Page 75 of Butterfly Sisters
Holding a complimentary bag of Green Hat Coffee medium roast that the rep had brought for her, Leigh walked over to the Greystone Properties trailer and opened the door to find Jimbo inside. She lumped the bag of coffee on his desk.
“What’s this?” he asked, holding the bag out to read it.
“It’s a gift from your tenant. I’ve signed three of the four contracts with the final one offering a verbal agreement and a promise to sign after the other three.” Then she slapped a stack of paper down in front of him. “These are my expenditure receipts for reimbursement.”
She couldn’t believe it, but she got a smile out of Jimbo, despite the fact that he owed her money.
“Done,” he said.
“Perfect. Thank you.” She turned around. “Oh, and by the way, you can send payment to 32 Emerald Lane.”
The smile fell off his face and two lines formed between his staring eyes. “Why?” he asked with a suspicious tone.
“I own it.”
He stared at her, his mouth hanging open. “I didn’t want to deal with that farmer anymore anyway. He’s all yours.”
“I certainly hope so.” With that, she walked out, pride swelling inside.
“I can definitively say that this has been the best two weeks of my life,” Leigh said from beside Mama as they sat with Meredith outside by the fire pit under the emerging stars, the melodic buzz of the crickets behind them while the lake softly caressed the sand on the shore. “I wish Nan was here to see it.”
“Well, I do have her letter,” Mama said, pulling it out of the back pocket of her jeans. “It’s high time I give it to ya.”
Leigh sucked in a breath.
“After Meredith told me that she was saving the cabin, I’ve had it with me, waiting for a good time.” She reached out, offering Leigh the folded envelope. “Go on,” she urged.
Slowly, wanting to stretch the moment as long as possible, Leigh took it, staring at the message in Nan’s handwriting on the outside:Give to Leigh once the girls agree on how to handle the cabin.She’d waited for this moment, and now that it was here, she was afraid to let it pass.
“Open it,” Meredith begged.
Leigh ran her hand over the writing. “This is it, right?” she asked Mama. “This is the last letter?”
Mama nodded, her stare urging her to read Nan’s words.
Leigh slipped her finger under the flap to loosen it, pulling out the paper. She smoothed the two folds, tears filling her eyes at the length of the note. Nan had a lot to say. She took a deep breath and peered over at Meredith and Mama once more before reading it aloud, trying to see the words through the tears that were welling up with every second that she waited to take in her grandmother’s final message.
Dear Leigh,
I’ll bet you were nice and angry with me, or, at the very least, completely confused by my decision to give Meredith the cabin. You might have even been thinking I’ve finally lost it and gone off the deep end.
Leigh laughed through her sniffles.
Meredith deserves the cabin. And I trust her to make the right decision with it. I also couldn’t just tell you this right away because I’m praying you learned it on your own: giving you the cabin wouldn’t have done anything to move your relationships forward. You and your mother needed to connect on a deeper level with Meredith, and Meredith with you two as well. It’s important to me that you all see each other for who you really are. Because all three of you are magnificent.
Leigh wiped a tear, giving her mother and sister a loving glance. Mama urged her to keep reading, so she continued.
So, by not leaving the cabin to your mother and giving Meredith your favorite place in all the world, I prayed it would force you all together. I firmly believe that God sent us all here to find our people. We’re not meant to be alone. As I’m writing this and my health slips away from me, all I can think about is how you, your mother, and Meredith barely communicate with each other.
As you know, my loved ones are everything to me. And while you’re focused on your career, I know deep down what your heart desires: family. I hope that I’ve managed to give you one in all this. That is my gift to you. It’s the biggest gift I could give you.
All my love,
Nan
Mama sighed and put her hand to her heart. “She always knows, doesn’t she?”
As Leigh looked around at her little family, she was certain that Nan did always know. She was so very, very right.
