Page 66 of Butterfly Sisters
“Maybe,” Meredith said, surrendering with a grin.
“Do youhaveto go?”
“Yeah. It’s crazy. We only just opened, and I’ve got so many things to iron out still.”
“Okay,” Leigh relented. She felt as if she’d only just scratched the surface with her sister. She decided to put their issue of the cabin aside and focus on family. That was what she’d told herself was the most important thing. “Hey, why don’t we camp outside tonight—you, me, and Mama? Let’s not wait until summer.”
“Are you serious?” Meredith asked with a laugh.
“Yes. I’m going to run over to the clerk’s office to check on the status of the land by Colton’s house, but then, let’s camp. It’ll be our last night together.”
“All right,” Meredith said, dragging her fork along her plate balancing in her lap and scraping up a bite of pie. “Why don’t I go with you to the clerk’s office?”
Her gesture was a tiny olive branch in their relationship, and the fact that she’d asked meant more to Leigh than anything in the world. She smiled at her sister. “That would be nice.”
TWENTY-TWO
Leigh and Meredith walked out of the county clerk’s office, down the tree-lined Main Street toward Leigh’s rental car, which was parked in front of a white church with a steeple that reached up above the town of Gallatin. She breathed a sigh of relief for the moment. The rezoned section of shoreline behind Colton’s farm was still for sale.
“Now, we just have to figure out if there’s anyone that would want to buy itandkeep the main structure and aesthetic of the little country cottage, along with the landscape,” Meredith said. “That’s your wheelhouse, right?”
“Not really, but close. Let’s think.” As she got into her car, she racked her brain for ideas. “I guess it’s like finding the clients for Greystone. I’d just have to convince them that they want an old house to restore, and to use my skillset, it would have to be retailers.”
Meredith walked around to her side of the car and they both got in. “What kind of retailers would do that?”
Leigh started the engine. “Off the top of my head: antique shops, clothing boutiques, hair salons… The only problem is that none of the establishments are enticing enough that people would board their boats and dock there for one shop, and, if it was something like a hairdresser, it’s so far off the beaten path that, by car, no one would be able to find it.” She chewed her lip in thought. “Maybe interior decorators?”
“In our area? It’s awfully rural…” Meredith rolled down the window and turned her face to the sun.
“We need a real estate agent,” Leigh said, thinking aloud as she made the turn off of Main Street, “and finding the right agentandselling privately is going to take time. It’s a little easier to negotiate aesthetics with a business. A private owner can knock it down and build a castle if they like.”
“I don’t know if we’ll be able to save it,” Meredith replied. “Which is a tragedy.”
“Yes, it certainly is.”
Leigh closed her laptop and ran her hand along the quilted blanket on her bed. She’d searched for at least an hour and had no leads for anyone who could use the bungalow behind Colton’s. She needed a small business to fit the intimate structure, but small businesses weren’t as apt to expand into new real estate. She’d crossed off everything on her list of possible occupants except veterinarians, although she’d called three and hadn’t found any who were looking to move buildings.
She wanted to call Colton. He’d taken a rundown farm and used his talents to build an empire upon it. She closed her eyes, thinking of the beautiful home he’d built and how much he’d done professionally. It was incredible. He’d worked so hard and she’d come in and ruined it. She couldn’t go back to New York on these terms. She wanted to assure him that she was trying to make it better, but his silence was enough to give her pause.
“Guess what,” Meredith said, standing beside Mama in Leigh’s bedroom doorway.
“What?”
“I’ve got our camping site ready.”
“You do?” Leigh asked, setting her laptop on the dresser and walking over to them. “I could’ve helped.”
“It’s okay,” Mama said as they made their way to the back porch. “You looked busy, and I was able to lend a hand.”
Meredith opened the door. “Setting it up reminded me of the movie nights that we used to do when we were really little. Remember those?”
“I do,” Leigh replied fondly, recalling those weekend nights when they’d pile all the pillows on the floor of the living room and watch kids’ movies until they couldn’t keep their eyes open anymore.
She followed Meredith and Mama out back, where they had erected a huge tent in the grass near the roaring fire pit. As they got closer, she could see two thick air mattresses, which were dressed in pillows and blankets, filled the inside of the tent, and a small tray on legs held a store-bought pizza and cans of beer.
“Don’t panic,” Meredith said. “I got you this.” She reached into the tent and pulled out a sparkly pink wine glass covered in rhinestones.
“Where did you find that?” Leigh asked, with a laugh.
