days so we could tell my folks. They already knew because Eli asked them for permission, but they didn’t know when he was gonna ask.” She looked around at the garden. “But I agree. This would be a great place to be married. If Tessa will let us.”
Tessa’s broad smile made her cheeks ache with joy. “I’m honored, but, wow, do I have time to fix it up? Have you set a date? It’ll probably take me three or four more months at least.”
Anna touched Tessa’s arm. “Breathe. You have plenty of time. We were thinking six months or so. When the weather is cooler.”
Tessa hugged Anna. “I’m so excited for you.” Then she hugged Eli. “You’re one lucky guy. You got the best girl from Mystic Water.”
“Hey,” Lily pouted, “what about me?”
“You’re already taken,” Tessa said, poking Lily in the ribs. “Come on inside and let me show you the upstairs. We can brainstorm ideas about how we should decorate for the wedding.”
Once inside, Paul joined them, and they toured the upstairs. From the second-floor balcony, Anna and Lily gazed out into the garden. Lily lifted her arm and pointed. “Imagine everyone down there, and you up here in your wedding dress looking like Juliet. Gorgeous pictures.”
Anna glanced at Eli over her shoulder. “Will you recite Shakespearean poetry to me from the garden?”
“Do I have to?” Eli asked, causing Paul to laugh.
“Best to keep the woman happy,” Paul teased.
Tessa’s cell phone rang, and she slipped it out of her back pocket. “It’s Mr. Fleming. He must have news about the condo buyer. Excuse me one second while I take this.” Tessa answered the call and stepped into the nearest bedroom. “Hey, Mr. Fleming.”
“Tessa, I’m glad I caught you,” Mr. Fleming said. “I have great news. Mr. Kincaid has finalized his offer to buy the buildings. He has all the necessary funds, the paperwork has come through just as promised, and everyone will receive what they were offered according to the individual agreements. We’ll just need your signature. I’ve emailed an electronic agreement to you.”
“What a relief. Is there anything more I need to do?”
“Not other than signing the contract and returning it to me as soon as you can. I’ll keep you updated if anything changes, but I think it’s all smooth sailing from here.”
Tessa ended the call and sighed. There were workers downstairs who expected to be paid for the work they’d done so far. She’d already spent a chunk of her savings on the earnest money, and with the remaining amount of her savings plus the condo money, she planned to pay off Mrs. Steele, and the rest would go toward the beginning stages of rehab. Would it be enough to finish everything that needed to be done? She didn’t know, but it was at least a start.
Paul stepped into the room. “Everything okay?”
Tessa slipped her phone back into her pocket. “The condo sold. I should see the money soon. At least we have more funds coming in so we can continue with the rehab without delays.”
Lily walked in behind Paul, followed by Anna and Eli. “That’s great, Tess,” Lily said. “One less thing to worry about. Do you—do you think you’ll have enough to repair everything, even with the condo money?”
Tessa shrugged. “I don’t know. Paul and I can sit down and go over the costs. We’ve made a couple of lists. We based the needs on priority and necessity versus wants. I’m hopeful.”
Paul nodded and slipped his arm around Tessa’s shoulders. “Buying this house wasn’t a mistake.”
Someone cleared their throat in the doorway, and Tessa noticed Charlie with a look of concern on her face. “I have a question about the balcony. Do you have a minute?”
