Page 9 of In This Moment

“That’s me. The grounded, smart one of the bunch.” Dorothy’s dry tone implied both boredom and displeasure with the personality moniker.

“And just what is wrong with that?”

Before Dorothy could respond, a red pickup truck pulled into the lot and parked.

Forest Truman. Former high school star quarterback and all-around great guy. Until the other night in the bar, Rebecca hadn’t seen him in ages. He’d been a cutie as a teen, but he’d filled out quite nicely as a man.

Which reminded her… “You still have a crush on him?”

Dorothy pinned her with a glare. “Must you? That was a long time ago.”

Hmm. Rebecca narrowed her eyes, watching Dorothy watch Forest as he exited the truck. She ducked her head, avoiding his gaze, and cleared her throat like she often did when nervous.

Yup. Still had a thing for him.

“Ladies. How are y’all on this fine day?” His grin should be on a billboard for selling wholesomeness as he flashed a row of straight white teeth. He’d shaved the whiskers since Saturday and finger-combed his longish light brown strands. A pair of khakis and a blue polo indicated he was probably heading back to work at the bank after their meeting. “Amazing weather.”

“Yes, it is.” Dorothy smiled politely, glancing toward the road. “Scarlett is late.”

He huffed a laugh. “Nothing new there. Would you like to start without her?”

Dorothy handled the financial end of things. Rebecca was good at marketing and product. Scarlett was the one with the eye for design and really should be present. Before Rebecca could point that out, Dorothy pulled a folder from her handbag and opened it.

“Scarlett has the key to the library, but we can go over a few things out here.”

Forest glanced at the packet Dorothy held, nodding as she summarized original structural features.

“So, the roof will need a total replacement. The crawl space is solid with no issues, as is the porch. All windows will need to be upgraded, though. As for the wood siding, many boards are rotted. The plan is to pull those off and swap ‘em out with new ones. Painters suggested sanding the many layers of paint, treating the wood, repainting, and then sealing it. I’ll go over plumbing and electrical inside.”

He grunted a sound of understanding. “Thus far, everything sounds good. The roof will have to maintain the original shape and materials, such as black shingles. Same for the siding, keeping it white. The windows might be an issue if you intend to change the one in the upstairs loft.”

Rebecca recalled a large stained-glass window depicting a book lying in the grass under a peach tree that allowed filtered light upstairs, and consumed nearly an entire wall. So pretty. It had been designed by William Vallantine himself when the library had been erected for his wife Katherine.

“Oh, no. That one’s in amazing shape and we wouldn’t dream of changing it. It’s a focal point, as Scarlett would say.” Dorothy flipped a page. “Back to the porch. There’re four steps, and it’s not wheelchair accessible. We would like to add a ramp beside the stairs.”

Forest glanced at the library, squinting. “I don’t foresee that being an issue.”

“Great.” Dorothy pointed to the right of the building where there was a large grassy field. “We would like to add a concrete lot over there for cars and make these five spots here handicap parking. Not the whole acre, but about half. Per the contractor, it would allow for approximately ten to twenty vehicles.”

Rebecca’s gut tightened in anxiety as she proverbially crossed her fingers.

Forest slowly nodded, gazing in that direction. “Terrific idea. Currently, parking is minimal. You wouldn’t be taking out any structures, elements, or trees in the process. Not to mention, it’ll free up parking on the street for the shops. I’ll sign off on that.”

Okay, good. That was one of three things that they’d been worried about with regards to their plans. Relief filled Rebecca, her shoulders relaxing, and she winked at Dorothy as they exchanged a brief thank-the-Lord glance. Any major changes that weren’t basic design features had to be approved by the Historical Society because the building and estate were landmarks. A parking lot was a huge change.

“Let’s go around back.” Dorothy tilted her head in that direction. “We can run through those plans.”

They made their way around the side of the library, Rebecca’s sneakers sinking into soft, plush green grass. Once behind the building, she crossed her arms and glanced around.

As girls, they’d not ventured into the backyard. If not for Scarlett and Dorothy sending her pictures before she’d moved home, Rebecca wouldn’t have the foggiest idea what the grounds looked like. There was at least half an acre of knee-high grass and weeds between the library and the tree line at the very back of the estate. Lots of potential usable space, as Scarlett had noted in one of their Zooms.

Dorothy exchanged a worried glance with Rebecca. This part of their plans was concern two out of three with regards to changes they wanted to make. And it all hinged on what the Historical Society allowed.

“What we’d like to do back here,” Dorothy hedged, “is add an addition to the building. The library itself is rather small. We have ideas on how to better use the space inside. However, it doesn’t really account for tables, computer kiosks, or a sitting area. Which isn’t helpful. People need a place to research or set their books, to sit and read.”

Forest pressed his lips into a thin line. “Not sure that’s gonna fly. What do you have in mind?”

Dorothy pulled out the plans. “So, the addition would be one-story, cover three-quarters of the grounds in back, and only be as wide as the current building. Ergo, you wouldn’t see it from the road. We’d slant the roof to look like a natural element or wing, because some Colonials had those, plus the siding and shingles would match. Part of the current back wall would need to be knocked out to accommodate double doors into the wing.”

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