Page 52 of Seaside Bonds

“Of course not. We had this planned. We both feel so bad that you did all this work, and we want to help. We arranged to come here and wanted it to be a surprise. We were afraid we’d blurt it out. That’s why we acted so weird on the phone.” Shelly looked into the house over Liz’s shoulder. “Are you having a party?”

Liz got over her shock and opened the door wider. “Yes, please come in.”

Feelings of family warmth bubbled up as Liz introduced her brother and sister around the room. They hadn’t been ignoring her. They’d been making plans to come and help!

Peter and Shelly seemed shocked at the changes.

“This looks so nice. I haven’t been here in ages, but I remember it looking all cluttered and old.” Shelly turned slowly and took in the living room. “Wow, so many childhood memories here.”

Sally stood on the side, arms crossed over her chest. “Liz made this really homey, and she’s really taking a liking to the town again.”

Bunny stepped over beside Sally. “Your dad would love the way it’s come out. He always said this home was a part of the family.”

Sheila piped in from the other side of the room. “And it would be a shame to sell this little gem to some stranger.”

Shelly frowned. Then her eyes widened, and she looked at Liz. “Wait, you mean you would want to live here?”

“Oddly enough, I think I do. It has all happy memories of our childhoods, and I’m looking for a new place. But I know you guys want your share from the sale—”

“Well, not right away,” Peter interrupted. “I know this isn’t a giant estate or anything, but Dad always said he wanted to keep it in the family. We all have our own homes now out of town, so I never thought to broach the subject with you guys.”

“He said that?” Her father had never said that to Liz, but then again, she hadn’t spent much time with him in the last few decades, and the last several years after the stroke made it harder and harder for him to talk.

“Yep. I didn’t know that you had no place to go, though. I thought you were thinking about buying the place you were living in?”

Liz had told her siblings that so they wouldn’t worry. “Unfortunately, that didn’t work out. And now that I’ve been back in town, I’ve decided I really like it here. I need a fresh start.”

“Then I say you have it here. We can work things out. Can’t we, Peter?” Shelly turned to their brother, who nodded.

“I think that sounds like a good plan. Dad would love it.” Peter opened his arms, and the three hugged, just like they had when they were little kids.

“But you have to promise we can come and visit,” Shelly said as they released each other.

“Of course.” Liz would love to spend more time with her siblings.

“We’ll just call Dad’s lawyer and see what we can work out. Maybe a rent-to-own sort of situation?” Peter said.

“That sounds perfect,” Shelly agreed. “You can pay us bit by bit, whenever you have extra.”

“Great. Let’s eat. I’m starving.” Peter headed toward the dining room.

They cut Claire’s sandcastle cake, and everyone took a piece.

“This is delicious,” Bunny said to Maxi. “I’m glad Liz is staying. She’s going to be a good neighbor. And Claire can bring cake any time.”

Maxi laughed. “We’ll be sure to drop by often.”

Bunny’s expression turned serious as she scraped some frosting onto her fork. “How is the painting going?”

“I think I’m getting there. Your lessons really helped.” Maxi was happy with the progress she’d made, but she still felt a niggle of uncertainty. “But enough about me. What about you, Liz? How does it feel now that you are going to stay?”

Liz looked like she was still processing the information. “It’s exciting. But also scary. I mean, it’s very generous of my brother and sister to be so flexible with the payments, but I still need to pay them something, and there will be utility bills and other expenses. I have some savings, but I’m going to need to get a job.”

Andie, who was cutting herself another piece of cake, looked over. “You do?”

“Yeah, well, maybe not full-time but at least part-time. I took early retirement from teaching when I thought my husband and I were going to travel together.” Liz made a face.

“Sounds like he wasn’t very nice,” Bunny clucked soothingly. “I bet you can find something around here. Though it might be hard now at the end of the season.”

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