“Is Margaret a good friend?”
“She counseled me the first couple of years after losing Bill.” Windy put her car in a lower gear to climb the hill, revving her engine as she went up.
“Margaret seems like she’d be a good counselor.”
“She was. And now she’s a good friend.” Windy stopped at the Periwinkle Avenue intersection.
“Go right,” Riva said. “And you’re a friend of Laurel’s too?”
“Yes. We’re not very close, but we live in the same building downtown. Although it won’t be for long from what I hear.”
“Is Laurel moving?”
“Not that I know of. But they raised the rent again and now I’mlooking for something else.” As Windy kept driving her little car up the hill, Riva hoped they wouldn’t have to get out and push it.
“I thought Laurel said they just raised the rent last year.”
“They did. They claim it’s to cover increasing costs of maintenance, but then they never fix a thing. Have you ever seen the place? It’s a real dump.”
“Laurel says the same thing. I know she wants to move too.”
“There’s a deplorable shortage of affordable housing in Greenwood.”
Riva pointed to her tall Victorian house. “That’s mine there. Go ahead and pull into the driveway.”
“Oh, I adore this house! This is really yours? I’ve always admired it. I used to drive by here, wishing it would go on the market and dreaming I could talk Bill into buying it.” She laughed as she parked. “Not that we could’ve afforded it. Bill kept sinking all our funds into his business and a few other shaky investments, ones that eventually landed us in bankruptcy. Eventually, after he was gone, I lost the house I thought we owned free and clear.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I keep hoping I’ll get a great big insurance settlement for Bill’s accident, but thanks to the courts and a zillion appeals from the insurance company, that probably won’t happen until I’m a very old lady.” Windy gazed up at Riva’s house. “It’s such a beautiful home. What a blessing for you to have it, Riva.”
“Would you like to come in and see it?”
“Seriously?” Windy was already opening her car door. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
Riva laughed then, running through the rain. She hurried ahead to unlock the front door and let Windy inside the foyer.
“Oh, it’s perfect.” Windy looked around as Riva removed her dripping coat. “I love these center cut oak floorboards. And this original molding and your beautifully carved staircase newel posts. It’s even better than I imagined.”
“Let me take your coat and I’ll show you more.”
Riva gave Windy the full tour, explaining her own dilemma. “Paul was a self-employed attorney, and our health insurance coverage was very minimal. The cost of his treatments and care and everything else really wiped out our savings. Even though this house was in my family, we put a mortgage on it years ago to afford all the improvements we needed. Electric, plumbing, and upgrades. But after Paul got sick, we were forced to get a second mortgage just to cover the medical bills. Now I can’t really afford to stay on here.” Riva paused in the library, and Windy literally gasped at the walls of books.
“Wow, this is amazing. I think you have more books here than the public library.”
Riva smiled sadly. “Yes, books are my passion. And my problem.”
Windy turned back to face her. “Problem?”
“If I were to sell my house, what in the world do I do with all these books? My daughter suggested a bonfire, and if I didn’t love her so much, I might’ve thrown her out.”
Windy laughed. “So you keep the house in order to keep the books? That’s a new one.”
“Pathetic, I know. But it’s the truth. I guess I’ll need to get a job. I’ve only worked in the law office. And despite my experience doing legal research, I don’t really have the credentials. I’m hoping someone will be willing to give me a try.” She frowned. “Although I realize my age could be disadvantageous.”
“Your age? Well, that’s just plain discrimination.”
“Yet a fact of life all the same.” Riva shrugged as she led Windy out of the library. “Want to see the second floor? My daughter cleared a lot out last week—mostly her stuff. I still have basic furnishings up there since Kenzie thinks I need to do some staging before listing.”
