Synchronicity for Six Pt. 09 by Storyteller0112,Storyteller0112

Synchronicity for Six, Part 9

Author’s Note: This is a story of the romantic love of three couples. There is very little explicit sex in it, so if that is what you’re seeking, look elsewhere on Literotica.

= = =

Monday, February 8, 2021

One eye popped open and looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. 5:40 showed on the clock. A smile crossed Alan’s lips as he took stock of his surroundings. His boxers were somewhere between his knees and his ankles, somehow lowered from where he had left them when he fell asleep. The back of his legs, his butt, and most of his back were warm. Her arm was between his arm and his torso. Her breath was warming his upper back, and her breasts pressed so wonderfully into his middle-to-lower back. Then the hand with the manicured and polished nails began to migrate southward, over his stomach.

Rose gently caressed Alan’s abdominals, almost petting the light hair that led her hand to its objective: his stiff cock. Her hand gently wrapped around his erection and she reveled in the soft firmness of his muscle. He made it twitch, which elicited a small giggle, and she gripped it a bit tighter.

“Mine!” she growled. He twitched it again for her.

“Yours,” he agreed. “Only yours.” He reached over and turned off the alarm on his phone for 5:45, but left the radio’s alarm enabled.

She slid back from him and rolled him to his back. Rose then proceeded to get their Monday off to the very best of starts.

“Daydream Believer” by the Monkees emanated from the radio speaker as the digits flipped to 6:00 AM. “The six o’clock alarm would never ring, but it rings, and I rise. Wipe the sleep out of my eyes, my shavin’ razor’s cold and it stings.” Rose was moving in sync with the beat and Alan was absolutely certain life could not get any better than this moment.

= = =

Katie woke when her alarm roused her at 6:30. She had no momentary confusion as she recalled exactly where she was and why she was there. She was loved by everyone in the house. Even Poppa. Especially Poppa, given his goodnight conversation with her. Alan had explained that she and Maggie were new territory for him, having raised only Tom and David. But he was committed to being the very best father he could be for the two girls. His hug was warm and therapeutic, not creepy in any fashion. His kiss on the end of her nose caused her to wrinkle it, and when he looked into her eyes and said, “I love you, Kathleen Margaret, my daughter,” she believed him without question. Then he stood up from the edge of her bed and closed the door behind him.

It had been an excellent nine hours of rest for her, once she and Maggie had gotten David’s things boxed up and ready for storage. She did not have many things, but she unpacked what she had and made herself as comfortable as she could. Now she sat up in bed and realized that she did not have a bathrobe to wear outside the bedroom. ‘Crap! What to do?’ she thought. Then her phone buzzed with a message.

“My bathrobe is hanging on the outside of your door. – M”

Katie opened the door, and sure enough, a purple terrycloth bathrobe hung from the doorknob. She quickly put it on, then stepped briskly to the shared bathroom. Everything was right where Maggie said it would be. She would have to use Maggie’s shampoo and soap today, but that was not much of a hardship. She emerged twenty minutes later ready to take on the day’s challenges. She dressed quickly, skipped down the stairs, and strode confidently to the kitchen.

Maggie was seated at the table wearing a robe, dark green with red plaid stripes, eating a toasted bagel and drinking a cup of coffee. Her hair was mussed, bed-head definitely, but she had a smile on her face as her new sister entered the room.

“Glasses are up and to the right of the sink; OJ is in the fridge; bagels are next to the toaster,” she informed Katie. “I hope you did not expect a repeat of breakfast in bed, sis. Around here the rule is: if you walk away hungry, it’s your own damn fault. But you have to be willing to fix it for yourself.”

Katie snorted at that, then covered her face, embarrassed. Seeing the glee on Maggie’s face, she got a glass and poured it full of juice, then sat at the table.

“Nice robe there, Mags,” Katie commented. “Thank you for the use of yours.”

“You are welcome. This is Davey’s as I’m sure you guessed. I believe we need to do a little shopping tonight, right?”

“Unless you’re okay with my using your soap and shampoo. And using your bathrobe.”

“I am, but let’s get Mom in on this and we’ll have a Ladies’ Evening out,” Maggie suggested. “Are you having anything besides the juice?”

“This or a glass of milk was all I ever really had for breakfast before…”

“Oh, no, no, no! Do you prefer butter or cream cheese on your toasted bagel?” Maggie was insistent.

“Butter for me, today, please,” Katie said, meekly, as Maggie stood and sliced a bagel for toasting. Three minutes later, Katie had two buttered, toasted bagel halves before her with the admonition to try to enjoy it. And her glass was refilled with juice.

“You’re trying to fatten me up, aren’t you?” Katie teased.

“Not really. You need the complex carbs to keep you going until lunch and the sugars in the juice will give you immediate energy. What are you doing for lunch?” Maggie asked.

“Buying it in the caf, I suppose, except…” Katie’s voice trailed off.

“What is it?”

“I’m out of cash.”

“Didn’t Jack pay you in cash on Saturday?”

Katie had completely forgotten that and pulled out the envelope from her purse. Opening the envelope, she quickly counted six $20 bills, far more than the agreed‑upon amount. Katie was rather puzzled by this. She placed the bills in her purse and folded the envelope in half before placing it back in her purse. She finished eating the bagel and polished off the glass of juice as well.

“Just put the plate and glass in the sink for now. We’ll load and run the dishwasher after supper,” Maggie directed. “Are we still going to practice driving this afternoon?”

“Oh! That’s right. You don’t work on Mondays. Yeah, sure, I’ll come straight home from school and we can go out then.”

“Have a good day, sister!” Maggie wrapped Katie up in a huge bear hug and shocked her with a light kiss on the lips. “I’ll be here when you finish your classes for the day, then you can teach me some more.”

= = =

Rose received confirmation from the AgCU’s legal team that she could contact the owner of the property. The loan was not yet defaulted, so no legal actions were pending, yet. She had gone into the office a little early that Monday just so she could have some time for her business. She pulled out her file about the house and decided to call. Fortunately, the daughter of the previous owners, living three states away to the east, was in the earlier time zone.

“Hello, this is Helen Waters. How may I help you?” came the pleasant voice over the telephone.

“Ms. Waters, my name is Rosalie Lawson and I am calling from the Agricultural Credit Union in Middleburg. Do you have a few minutes to talk about the house on Millersville Road in Middleburg?”

“Oh, God. Um, Ms. Lawson, this is not the best time for me,” Helen replied, warily.

“I understand. When would be a better time to talk, Ms. Waters? Just so you know, I’m not calling in any official capacity. This is a personal matter.”

Helen audibly let out the breath that she had been holding. “Okaaay, how does 4:30 your time work for you?”

“That will be fine, Ms. Waters. May I call you at this number? Very good. Thank you for taking my call. I hope we can help each other.”

“That would be a welcome outcome, Ms. Lawson. I look forward to speaking with you this afternoon. Goodbye.”

Even though nothing was discussed or resolved, Rose felt a sense of accomplishment. She had made contact and would speak with the person later in the day. Now all she needed was to have the facts at her fingertips.

= = =

Alan made sure to contact the HR person once he got settled in at work. He wanted to ask, on the off chance that he could pull it off, if he could add Katie to his family insurance coverage. He was told that if he was able to secure legal guardianship, then yes. Unfortunately, once Katie reached the age of 18, she was a legal adult everywhere in the United States and could not have Alan as her legal guardian. Disappointed, Alan thanked the HR person for the confirmation.

They would have to talk that evening, as a family. He was not about to let her proceed without insurance coverage. Perhaps he could get Brendan and Michelle to keep her on their coverage if he were to subsidize her cost to them. Hopefully, she had not burned any bridges behind her.

= = =

Tom found a letter in his mailbox that Monday. Actually, he received two letters, but only one was of consequence. They were in his student mailbox which was something he only remembered to check weekly. One was from the big bank, and it offered to extend his decision‑making time until the first of March. It went on to state that they were quite impressed with his academic performance but even more impressed with the way he carried himself during the in‑person interviews in October.

The other letter was of much greater interest to Tom. It was from Timmons, Walton, and Associates – the regional consultancy he had accepted the employment offer from. It started with:

“Greetings, Mr. Harrison! I wanted to thank you, personally, for accepting our employment offer. I suspect there were many factors in your decision, and we are pleased that you would like to become part of our company. There will be additional communications in the future regarding your onboarding and, to that end, we recommend that you set up an account with Proton Mail for a more professional appearance, perhaps with your first name, middle initial, and surname.

Once you get that set up, please send me an email to the address listed below, and I will be sure your HR record is updated to reflect this. Much of the future communication will be sent to that email address.

You are the only new associate we are bringing on this year, in part because no other candidates we interviewed could even come close to matching how well we feel you will fit with our culture.

Congratulations to you, and my personal thanks for accepting our offer. My brother-in-law, Mark Price, assures me that I will never regret this decision.

Sincerely,

Bradley Timmons

Principal and Managing Partner

Timmons, Walton, and Associates”

The signature was in blue ink and Mr. Timmons had written both his work and personal email addresses. Tom’s heart was pumping and the adrenaline was flowing as he read and re-read Mr. Timmons’ personal greeting message. He gently returned the letter to its envelope, placed the envelope in his backpack, and headed for the Business department offices.

As he was approaching the offices of the instructors, Mr. Price came out the door, nearly knocking Tom off his feet.

“Whoops, there, Mr. Harrison! Are you alright?” Mr. Price inquired.

“F-fine, sir. Actually, you are who I was just coming to see. Do you have a couple of minutes?”

“Sure, walk with me to my next class, would you? You can walk and talk at the same time, I’m certain.”

Tom grinned. “Yes, and I can even chew gum while doing so. I’m a man of many talents, I’ll have you know.”

Mr. Price chortled at both Tom’s words and obvious confidence. He had an immediate plan for this young man with a future.

“So, Tom, what were you coming to see me about?”

“Well, sir, I received a letter from your brother-in-law today. He said that mine was the only employment offer his company extended this year. He actually thanked me for accepting their offer.” Tom extracted the letter and offered it to Mr. Price.

Mark stopped their march just outside the lecture hall door and perused the letter. His eyebrows went up at his brother-in-law’s words. “This is not a standard offer acceptance acknowledgment letter, Mr. Harrison,” he commented. With a very large smile, he folded the letter and handed it back to Tom. “Now, do you have ten minutes you could spare me?”

“For you, sir? Of course. My next class isn’t until after lunch.”

“Excellent! Come with me, please.”

Mark Price led him into the lecture hall which was already four-fifth’s full of first‑year students. He had Tom stand up at the front with himself. A few others made their last‑minute arrival, sitting in the front row where the empty seats were. Mr. Price cleared his throat, getting everyone’s attention.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is Tom Harrison. He’s the lead tutor in the Accounting Lab, which I know I have mentioned to you previously. We will see how well he thinks on his feet, as I ask him to briefly discuss tips and traps for the Accounting 100 term project. Mr. Harrison, if you would, please?”

Tom gave a big smile and a small chuckle. This was exactly how he met Julie back in September, having to go over tips and traps for the term project. He took a minute to review what he had told Julie way back then while he wrote his name and John’s name on the board along with their usual tutoring hours.

“If I were you, I’d be sure to write down what you hear. Then plan a visit to the Lab to verify that you got everything. John Wilson is an excellent tutor as well and he has the evening hours this semester,” Tom advised. Then he launched into the same list of tips and traps that Julie had shared with Dr. Casper’s class in the fall. All the while, Mr. Price was scribbling quickly on a notepad of his own.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Harrison! Thank you for your time today,” Mr. Price added, and Tom waved to the class as he quietly departed the classroom.

‘Okay,’ he thought as he walked down the hall, ‘We need to codify those tips and known traps.’ He returned to the Business department’s offices where he found Dr. Casper speaking with the main admin assistant.

“May I help you, Tom,” she asked, looking around Dr. Casper, who straightened up and turned around with a big smile of his own.

“I think it is I who can help you, Mrs. Thomas. Mr. Price just shanghaied me into giving my tips and tricks for the Accounting 100 term project to his class, just like Julie did for your class last semester, Dr. Casper. I think we need to write that down and keep it on file for the future.” He pulled out his acceptance acknowledgment letter and showed it to them. “I won’t be here after this semester, and while John is good, this work is already done. Why keep reinventing the wheel?”

“Work smarter, not harder?” Dr. Casper intoned.

“Precisely, sir.”

“We will get this assembled and passed by you for ratification this week, Tom,” the admin said. “You’re in the Lab Monday through Thursday, late afternoon shift, right?”

“Yes, I swapped times with John after last semester.”

“I’ll bring a copy by tomorrow during your shift, Tom,” she said, and he responded with a smile and a nod of his head.

“If you will please excuse me, I have somewhere to be in about 30 minutes,” Tom declared. Dr. Casper replied, “I’ll see you in class, Mr. Harrison. Keep up the excellent work!”

= = =

Katie’s key scraped in the lock, unnecessarily, at 3:05, but some habits were nearly impossible to break. She was almost immediately enveloped by Maggie’s embrace and had to catch her breath before she could say anything.

“Mags, I’m glad to see you, too. I need to pee before we can go, so just have a seat on the stairs, please.” Katie’s backpack swung off her shoulder to land at Maggie’s feet with a solid thump, and she was off to the powder room to make her bladder gladder.

Returning with a look of relief on her face, she jingled the keys in front of Maggie, then pulled them back out of her reach. “Not yet, sister. Let’s get to the parking lot first.”

Katie was still decompressing from school and Maggie just chattered away, oblivious to Katie’s state of mind. Maggie was almost like a puppy left alone for too long. Finally, they pulled into the church parking lot and Maggie had the seat belt undone before Katie had even stopped the car.

“A tad eager, are we?” Katie asked, archly.

“Yeah, sorry. It’s just that I had so little to do today, once I got the laundry washed, dried, and folded and the kitchen cleaned up.”

“Ever try reading a book?” Katie asked, innocently.

“Oh, a Binary Optically-Oriented Knowledge device. Yeah, I’ve used one once or twice,” Maggie tweaked back at her new sister.

They swapped places, and Katie patiently tolerated Maggie’s heavy foot and reminded her that the brake pedal was her very best friend in the world when it came to driving. Katie had Maggie driving around, parking, backing out and pulling forward until the Civic’s clock read 4:30. Realizing the time, Maggie reluctantly relinquished control back to Katie, and they swapped places once more and headed for home and supper.

= = =

At 4:10, Rose left work a little earlier than usual. She rationalized that she had gone in earlier, so she could leave earlier. She wanted to be home and comfortable when having her call with Helen Waters. She walked in the door from the garage at 4:25 and lay her folder and notepad at her customary place at the dining table. Quickly addressing her biological needs, she then got a glass of ice water and sat at the table. She flipped open the folder and looked at the Zillow page she had printed out. She tried to set aside her blatant desire for the house and land. It would not do her any good to get emotional about this, yet. She put in the numbers on her cell phone and pressed the connect button.

“Hello, this is Helen Waters,” came the pleasant voice once again.

“Good evening, Ms. Waters. This is Rosalie Lawson from Middleburg.”

“Good evening, Ms. Lawson. We have been expecting your call. My husband is here with me now. May I place you on speaker so we can both participate?”

“Certainly! Please do call me Rose, though.”

“If you will, call me Helen, then. My husband is Steve Waters.”

“Hello then, Helen, Steve.”

“Hello, Rose,” Helen said, taking the lead. Her voice trembled a little, and Steve reached over to hold hands with his wife.

“Well, as I said this morning, I would like to speak with you about the house on Millersville Road in Middleburg. You already know I’m associated with the Agricultural Credit Union which holds the mortgage on the property. Please understand once again that I am not calling in an official capacity.”

Helen looked at Steve, who nodded reassuringly.

“Ho-how did this property come to your attention, Rose?” Helen asked, her voice still trembling.

“I am the General Manager of the credit union, and the loan appeared in a routine report of potentially troubled loans I review. It appears as though no payment has been made on the loan or into the escrow account since November, and that there has been no contact about it either.”

“Oh, God!” A small moan escaped Helen’s mouth, and she clapped her hand over the betraying orifice.

“Helen, please try to remain calm,” Rose entreated. “As I said this morning, this is a personal call, not an official one. I don’t know what the problem is, but I may be in a position to help. And I want to help, both personally and professionally. That’s what makes our credit union so much friendlier than a large bank. Our members and our customers are our friends.”

“Go ahead, honey. You can tell her everything,” Steve’s voice resonated in Rose’s ear.

“My mother passed away in August after my father had passed last April. The attorney handling the estate had been making the mortgage payments until he suddenly closed up shop. I have not been able to get a hold of him since early November.” Rose was scribbling notes on the notepad as Helen was relating all this.

“That sounds rather messy. But I believe I can help smooth things out a bit if you can start making the payments again.”

“And there’s the rub. Steve was laid off right before Christmas. Something about the contract not being extended, blah, blah. He has not been able to find anything beyond delivering for Domino’s. That, plus my job, is what is keeping a roof over our heads now and food on the table. I wish we had never left Middleburg.” That last was said as an undertone, but Rose heard it clearly.

“You grew up here?”

“In that very house. But I couldn’t live in it, not with all the memories.” Rose’s eyes widened as the dominoes appeared to be lining up perfectly.

“Thank you for sharing that with me, Helen and Steve. I’m sure there are legal channels you could have gone through, but with the money as tight as it sounds, that was not going to work. Let me share a little about the personal reasons behind my calling.

“My fiancé and I need to move up to a larger place. His wife died a little over a year and a half ago, and he has two sons. I have two daughters, each a year younger than his boys. Right now, we’re in his three‑bedroom, two‑and‑a‑half‑bath house, and it works because three of the four are in college. In addition to the six of us, we’ve just permanently taken in a friend of my youngest.

“Because of my position, I know there’s roughly $100,000 left to be paid on the loan plus some overdue escrow payments. Without a formal appraisal, the best indicator I have is Zillow, which estimates the buildings and land at $400,000. Alan and I were out to the house this weekend and, from what we could see from the outside and read online, it looks like it could work very well for us.

“In my official capacity, I can place the loan on the house in an administrative hold for 45 days. Assuming an appraisal comes back with roughly equivalent numbers, I can say that if you were to list the property for sale with a realtor, it would sell very quickly. Then you could repay the loan and have a tidy chunk of money, maybe to move back to Middleburg.”

“Oh, God! You could do that? Stop the loan from defaulting?” Helen gasped, clutching at Steve’s hands tightly.

“Only for six weeks, 45 days, but yes, I can do that.”

“But I don’t know any realtors in Middleburg, not anymore,” Helen moaned.

“Let me tell you what. I’ve given you and Steve a lot to think and talk about. If you ask me to place the loan on administrative hold, I can do so, but you have to ask me, in writing. I can accept an email request, though, but you need to follow up with a hard copy request.”

“Rose, would you please place the loan on my parents’ house on administrative hold?” Helen quickly interjected.

“I’ll have to send you some papers which you’ll have to sign and return, but yes, I will prevent this from becoming any worse.” Rose and Helen exchanged their personal contact information. “Please send me the information about the attorney who was handling your parents’ estate. I may be able to find out from other attorneys we work with what happened with your attorney. This could all work out very well for you, for us, and for the credit union.”

“Oh, thank you, Rose!” Helen gushed. “Yes, thank you so much!” Steve added.

“Thank you both for your time today,” Rose stated. “I am looking forward to our future discussions. Goodbye.”

Helen disconnected the call, then turned to Steve.

“What do you think, honey?”

“I think you should save her phone number in your contacts. I have a feeling we may be talking with her multiple times in the future.”

“Seriously, Steve?”

“Yes, seriously, Helen. I caught your statement ‘I wish we had never left Middleburg.’ That kind of money can make a big difference for us and the kids. We would be able to get a house and not have to live in a crappy apartment. Can you imagine what they would do if they each had their own bedroom, instead of having to share one? Or having a yard to play in?”

“They wouldn’t know what to do.”

“But what about you, sweetheart? Could you let go of the house you grew up in?”

Helen thought for a moment, then answered him.

“Yes, I think I could. Whenever we visited Mom and Dad, all I could think about were my two deceased brothers. There’s no way I could live in that house; simply too many sad memories. Besides, it’s way too big for our needs. Better that it passes on to another family to make new memories.”

Steve pulled her in close and gently kissed her, trying to ease her worries.

= = =

The girls entered the house, laughing, while Rose was still seated at the table and making some notes.

“Hi, Mom!” and “Hiya, Momma!” came the calls from the girls.

“Oh, hi, girls. I didn’t hear you come in,” Rose declared, rising from the chair. She pulled a girl to her with each arm and kissed their foreheads. “Did you have a good and safe time with the driving practice?”

“Yes, Momma, we did. We kept it confined to the church parking lot. She’s doing well, I think,” Katie said.

“Yeah, Katie’s been a very patient instructor for me,” Maggie added. “What’re you doing?” she asked, pointing at the notepad and file folder on the table.

“I’ve been in contact with the lady who owns some property that Alan and I are considering. We’ll talk about it more after supper if you don’t mind.”

“That’s cool, Mom. Do you need any help with getting supper ready?” Maggie offered.

“No, we’re having a ‘Clean the Refrigerator’ night, but thank you for offering. You will have the opportunity to prepare your own supper from our array of single-serving leftovers. We’ll start shortly after Alan comes home. I’m going to go change out of my business clothes.” Rose then headed upstairs to change.

“Katie, come on. Let’s peek at what she has here.” Maggie was the type who would snoop through the Christmas presents, so the file folder and notepad were irresistible. She couldn’t make out what the scribblings on the notepad were about, but she saw the printout and noted the Zillow URL and property address on her phone. Putting things back how she found them, she led Katie into the media room and fired up the laptop.

“Have you ever heard of this Zillow site?” Maggie asked, but all Katie could do was shrug her shoulders. Opening the web browser, she entered the URL. Once in as a guest, she entered the address of the property.

With Katie looking over her shoulder, Maggie trolled around the Zillow record for the house. Near the bottom of the page, the satellite view caught her eye, and she zoomed in to see that the property was more than just immediately around the house and detached garage. It went back and included what looked to be trees and… a pond! Maggie’s imagination flared at this information. For her part, Katie was entranced by the prospects of a house with five bedrooms and three full bathrooms.

Maggie opened another window and brought up an online mapping site. She input the street address and could easily determine where the place was relative to her current location. She wondered if there was bus service in that part of town. Then she smiled. This was one of the reasons she was learning to drive – so that she would not be dependent upon mass transit. Getting an affirmative answer from Katie that she was all right with powering down the computer, Maggie sat back and tried to consider questions to ask after supper.

Alan walked in the door from the garage at 5:20. He looked a little frazzled by the work day, so Rose had him sit in a chair at the kitchen table while she and the girls skittered about the kitchen, warming up the supper of leftovers. While they were moving about, occasionally getting in each other’s way, Rose tried to engage Alan in a discussion.

“So, what’s new today, Alan?” Rose inquired, sweetly.

“It was a Monday, much like any other day, just more so. I looked into trying to add Katie to my insurance coverage. Just because she’s now living with us, it doesn’t mean I can add her to my coverages. I will talk with you at greater length, in private, Rose, if I may?”

Katie stopped her gyrations for a moment. She went over and sat on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a very sweet kiss on the cheek for his efforts.

“Thank you, Poppa, for trying,” she said, then hugged him tightly. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out.” After a moment, she hopped back to her feet and resumed helping get the supper ready.

All four helped to set the table once Alan had removed the extra leaf, restoring the table to its base configuration. They sat, joined hands, and asked the blessing before digging in to the delicious food. By custom, there was very little discussion while the food was being eaten. Once everyone was done with the food on their plate, Alan turned the focus back on Rose.

“So, my love, how was your day?” Alan inquired.

“The work day was full of the usual administrivia. But I had a nice introductory chat with a Helen Waters once I got home. Helen is the owner of the house and land we looked at on Saturday.” At Rose’s words, Maggie and Katie sat up and began to pay much closer attention to the discussion.

“Are there things we need to discuss?”

“It turns out that her parents both died within the last year, and they have been unable to contact the attorney handling the estate since November. I have a verbal request to put a temporary hold on the loan, and now I’m waiting on a written request. She and her husband, Steve, seem to be having some tough times lately. She did say that she wished they’d never left Middleburg.”

“Mom, you went out to look at the place on Saturday, right?” Maggie asked.

“Yes, dear. I’m sorry, but you both were very needed at the store that day. It was David, Alan, and myself while David was home. We will be sure to include you two if we go out to look at it again.”

“What did you think about the place?” Maggie pressed.

“It looks to be an older house with two floors. We couldn’t get inside; it was locked and nobody was home. I guess now we understand why nobody was home. From what we could see through the windows, I have good hopes for the place.”

“I pulled up the property on Zillow, Mom. The record says it has five bedrooms and three bathrooms. That would be plenty of space if everyone came home at once. But Mom, the estimated price…”

Rose smiled, knowingly. “I left my notes and file on the table, knowing you could not resist the temptation. You know, when you recite the Lord’s Prayer, you should say, ‘Lead me not into temptation, because I can surely find it myself.'”

“Mom!” Maggie protested while Katie just giggled.

Rose continued. “An appraisal is needed for the lending institution to issue the loan. Houses and land often sell for more than the appraised amount. It’s usually a question of value, either to the seller or the buyer.”

“So, how much do you value the property?” Maggie asked, insouciantly.

“That is yet to be determined, young lady,” Alan intoned. “And, honestly, it’s not really your concern now, is it?”

Chastened, Maggie dropped her eyes and her shoulders slumped. This was the first time Alan had ever called her out on anything, and she found she did not care for the experience. He wasn’t unkind, just firm and resolute. But she had disappointed him and she knew it.

“Yes, Poppa. I’m sorry.” Maggie used ‘poppa’ for the first time. She felt it made a nice counterbalance to David calling her mother ‘momma’.

Katie pulled on Maggie’s hand, saying, “Come on, Mags. Let’s give them some time and space.” Katie led her sister upstairs and into the front bedroom.

Rose got up and sat in Alan’s lap with her right arm around his neck.

“I’m sorry, Alan. It’s entirely my fault. I asked God for intelligent children, not compliant ones.”

“I seem to recall us having this discussion previously. Here, let me help you get this cleaned up. We should then retire to our chamber to have further ‘intercourse’.” Alan waggled his eyebrows at her, suggestively.

“Oh, I like where your head is at, Alan. And I’ll like it even more when it’s between my thighs.”

Rose and Alan made quick work of the cleanup and held hands as they walked from the kitchen to the front door. Making sure everything was locked up and turned off, Alan gestured for Rose to lead the way up the stairs. This was his preferred view. She had an alluring ass and a very tempting wiggle and sway. She knew it and used it to tease her fiancé.

“We do need to talk about some financial matters,” Alan began after closing the bedroom door.

Rose wrapped him in her arms and silenced him with her mouth on his. “Afterwards,” she mumbled, then proceeded to drive every other thought from his consciousness.

= = =

“Heya, Magpie!” David’s voice came over her phone’s speaker.

“Hi, Davey!” and “Hello, David” came from the girls’ mouths. They were sitting on Maggie’s bed and right at 8:00 pm he had called. Maggie placed the call on speaker, figuring she had little to hide from her chosen sister.

“Oh, hi there, Katie. I take it I’m on speaker. Are Dad and Momma in hearing range?”

“Nope, just us two. Our parents are probably involved with each other, given the sounds we heard from behind their closed door.” Maggie snorted and Katie giggled.

Katie mouthed the word ‘magpie’ with a question on her face. Maggie nodded and mouthed, “Tell you later.”

David chuckled at the notion of the adults delighting in each other. “For some reason, the idea of Dad and Momma having at it doesn’t bother me like how Mom and Dad used to. Maybe I’ve just found the one I needed,” and Maggie’s face flushed slightly as her groin twitched at his words and tone.

“David,” Katie interjected, “what were your thoughts and observations from your jaunt on Saturday out to look at the other house?”

“Hmmm. The house seems big enough. It has a decent front yard, but the backyard has all kinds of potential. There’s a pond at the rear on the right, and on the left is a grove of trees planted in three neat rows. The detached garage has a metal staircase leading to possibly an apartment above.”

“Oh! The apartment over the garage isn’t mentioned,” Maggie stated. “Well, that’s an interesting wrinkle.”

“Yeah, it expands some opportunities, I’ll grant you,” David agreed.

“But are you okay with your dad selling this place and moving to a new house?” Katie asked.

“Sure thing, Katie. I told Dad while I was home that they need a place that is theirs instead of trying to fit Momma into Mom’s house. Yes, it’s the only house I’ve ever thought of as ‘home’, but it surely won’t be the last.”

“I never really thought of it like that, Davey,” Maggie chimed in. “How were classes today?”

The conversation devolved a bit from there, getting into the horror that was what the school’s food service called ‘food’. They had gotten a little snow overnight at David’s school (it was winter after all), and all the while they were talking, Maggie’s left hand kept spinning the ring on her right hand.

Katie watched all this but said nothing. She was still basking in the warmth of having family around her who loved and wanted her. She hoped that feeling never went away.

= = =

“Alan, I think we need a prenup.”

“Say what!?”

Rose’s head bounced slightly off Alan’s torso with his exclamation. She settled her head back on his chest, idly toying with the little hair he grew there. Her right leg was thrown over his right leg as she snuggled into his right side. They’d had ‘intercourse’ and now it was time for them to have ‘discourse’.

“I said, I think we need a prenup.”

“I heard you the first time, Rose.”

“Then why did you say, ‘Say what?'”

Alan gave a small grunt of exasperation. Sure, it was funny when he took her literally, but he did not expect that sort of wordplay from her.

“Okay, you think we need a prenup. Why?”

“To preserve what is supposed to be Tom’s and David’s inheritance.”

Alan was silent for a minute, then came back with, “And that’s all?”

Rose sighed. “No. There is a huge disparity between what we are bringing into this marriage, money-wise. I never want to be thought of as a gold-digger.”

“And who would think such a thing of you?”

“Your friends and family.”

“I have no family other than Tom, David, now Katie, and soon to be you, Jules, and Maggie. Most of my friends are now your friends, too.”

“How come you have no other family?”

“I was an only child, as were both of my parents. So, I have no known aunts, uncles, or cousins who would ever expect to receive anything from me. My folks died while I was still in college, even before I met Laura. Laura was an only child as well, although she did have some living aunts, uncles, and cousins. We’ve kinda lost touch.”

“Well, you have me now, or you will soon. I still think a prenup would be in order.”

“Are you worried about the money for the house we want to get?”

“Aren’t you?”

“Not especially. I told you; I have a chunk of liquid cash in a savings account, my checking account keeps a healthy balance, and this house is paid for. My salary just got a very healthy bump by changing employers. I haven’t mentioned my retirement investments.”

“And that’s why we need a prenup.”

“Why, because you don’t intend to be here with me after I retire?”

“Alan, you’re trying to put words in my mouth. Stop it!” Rose slapped his chest in frustration.

“Rose, why do you worry so much about what others think? You can’t change their minds. If you behave differently than you might otherwise, you’re not being true to yourself. That’s the woman I fell in love with.” Alan just shrugged when Rose went quiet for a minute.

“I think that may be my mother’s influence on me.” Alan was silent for a few minutes, then he responded to her.

“Okay, tell you what. I’ll consider our getting a prenup. But it won’t be draconian in any fashion. Oh, and we should also update our wills, don’t you think?”

She nodded, kissed him sweetly, and snuggled in closer. Rose soon was fast asleep while Alan lay there thinking.

= = =

Tuesday, February 9

“Rose! You made it!”

Maeve Johnson welcomed Rose into her house for the standing breakfast meeting of the church’s informal women’s leadership. A brief hug and near‑cheek kiss preluded Rose being gently pulled inside.

“Come, come. We’ve missed you.” Maeve led the way to the dining room where Susan Larsen and Mary Henderson were already seated and waiting. Grapefruit halves, cups of yogurt, and a selection of sweet breads awaited the ladies’ appreciation. Once Rose had taken a seat, Mary inquired, “Coffee, Rose?”

“Yes, please, Mary. Cream and sugar are required as well, please.”

“Naturally. Tell us, what’s going on? There was drama at church on Sunday and you seem to be in the thick of it all.”

Rose took a drink of the coffee, savoring the flavors, before answering.

“The Reader’s Digest version of the story is that Katie was being given the cold shoulder at home and she could not fathom why she was being treated how she was. She and Maggie have struck up an excellent friendship and Alan and I have opened our home to her. The long and short of her convoluted family tale is that Brendan and Michelle O’Shea are her uncle and aunt, not her birth parents. Katie had a serious discussion with them and moved into our home Sunday afternoon. She calls Alan and me ‘poppa’ and ‘momma’. We consider her to be our daughter and Maggie’s sister, the seventh member of our family,” Rose declared proudly.

Shock, dismay, and sympathy for Katie showed in the faces of the other three ladies mixed with joy about Rose’s new daughter. Silence (and some silent prayers) reigned for two minutes, then Maeve stood and pulled Rose to her feet. Rose was nonplussed when Maeve wrapped her up tightly in an embrace and whispered, “If you need ANYTHING for that girl, please let me know.” They retook their seats as the group struggled to get their discussion back on track.

Changing the subject, Maeve shared, “Our sales on Saturday were the best we ever had. There were many factors at play which led to that result, and we’re hoping this Saturday will see even more business.”

“What were some of those factors, Maeve?” Susan asked.

“One, an advertised 25% sale on everything. Two, the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday is a very common time for giving jewelry to loved ones. And three, Jack had the idea to bring in a hostess to greet customers and serve them coffee or tea while they waited for a salesperson to assist them. Katie agreed to help us try his idea.”

“Yes, George and I experienced Miss O’Shea’s hospitality,” Mary added. “That was truly inspired on Jack’s part.”

“It turned out well. Thank you for coming in to look, Mary. Maybe this Saturday you could convince George to actually buy those pearls for you,” Maeve smiled and arched an eyebrow. “We’ll be having Katie be the hostess again if she’s willing.”

“We shall see about ‘my’ pearls, Maeve. Rose, did anything come of your inquiry about that property on Millersville Road?” Susan and Maeve turned their heads to regard Rose at this tidbit of news.

“Yes, on Saturday, Alan, David, and I drove out to look it over. Nobody’s living there presently, so we couldn’t go inside any of the buildings. Yesterday, I spoke with the lady who is inheriting the place. She and her family live near Blacksburg, Virginia but would like to come back home to Middleburg. It seems like they are in something of a bind. I’m hoping she is willing to consider selling the place. She would need the services of a decent realtor, though.”

At the word ‘realtor’, Mary and Maeve looked at Susan with interest. Rose noticed and asked, “What’s that look about?”

“Rose, I have my realtor’s license and work maybe 25% of the time,” Susan admitted. Rose’s eyes widened as she considered this new information. “Do you happen to know the lady’s name or anything about her that you can share with us?”

“Her married name is Helen Waters, but her maiden name was McKinley.”

It was Susan’s turn to be surprised. It had been several years since she’d heard anything about Helen McKinley.

“Helen and my daughter, Sophia, were good friends once upon a time. Helen spent a few nights at our home with sleepovers. But that was before they got into high school. They fell in with different crowds, their paths diverged, and we lost contact. She would have graduated from high school about 15 years ago when Sophia did.”

A frisson ran down Rose’s back, and she shivered slightly.

Mary noticed and commented, “It’s a ‘God’ moment, Rose.”

“What is?”

“These communicated needs may be immediately addressed by people present. Do you really want a realtor to make contact with Helen, so that you and Alan might get this house you desire? I can see it in your eyes, dear. Don’t try to hide it.”

“She commented to me that she did not know any realtors here in town anymore. Yet, it turns out that she may know of one better than she ever expected,” Rose shared.

“Rose, I would like to make contact with her on your behalf, if I may,” Susan offered.

“Go for it, Rose,” Maeve prompted. “Susan once had a relationship with her, and that history should make it easier for them to reestablish it.”

Nodding, Rose sent Helen’s phone number to Susan, and added verbally, “I suggest that you wait until 6 or 7 pm to contact her. She’s on Eastern time. Could you see how quickly you can arrange it so Alan and I can go inside to confirm that the property will meet our needs?” Susan nodded at Rose’s request.

“Now, you have some work to do about that loan, don’t you?” Mary asked. “Before I left, I remember seeing that the McKinley loan was not paid in November or December. You may put a moratorium on actions taken for up to 45 days. But you already knew this,” seeing Rose nod her head at Mary’s words.

“I had already discussed this with Helen and her husband, Steve. They are mailing a written request. Thank you for the reminder and the validation. I would like to talk with you some more about the process and the timing of this moratorium if you could stop by the office today.” Turning her attention to Susan, Rose looked her squarely in the eye.

“Susan, if Alan and I can get the McKinley place, with you as the Waters’ agent for selling and our agent for buying, we will definitely come back to you to list Alan’s house.”

Susan’s eyebrows arched in mild surprise, then she got a shrewd look on her face.

“So, you would like me to be the sellers’ and the buyers’ agent for the McKinley place as well as the seller’s agent for Alan’s house?”

“In an ideal world, sure,” Rose answered.

“How much were you hoping to pay for the McKinley place?” Susan asked. Rose laughed.

“As little as possible. That’s the standard answer, isn’t it?” That got a chuckle out of all three ladies.

“Seriously, Rose. What were you looking to offer? I need to have something when I call Helen out of the blue.”

“Zillow shows an estimate of $400k. We know there will likely have to be repairs made, and we’re prepared to address those ourselves. I also know this is a back-and-forth negotiation which can have many factors, including closing costs, your commission, et cetera.”

“The figure, please, Rose?”

“Alright. Please bear in mind that I know how much is still owed on the outstanding loan and the escrow account, and there are some penalties for late payments due. Hang on, I need to get Alan’s buy‑in on this first.” She texted Alan, asking if she could authorize an initial offer of $350k for the house, pending all kinds of inspections. She quickly got an affirmative response.

“Very well, Susan. Alan agrees we should make an initial offer of $350,000 for the house, as-is. We will cover any needed repairs, provided the house is in a livable condition. I don’t expect Helen and Steve to accept that, but it’s a starting point, right?”

“Right. Okay, I’ll contact Helen this evening. What about your house?”

“Do you mean Alan’s house? He’s the sole owner. Again, using Zillow for estimation purposes, it’s shown as valued at $250k. Three bedrooms upstairs; two full baths upstairs including an ensuite and a half-bath powder room on the main level; full unfinished basement; attached two-car garage; and a fenced back yard, suitable for a dog or two. You know Alan well enough to be assured it’s in great condition. It’s simply become too small for our adult-sized, seven-person family.”

“Thank you. That gives me some information I can start to work with. I take it you have to have a place to move to before you can sell your current place.”

“You are correct, Susan. We would hope to move in before June, so we should also figure in time for any repairs needed before our moving in.”

“And what’s so special about June, pray tell?” Maeve asked with a gleam in her eye.

The grandfather clock chimed 8:00 just then, and Rose wiped her mouth and thanked Maeve and the other two for a very nice breakfast.

“I dislike having to eat and run, but I have to go get some things done on an existing loan,” Rose explained and saw only nods and smiles from the other ladies. “I promise I will try not to miss another Tuesday morning breakfast.”

“Drive safely, Rose,” Maeve said as she stood and wrapped her younger friend in a very loving hug. “You never did answer my question, but I think I know why,” she whispered.

“I’ll be in touch as soon as I have something to share,” Susan promised.

= = =

Mary Henderson stopped by the credit union offices just before noon. Smiling and greeting familiar faces, she made her way to Rose’s office.

“How about we go have lunch at Applebee’s?” Mary inquired. “My treat. Come on, girl.”

Rose wasn’t certain how she felt about the ‘girl’ part. Then she considered the decade‑plus in age difference, and she supposed it wasn’t intended as a slight. She quickly picked up her coat and purse and followed Mary.

While waiting for their reheated appetizers to arrive, they sipped their water with lemon and waited for the other to start. Rose capitulated first.

“I’ve prepared all the forms I could without having a written request in my hand,” she began, and Mary nodded “About the timing, can I hold off on starting the moratorium for a little bit if it’s helpful, or do I have to start as soon as I receive the request from Helen?”

“Have you spoken with Don Masters and Mike Johnson yet? No? It would not hurt your position to get them on board with what you wish to do. They are very understanding gentlemen, but they have egos that need to be assuaged. You remember how to do this, right?” Mary looked down, then back up and made a twisting gesture near the middle of her chest.

“Mary!”

“Rose, you’ve got to use all the tools at your disposal. I’m not saying do anything, but reminding them that you are a beautiful woman cannot hurt. Think back to my words to you when you interviewed back in December. You need to sell them on your idea. Ah, here’s our food.”

They ate their food and Mary returned Rose to the office.

“Remember, a little lace showing, some nice, straight seams, and a little fragrance can work wonders with those two. Good luck, dear,” Mary advised, then she headed for home.

= = =

Susan called Helen Waters late that afternoon.

“Hello, may I please speak with Helen Waters?” Susan began.

“This is she. Who is this?”

“Helen, this is Susan Larsen. Sophia’s mom. Do you remember me?”

“OMIGOD! Omigod, omigod, omigod! Yes! Mrs. Larsen, it’s wonderful to hear from you! How’s Sophia?” Helen was gushing, almost babbling.

Susan quickly updated Helen on Sophia’s life, then asked about hers.

“I married Steve Waters pretty much right out of college, and I now have two children; Peter will be eight in a couple of months, and Daphne will be five in August,” Helen shared.

“Children can be a real blessing. So, the reason I’m calling is that a friend of mine, Rose Lawson, tells me that you might consider selling your parents’ place out on Millersville Road.”

“You know Rose?”

“Yes, I just had breakfast with her this morning, actually. Besides, I have a realtor’s license although I just do it part-time, and she asked me to contact you.”

“You’re a realtor now? OMIGAWD!”

“Yes, Helen, I am. Rose told me that she and her fiancé were interested in your parents’ place. She became aware of it because there were concerns with the status of the loan with the Agricultural Credit Union.” That little revelation brought Helen quickly back to earth.

“Did she say anything about the loan?” Helen was worried about how much of her family’s business was becoming common knowledge.

“No, she just said there were some issues that brought it to her professional attention, without getting into any of the specifics. She’s such a wonderful person, by the way, and she has quickly become a good friend. She would never share such confidential information,” Susan assured Helen.

“So, how do you know her?”

“She started attending my church right around Christmas after moving down from Centreville. She and her daughters moved from Centreville and are now living with her fiancé and his two sons. But they need a bigger place, which is where your parents’ place comes into the story.”

“Okaaay,” Helen said, drawing out the word as she was thinking. “I owe her a written request to place the loan on hold, so I’ll get that written out tonight and in the mail in the morning.” The line was silent for a moment as neither Susan nor Helen knew what to say.

“What do you think, Mrs. Larsen? What would you do in my situation?” Helen asked.

“First, you’re now an adult, so please call me Susan.”

“Alright, Susan. What is your opinion?”

“What can you tell me about your situation? If I have a better understanding, I can give a better opinion.”

Helen exhaled heavily.

“My husband, Steven, is a technical writer and was laid off in December. There aren’t a lot of jobs here in the Blacksburg area calling for his skills. I’m substitute teaching for the rest of this school year for someone who is on maternity leave, but there are no promises for the summer or beyond. My two children, Peter and Daphne, are soon to be 8 and 5 years old. We’re stuck in a mediocre two-bedroom apartment, barely making the ends meet.

“My parents died this past year, and my brothers both passed away leaving me as the sole inheritor of their estate. The attorney who was handling the estate went incommunicado in November, and the whole thing is a huge mess.” Softly, almost to herself, Helen said, “I wish we had never left Middleburg.”

“Is that enough for you, Susan?”

“It helps, but I have a few questions. First, do you wish to occupy your parents’ home?”

“As much as it was home, I could not bear to live with the memories of my brothers and our childhoods in that place. I’ve been gone from there for the last 15 years, and while the town may still feel like home, that house would not.”

“So, you will consider selling it?” Susan probed.

“Yes, absolutely.”

“Okay. Second, are you serious about wishing you had never left this town?”

“There’s very little keeping us here. Peter has a couple of friends, but they’re not that close. Yes, if the circumstances allow it, I would happily move my family back to Middleburg,” Helen decided. Steve had come up and was sitting beside her, and nodded his affirmation to her declaration.

Susan waved Gil to come near her and advised, “Helen, I’m putting my phone on speaker mode so my husband can hear both sides.”

“I’ll put mine on speaker so Steve can hear everything, too.”

“Here’s a what-if scenario for you, Helen. What if I could arrange for your parents’ house to sell for enough money to pay off the loan and fees, give you cash to move your family to Middleburg, and leave you enough to buy a nice house here?”

“But what about work for us?” Helen asked, and Steve nodded.

Susan pointed at her notes and Gil spoke up at this time.

“I know of at least three companies in town who would benefit from a good technical writer, either on staff or on contract. Good teachers usually are in high demand and short supply.”

“It seems like a big dream, Susan,” Helen said. “But it’s far better than the nightmare we are currently living with. If we can get out from under the burden of the loan on my folks’ property, I guess it’s my property now, then we can make progress.”

“Okay. So, what I need you to do is send me an email requesting me to act as your agent with the intent of selling your house on Millersville Road. That’s the first step. I’ll need you to FedEx me a set of keys. Could you please include a signed copy of your request for me to act as your agent? You do have a set of keys, right?”

“Yes, Susan, I do. I’ll get copies made and send the package out in the next day or two.” Then Helen’s voice took on a shrewder tone. “So, Susan, how much do you think I could get for my house on Millersville Road?”

“Helen, I would rather not speculate at this time. I will say that Zillow is used by many to get a ballpark estimate of a property’s value. But I need to caution you: if you’re not willing to part with something, it becomes priceless or invaluable. If no one wishes to acquire something, it becomes worthless. Don’t be greedy! This is a process involving many steps.

“In some ways, this could be an easy thing. We already have a party interested in the property. We just need to get you as much as we can without breaking their piggy bank.”

“We’ll look on Zillow after we have supper. Thank you for reaching out, Susan! Your involvement eases a huge worry for me,” Helen confided. “Shall we talk again tomorrow?”

“That would be fine. Please don’t delay supper for the children, though. Call me after everyone’s eaten, okay?”

“Yes, Susan. Thank you!”

“Yes, thank you so much, Susan,” Steve’s voice was finally heard, then Helen disconnected the call.

= = =

“Just what are you playing at, Suzie Q?” Gil demanded once the call with the Waters was finished. Susan’s maiden name was Quinlan, so ‘Suzie Q’ was Gil’s pet name for his wife.

“Gil, honey, why do people feed the birds and the squirrels and the rest of the wildlife? Give up? It’s their chance to be the hands of God, providing for God’s creatures. That’s how this is for me. You do need a good technical writer on your staff, don’t you?”

“Well, technical writer slash proposal writer, yes.”

“Good. Perhaps I’ve found one for you. One that doesn’t live in town but wishes to. Even though it’s been nearly 20 years, I felt some residual parental responsibility for Helen during that call. I want things to go well for her.”

She continued.

“So, try this on for size: we get Alan and Rose to buy Helen’s house at a fair price; Helen pays off the loan, getting out from under that cloud; then she and Steve turn around and buy Alan’s house, which would be perfect for them. And I get full commissions for both sales.”

“If you can pull that off, then I guess we could go visit Sophia and her brood this summer,” Gil surmised.

= = =

Helen and Steve powered up their antique desktop computer and waited for the operating system to load.

“There’s another thing that we need to consider: new computers,” Steve mentioned.

“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, Steve. Let’s see what this Zillow site tells us first.” They had been trapped in their own misery and unable to even think of finding an adequate place to raise their children, so they had no idea how property values had risen in the past few years. Getting their browser to the Zillow site and property address, they were completely blown away at the estimated value of the property.

“Four hundred grand?” Steve declared. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

“Not where the kids can hear you, Steve! But remember what Susan said: ‘Don’t be greedy.’ Still, just wow!”

Visions of dollar signs danced in their shell‑shocked heads.

Then Helen focused on a few neighborhoods in Middleburg, just to see what those property estimates were. In a few of the better areas, small lots with large houses were estimated between $500,000 and $750,000. Even in what she used to know as the poorer parts of town, the estimates were $150,000 to $300,000. And there were almost no houses for sale and none of the ones that were for sale had more than a quarter acre of land.

“Steve, honey, I trust Susan. She was nearly a second mother to me at times up through Middle School. Let’s sleep on this and see what she comes back to us with. I’ll send that email out right now and print off the two pages, one for her and one for Ms. Lawson, and get them all out in the mail tomorrow.”

“I’ve got to go and do my Domino’s driver shift, hon. I’ll try not to wake you when I come in this time. I should be home by 11:30,” Steve promised. “Maybe, just maybe, there’s some light at the end of this very long, very dark tunnel we’ve been stuck in.”

= = =

After supper, Maggie was having her Tuesday session with Joy via Zoom while Katie was up in her room addressing other homework needs. When Katie would stop to consider things, she was envious and grateful by turns. She envied Maggie for being able to skip out on her last semester of high school. She also envied Maggie having David, but that was largely due to the circumstances that brought Rose into Alan’s life, so Katie couldn’t be too upset. She and all the other girls in the church had their chance, but David didn’t appear very interested in girls before Maggie came into the picture.

Katie was also grateful, both for Maggie’s help with Trigonometry and ACT preparations and, most importantly, for Momma and Poppa opening their hearts, their arms, and their doors to encompass her. Their love and affection just seemed to permeate everything in the house. Sighing contentedly, she returned to her school work.

= = =

Rose found Alan seated in his favorite chair in the living room and reading a Kevin Hearne novel. She slowly sauntered into the living room, hips swaying invitingly. But Alan was totally engrossed in his book and had not noticed her approach. Finally close enough, she plucked the book from his startled hands, placed the bookmark on the open page, and clapped the book shut, loudly. With a thump, she let the book drop to the floor.

“It’s time to pay your fiancée some attention, good sir,” she declared as she sat upon his lap in reverse cowgirl form. Just before she sat, she flipped up the back of her skirt to show that she had removed her panties. As she sat, she grasped his hands, pulled them to her full breasts, and leaned back into him. The lack of a brassiere was now evident to him, as his swiftly engorging penis was to her. This was all going exactly according to her plan.

She ground her hips forward and back, rubbing her sensitive bits on his trousers directly over her desired target. This enflamed him further as well as stimulated her. Alan’s hands were busy gently cupping and squeezing her breasts and occasionally tweaking her stiff nipples.

After a few minutes of her music‑less lap dance, she hopped off of him. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw a sizable wet spot on the groin of Alan’s khakis, and she laughed. Flipping up the back of her skirt once more, she wiggled her hips and teased, “If you want some more of this, you’ll have to catch it.” With that, she bolted for the stairs, laughing and squealing softly.

Alan struggled momentarily to escape the clutches of his recliner. Quickly he was in hot pursuit of the temptress who was just teasing him. By the time he made the turn from the living room and grabbed the banister, Rose was three‑quarters of the way up the stairs, and he caught a quick flash of her naked bottom.

Grasping the handrail, Alan pulled himself up the stairs two at a time. When he spun into his bedroom by holding onto the door frame, Rose was laying back on the bed, her skirt bunched at the waist and her blouse open. She wanted him just as badly as he wanted her right then. Accidentally slamming the bedroom door closed, he paused to catch his breath.

“Do you see something you like, my love?” she teased. “We didn’t have our usual wake-up sex this morning, and it’s been driving me a little crazy all day. Come on, big guy. Show me how much I got you riled up. My kitty’s a bit lonely. Fill her up, please.” She proceeded to remove the rest of her clothing.

Buttons popped off his shirt as he reefed it open. The cuffs were still fastened and that slowed him down greatly. He kicked his shoes off and yanked his socks off, then looked at his crotch, dismayed.

“Just look at what you did to my pants!”

“That’s okay, love. I’ll clean them for you.”

Alan unfastened his belt and pulled trousers and boxers to his ankles in one motion. His hard cock bounced, finally freed of its constraints, and Rose licked her lips with anticipation.

“There’s no time for more foreplay, Alan. Fuck me, NOW!”

Alan had thought to try to return some of her teasing, but when he brought his glans close to her, she grabbed his ass and pulled him deep into her.

= = =

At the slamming of the bedroom door, Katie emerged from her room, looking around in puzzlement. As she got to the top of the stairs, she could hear murmurs from Rose’s and Alan’s room. Then she heard a strident “NOW!” in a very demanding tone from Rose, and she had an idea what was going on. She flushed a bit red and headed down to find Maggie.

Maggie was just finishing her half-hour with Joy, and Katie waved at her remote friend just before the video feed was cut. Maggie looked up at Katie’s pink face.

“What’s got you blushing, Kat?”

“I just heard Momma telling Poppa, “NOW!” after someone had slammed the door shut.”

“So, you’re thinking they’re…”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking.”

“You’re quite probably right, sister. There are times when they fuck like rabbits.”

Maggie’s words caused another round of blushing in Katie, and Maggie smiled at this.

“What’s wrong, Kat?”

“They shouldn’t be doing that, should they?”

“Oh, hell yes, they should! Didn’t your folks ever have their ‘private time’?”

“Never like that, they didn’t.”

“Hmmm. Maybe that was part of their problem.”

Katie’s eyes flew wide at Maggie’s words, and her mouth opened but nothing came out.

“You probably haven’t found them in the kitchen, canoodling, have you?” Maggie asked.

Katie slowly shook her head from side to side, mouth still agape. “What’s ‘canoodling’?” she asked.

Maggie looked it up online.

“To canoodle is to caress, fondle, or pet amorously, it says here. It’s slang. Come, sit here, sister. We should talk a little.”

Katie sat on the sofa next to Maggie, who reached out to hold both of Katie’s hands.

“Sex is a crucial part of their relationship, Kat. Actually, it’s a crucial part of my relationship with David, too. It’s a really enhanced form of the love you feel from all of us. It’s a good and right thing. If you’re not ready for it, it can seem a little off‑putting. But when you realize how close it brings a couple together, you kind of want to cheer them on.

“Sometime when Mom’s cooking supper, sneak down the hall and peer around the corner into the kitchen. It’s funny and kinda wonderful, when he’s crept up behind her, begins kissing the back of her neck, and rubbing his groin into her rear. She gets so into it, too. They’ve been doing that since a couple of days after they met at Thanksgiving.” Maggie’s smile was ear to ear, and Katie’s embarrassment was easing.

“You’re not accustomed to seeing this sort of behavior by ‘adults’, are you, Katie? It’s quite normal around here. There is no reason to be embarrassed by seeing or hearing them express their love for each other. They certainly won’t be. Okay?”

Katie nodded and Maggie pulled her into a long, soothing hug.

= = =

Wednesday, February 10

The alarm clock flipped to 5:45 and the radio blared to life. “I’ve Got a Feeling” by the Beatles set the tone for that morning’s coitus in Alan’s bed. Rose was astride Alan, facing him as she was singing along to the track.

“I’ve got a feeling, a feeling deep inside, oh yeah, oh yeah, that’s right. I’ve got a feeling, a feeling I can’t hide, oh no, oh no.” Alan had a very good idea exactly what Rose was feeling deep inside, and it brought a peaceful, loving smile to his face.

Once at work, Gil called Alan into his office and asked Alan to shut the door.

“Alan, I believe you and Rose are working through Susan to investigate a larger house for your crew.”

Alan replied, “I was unaware that anything had been formalized. I know Rose had breakfast with Susan yesterday, and Rose texted me asking if we could start with an amount, and I agreed.”

“Well, I was present for the last part of Susan’s call with Helen and Steve last night. She wants to move back to Middleburg with her husband and two children. He’s an out-of-work Technical Writer. Do we have a need he could satisfy?”

“We will need a person to be a part‑time Technical Writer for documentation as well as preparing proposals for RFPs. Linda Marlowe submitted her papers on Monday that she will retire at the end of February.”

“Hmmm. That’s an interesting set of coincidences, don’t you think?” Gil hummed.

“If she and her family are moving back here, is she going to move into her house here?” Alan’s mood began to dip quickly.

“I’m not sure, Alan.”

“Okay. Thank you, Gil. I’d better get back to work or my boss will have my ass,” Alan said with a wan smile on his face. After all, ‘a Scout is Cheerful’. Alan stood, took his coffee cup, and solemnly returned to his office. Once back at his desk, Alan called Rose.

“Hi, honey. Do you have a few minutes to talk?” Alan inquired as he closed the door to his office and sat heavily in his chair.

“I can spare you a few minutes, darling. This morning was fun, wasn’t it?” Alan could hear the big grin on her face.

“I just spoke with Gil who was asking about a possible opening here for a Technical Writer. Susan has been in contact with the folks who own that house and property, and they want to move back to Middleburg. We might need to find a different place to target, because they could move into the house she inherited from her folks.”

Rose could hear the sorrow and dismay in Alan’s voice despite his attempt to sound neutral. Her heart plummeted as well.

“Okay, Alan, I hear what you are saying. Helen said she didn’t want to go back to that house, that there were too many memories. Let’s talk about it tonight after supper,” she said, softly and gently. “If I don’t hear anything from Susan by mid‑afternoon, I’ll call her this evening to find out how things went.”

“I’ll let you go now. I’ve got a meeting in ten minutes. See you at home tonight. I love you.”

“And I love you, too, Alan. Goodbye.”

“Bye,” and Alan disconnected the call.

= = =

Rose got home before Alan, had changed, and was thawing out some frozen pork chops when he came in from the garage. Hearing noise from the kitchen, he walked in to see his fiancée leaning over the sink as she washed some vegetables. Seeing an opportunity, he strode up behind her and wrapped his arms around her midsection.

Maggie and Katie had been waiting in the media room for his return. They crept silently to the doorway of the kitchen just in time to see Rose stand up and crane her head to the left, exposing her right neck. Maggie looked at Katie and whispered, “See? What did I tell you?”

Alan began kissing the exposed skin and Rose could not keep from grinding her rump against Alan’s groin. Alan’s lips moved up to her earlobe, which was devoid of her usual earring. She knew this would likely happen and wanting it to happen, she took appropriate steps to ensure it did. Alan’s cock engorged, adding to Rose’s delight, and she danced a couple of steps while keeping her head attached to Alan’s mouth. Then she spun on the ball of her foot, wrapped her arms around Alan’s head, and pulled him to her mouth.

‘They are so in love with each other,’ Katie thought, ‘and I can feel it all even from here.’

“Ahem. I believe this room has been designated a ‘No Canoodling Zone’ until supper has been prepared,” Maggie declared, clearing her throat.

“Says who?” Rose said as she disengaged from Alan’s mouth. She still ground her mound into his tumescent cock and whispered, “Later, stud.” Laughing, she turned back to the sink’s contents to continue preparing the supper.

Alan looked in the refrigerator until his evident arousal had departed. Leaving the kitchen, he parted Katie and Maggie with a “Good evening, girls,” and proceeded down the hallway to head upstairs to change out of his work clothes. His trailing path echoed a “Good evening, Poppa” from both Katie and Maggie followed by their giggles.

= = =

The pork chops, long grain and wild rice, and asparagus supper had been eaten and everyone was resting back in their chairs. Rose had her phone out on the table and in speaker mode so everyone could hear when she called Susan.

“Hi, Susan, it’s Rose.”

“Oh, hi, Rose. I suppose that’s your voicemail that is flashing on my phone.”

“Yes, I called and left a message right after lunch. I have you on speaker so that everyone can hear what you have to tell us. It’s me, Alan, Maggie, and Katie here. Gil’s discussion with Alan this morning really dampened our spirits.”

“I understand, Rose. I’ve had words with him about sharing his assumptions. Here is what I know: Helen and Steve Waters wish to come back to Middleburg, but she cannot bear to live in that house. She knows that she will have to pay off the loan and escrow and any penalties. She has two children, ages 8 and 5, and she needs some money to move back to town.”

“So, your understanding is that she is looking to sell the place?” Alan asked.

“Yes, Alan, and you two have the inside track on this. We don’t have to list this with the Multiple Listing Service as it will be a private sale. I’m confident that you could easily qualify for a mortgage for the entire sale price, but if you were to take out two loans, each for roughly half of the agreed price, you should be able to pay off one of them when you sell your place. I’m sure Rose could grease those axles for you two.”

Alan sat back and let out the breath he was unaware he was holding in. He had not realized or even acknowledged to himself how much he wanted that house and land, and they had yet to see the inside of the buildings.

“Have you talked about any money with them yet?” Rose asked.

“No, I have not, although I did recommend that they not be greedy. They were going to check out what Zillow was showing as an estimated value. Your verbal offer of $350k is a little lower than they will expect, but it’s a starting point, right?”

“That was the plan,” Rose stated. “So, where do we stand with anything right now?”

“Helen was to FedEx me a set of keys and a document enabling me to serve as her agent. I haven’t spoken with her since last night because I wanted to give her a little breathing room. If I get the keys by end of the day on Friday, do you want to go inside and look around on Saturday?”

Rose grew excited at the prospect of being able to see inside the house but saw the crestfallen expressions on Katie and Maggie. She remembered then that they both had to work at the jewelry store on Saturday right before the Valentine’s Day holiday. It would be unfair in the extreme to see the house without them being present.

“Susan, the girls have to work for Jack and Maeve all day on Saturday, and there’s likely no power in the house. We need to see it in the daylight. How about Sunday after church and lunch? That gives Helen an extra day to get you the keys and document.” The girls both perked up at Rose’s recollection of their work obligation and request for a Sunday showing. Alan got out his phone and made a note to take a couple of flashlights with them when they did get into the house to look around. A tape measure would be a good idea as well.

“Rose, I had a really wild idea, but I want to share it with you, and now is as good a time as any. Helen and Steve have two children, Peter and Daphne, who will be 8 and 5 by the time school starts in the fall. They’re all very unhappy with apartment living. She’s currently a substitute school teacher. They would really like an affordable house with a bit of a yard… Like your place.” Susan’s voice trailed off.

Rose was quickly intrigued by Susan’s idea.

“You mean we buy her place and she turns around and buys this one once we move out?”

Alan’s head snapped up and he stared at Rose. Then he turned around to look at his wedding photo with Laura on the wall behind him. ‘What are you doing now, Laura?’ he thought.

“Please keep us informed of any developments, Susan. Especially when the keys arrive. We hope to hear from you soon. Bye!” Rose disconnected the call and looked at Alan. Or rather, the back of Alan’s head as it was still looking at the picture on the wall. It didn’t take a mind reader to realize he was deep in thought about Laura.

“Well, that’s enough fun for tonight,” Maggie declared. “Come on, Katie. We’ve got a Zoom call to do with Joy.” The girls stood, took their dishes to the kitchen sink, and disappeared into the media room for their scheduled call.

Alan was quiet as they cleared the table. He remained stoically silent as they handled the chores. Rose put up with his mental occupation, but after turning on the dishwasher, she pointed at the kitchen table and commanded, “Sit!” Taking a seat herself, she began.

“Alan, you’ve got to relax a bit about this house we want. Home buying is a process. You have to let all the steps proceed in their own fashion. It has been over twenty years since you bought this house, and you don’t remember what the process was like. Over the coming month and a half, there will be lots of times where ‘hurry up and wait’ seems to be the order of the day. You’ve got to keep your eyes on the prize, Alan, a new house for a new and larger family. Helen has said that she doesn’t want to live in that house.

“As soon as Susan knows that Helen has sent the keys, she will tell us, as well as telling us when they arrive. Worrying about it or badgering Susan will just make her and you irritable or, worse yet, morose and gloomy. In the meantime, let’s start a list on a fresh pad of paper. We need to make a plan.”

‘We need to make a plan’ were magic words in Alan’s lexicon. That gave him a focus, something concrete to pour his energies into. A deliverable!

“What kind of plan were you thinking of, Rose?” There was a definitive glint in his eye and solid hope in his voice.

“I was thinking of multiple plans, actually. We need a plan for negotiating the sale price with the Waters. You gave me a starting point of three hundred fifty. We know that Zillow estimates the property at four hundred. They may start even higher, depending on how avaricious they are.

“We need a plan for the appliances. Which ones are already there, which ones would we want to replace and how. There are quite a few unknowns there and nothing can really be answered until we see inside the house.”

“Uh-huh. Got it. Next.” Alan was making notes on his phone as there was no paper available.

“We need a plan for home infrastructure updates, like electrical, plumbing, communications, security, HVAC, or any structural repairs. Once again, much depends on what we see when we get inside.

“We need a plan for external infrastructure as well. Is there enough parking capacity for when everyone comes home or when we have visitors? How do you intend to care for all that land? What do we need to support the wedding ceremony and after-party?

“And we need a plan for customizations. What is present that we would like to reconfigure to meet our needs or desires? We don’t have any answers right now, but it’s good to note the questions and the topics, don’t you think?”

“Yes, yes,” Alan muttered. He rose to his feet and set off for the media room to get some of the office supplies kept there.

Smiling broadly at her successful effort to refocus Alan, Rose was very proud of herself. In just over two months, she had found a way to turn his attention toward something constructive when he started to get silently reflective.

She snuggled into his right side when he came to bed a little later than usual that night. For a treat, she was naked and quickly encouraged him to get naked too. Rose loved skin‑on‑skin contact with Alan. They only cuddled, but because they were so deeply in love with each other, it was as emotionally satisfying as having sex.

= = =

Thursday, February 11

The radio sprang to life with “I’m Into Something Good” by Herman’s Hermits. For once, Rose had not instigated their morning coupling. Alan rolled slightly onto his right side, spooning her, and he began to sing along.

“Woke up this morning feelin’ fine, there’s something special on my mind. Last night I met a great girl in the neighborhood, whoa yeah, something tells me I’m into something good.

“She’s the kind of girl who’s not too shy, and I can tell I’m her kind of guy. She danced close to me like I hoped she would, something tells me I’m into something good.”

He had changed the word ‘new’ for ‘great’, but as he sang, she wiggled a little and he slid into her. He knew he was into something good. He didn’t sing to her very often, but when he did, it made her heart beat a bit faster. Their coupling that morning was unhurried and sensuous.

While they were enjoying a light breakfast together, Rose raised the question, “Alan, when did you last speak with Tom? With all the things that have happened in the last week, it just now occurs to me that I haven’t spoken with Julie, either.”

“Hmmm,” he hummed. “Good point. He did not call last weekend, and they were here the weekend before that. Maybe a joint call would be appropriate this evening.”

“We ought to advise them of the changes that have been made, such as Katie now living with us, and the ones we’re considering, like the new house,” Rose suggested.

“I’ll text him and set up a time right after supper when we can speak with them both,” Alan offered, and Rose beamed her approval. “Have a fantastic day at work!” she wished him as they parted.

= = =

Rose’s phone rang as she was pulling into her reserved parking spot at the credit union offices.

“Hello, Susan. Is this a call I’ve been waiting for?”

“Yes, Rose, it is. Helen called me this morning to tell me she has sent two overnight letters, one to you and one to me, via FedEx. So, look for them to arrive tomorrow by noon.”

“Oh, thank you for that, Susan. Would you also please give me a call when you get the keys? Just so I can keep Alan apprised and not jumping out of his skin. Between you and me, I think he wants this house more than I do.”

Susan chuckled at the thought. Alan was normally so reserved, so well put together whenever she saw him. That he might get emotional about the McKinley property said a lot about his state of mind. “I’m looking forward to showing you the place on Sunday afternoon.”

“Just as we are to see it. Thanks for the call, Susan. Take care. Bye.”

One of her first tasks that day was to get on Don Masters’ and Mike Johnson’s schedules for Friday. They both looked free at 10 am, so she scheduled 30 minutes with them.

= = =

Gil asked Alan to step into his office again that morning. Closing the door behind them, Gil sat in the chair next to Alan, not behind his desk as usual.

“Alan, I’m very sorry if my ill‑considered words yesterday caused any grief on your part. I will be happy to apologize to Rose as well at church. I spoke out of turn with incomplete information. I’m very, very sorry, Alan, my friend.” Gil extended his right hand.

Alan smiled and accepted the offered handshake, saying, “I don’t believe you have anything to apologize for, Gil. Honestly, the misunderstanding was my fault. But I accept your apology. Susan really laid into you, eh?”

“It sometimes hurts to sit down,” Gil joked. “Seriously, I’d like to apologize to Rose as well.”

“I’m confident she will be very gracious in accepting it. Again, most of the fault lies with me, though. I’m the one who did the Norton Juster‑esque ‘Jumping to Conclusions’.”

Gil gave Alan a quizzical look. “I don’t get the reference, Alan.”

“Norton Juster wrote a book, I think in the early 1960s, called ‘The Phantom Tollbooth’. My fourth‑grade teacher read that book to us, one chapter a day. In that book, the primary characters make seemingly innocuous statements, then go sailing off to an island called Conclusions. The only way to get there is to jump to it. Your granddaughters would probably love to sit and have you read it to them.”

Gil snorted then chuckled. “I’ll have to look that one up. They are at the right age for that, and Susan wants to go visit them this summer, after your wedding and your honeymoon. I need you here holding down the fort if I’m going to take two weeks off.”

“Very good, SIR. Will there be anything else, SIR?”

“Go make sure our projects are on time and under budget, smart aleck.” Gil smiled, but Alan was dismissed.

= = =

“Hey, Mom, Katie and I are going out for supper tonight,” Maggie informed Rose upon their entry into their home.

“Oh? Well, you’re both adults now. You don’t have any tests tomorrow, do you, Katie?” Rose got all mother‑hen on her new chick.

“No, Momma, not to my knowledge. The next Trig test is next Friday,” Katie assured her.

“Okay then. Where are you going, pray tell? Inquiring minds want to know,” Rose smiled.

“Luigi and Sons Pizzeria, Mom. We’ll be home no later than 9:00,” Maggie confirmed the time with Katie with a nod.

“It’s not going to be just you two, is it?”

“There’s going to be a group of us, Momma,” Katie admitted.

“It’ll be okay, Mom. I’m going as her wingman. I’ll keep her out of trouble,” Maggie said confidently.

“But who will keep you out of trouble?” Rose said under her breath while shooing the girls out with hand gestures. This was one of the hard parts of parenting.

“I heard that,” Maggie called back as they went out the door.