David ran to her side. “Are you okay? What happened?” His eyes searched the area around her sandaled feet.
“Something…ran… across my foot,” she said between gasps.
David suppressed a laugh. “Sorry, I should have warned you there were probably mice in here.”
Lizzie’s heartbeat slowed and her breath became more even. She gave him a weak smile. “Yes, a warning would have been nice. Of course, I probably would never have come inside if I’d known.”
“There are three bedrooms and another bathroom if you want to take a look.”
David stamped ahead, Lizzie followed, hoping the racket would frighten off any other critters residing in the home. They entered the master bedroom and Lizzie was pleasantly surprised. A large picture window filled most of the back wall and stretched almost to the floor with a window seat just below the level of her knee. The bedroom flowed into a bathroom with a cast iron, claw footed bathtub. For the first time she noticed crown molding.
“Does the whole house have crown molding?” she inquired.
“There are a few spots it has fallen down, mostly in the kitchen and one of the other bedrooms. This place was built in 1930 and had some remodeling done in the 1970s, I don’t recall the exact year. There are great bones to build on.”
“Sure if you have the money. I work in hospitality and the pay isn’t great.” Lizzie strolled through the two remaining bedrooms and returned to the living room.
“Would you like to see the backyard?”
“No, that’s alright. I’m sure there are animals larger than mice roaming around out there.”
“You’re probably right. We work with a lawn service company; I just haven’t had a chance to get them out here. Do you have any questions?”
“Are you sure the owner is firm on the $800? That still seems a bit high for this monstrosity.”
“I can talk to him and let you know. Like I said, he hasn’t seen the property so maybe if we send him some current photos he will come down a bit. I must say, though, $800 is better than anything else you will find in this neighborhood.”
“I know. I’ve been looking for months and have been hard pressed to find many rentals. There are a few condos but I want more privacy than they offer.” Lizzie crossed the room in a few strides and emerged onto the front porch. She absorbed the view, a quiet street, old lush trees, and children playing on a lawn. These were the things she had missed living in an apartment.
“I have a few other places to look at this weekend. If the owner wants to come down on his price give me a call.” She pulled a business card from her purse and handed it to David. “Thank you for meeting me.”
“It was my pleasure. I’ll be in touch in a couple of days, and please don’t hesitate to call our office if you think of any questions.”
Lizzie turned toward her car but changed her mind and moved down the sidewalk toward Lake Eola. She passed individuals walking their dogs and couples strolling hand in hand. A warm breeze lifted her curls off her face and neck. The streets were quiet, the rush of traffic on Highway 50 a faint murmur.
In ten minutes, she reached the lake front park and moved toward the Japanese pagoda. It was one of her favorite places. She enjoyed the sounds of children playing and laughing on the playground. She passed the pagoda and rested on a bench near a statue of a soldier. Bicyclists and joggers whirred past; the occasional snippet of conversation reached her ears when the wind changed. This was the heart of the city; she loved being part of it. She ached at the thought of returning to her apartment, jammed amongst the city’s attractions, and dealing with perpetually lost out-of-town drivers.
Lizzie rose and continued walking. She had no destination in mind, only a desire to mingle with the people, to taste the life of a downtowner. She passed towering magnolia trees and full figured weeping willows. A family paddled past in a swan boat. A flock of pigeons wheeled overhead, occasionally skimming the path in front of her. At the edge of the park, she continued on, passing into the eerily quiet streets lined with corporate offices and nightclubs.
Twenty minutes later she found herself at a construction site, where a sign read: Coming Soon: The Plaza, a new condo and retail project by Hollisbrook Construction. She paused to examine the progress, recalling she had read the finished building would house residential units, a movie theater, retail shops, and restaurants. The city leaders lauded The Plaza as the beginning of urban revitalization. Lizzie studied the steel beams and concrete slabs rising before her.
The sound of metal wheels on concrete caught her attention and she turned to see three teenage boys on skateboards rolling toward her. The leader stopped a few feet away. She smiled at the boy with long, greasy hair falling in his eyes.
“You see something interesting here?” the boy tried to sound tough.
“I was just thinking this is going to be quite a place when it is completed,” she said.
“My dad works here,” the teen said with a note of pride in his voice. “He says it will be the best building in all of Orlando.”
“I bet he’s right. What does your dad do?”
“He pours the concrete.”
“That sounds like an important job. There’s going to be a lot of concrete in here.” Lizzie noticed the other two boys squirming with impatience. “You boys have a nice day.” She waved and crossed the street heading back to her car.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Morning, Lizzie. Did you have a nice weekend?” Austin greeted Lizzie as she hung her suit coat on the back of her chair and powered up her computer.
“I did, how about you?” She noticed his red face as he bounced over to her desk.
“Totally awesome. Went to see this great punk band Friday night, then went to a few other clubs, rolled in around three Saturday morning. Slept until one and headed out to the beach, a friend of mine has a condo, like, two blocks from the ocean. We went surfing and the waves were, like, so big man.”
“Sounds like a good time,” Lizzie replied, pulling out a notepad and taking notes as she went through her voicemails.
“It’s Rachel Langley. I know it’s last minute, but would it be possible to change Jeremy’s party from one o’clock to three o’clock? Call me when you get in.” Lizzie glanced at her watch before dialing Mrs. Langley’s room.
The voicemail picked up. “Hi, Mrs. Langley. Sorry I missed you. I’ll see what I can do to rearrange the party.”
She sighed as she hung up the phone and retrieved the birthday file. She’d had to pull a lot of strings to get a local YMCA to bring over a dozen teenagers to celebrate with Jeremy and she didn’t know if the new time would work for them. She hated for the kid to be alone on his big day. She dialed the number for the YMCA and hoped for the best.
Forty-five minutes later, birthday crisis averted, Lizzie returned to her desk. She browsed through her emails, a collection of memos about upcoming training sessions, system outages, and performance reviews. She deleted most of them before clicking on a message from James.
Hope you had a great weekend. Sorry my sister didn’t call, I forgot to tell her you were looking for a new realtor until late yesterday. She will call you today though. Talk to you soon. –J
“Lizzie, do you have a minute?” Stephen stood at the door between the front desk and back office and called to her.
“Sure, what’s up?” she said, rising from her chair and moving toward him.
“There’s a couple out here who say they know you and want to see you. They wouldn’t give me their names, though.” Stephen’s voice was nervous, his gaze darting around the office.
“No problem.” Lizzie followed him through the door. Her gaze slid down the length of the desk searching for familiar faces. She smiled at the sight of a couple in their forties. The woman had cornrow braids hanging to her shoulders and a flowing skirt and blouse in a bright floral pattern covered her full figure. The man stood five inches taller than the woman, his bald head reflecting the lobby lights, a thick mustache hi
ding his full lips.
“Emma, Ron,” Lizzie exclaimed.
Emma and Ron stepped closer to the desk, smiles illuminating their caramel faces.
“Wait, I’ll come out there.” Lizzie stepped back into the office and emerged from the side door a moment later. She embraced the couple and led them to a grouping of chairs.
“We got back into town last night and were desperate to get in touch with all of our friends,” Emma said as they took a seat.
“How was Kenya? Tell me everything.”
“It was beautiful, everything is so lush and unspoiled. After we finished the school, another group came in and started work on a medical clinic. Ron and I decided to stay on and help with that. We had to leave before the project was completed, though. My sister sent word she is getting married. Of course I had to get home for that.” Emma laughed. “How have you been? I’ve missed talking to you.”
“I’ve been good. Still looking for a new place to live. My lease is up in two months so I hope I can find something soon.” Lizzie paused, a thought popping into her head. “What are your plans tonight? Can we get together for dinner? I have some things I would like to talk to you guys about.”
Emma looked at Ron. “I didn’t have anything in mind for tonight,” Ron said in a laid-back tone.
“Can you meet me at Dexter’s around five fifteen?”
“That sounds divine. There were a few nights in Kenya when I craved their cedar plank salmon.” Emma smiled as the trio rose and hugged once again.
“I’m so happy you came by and can’t wait to catch up with you tonight.” Lizzie walked them to the front door and watched until they ducked into their car. A look at the clock upon returning to her desk showed only thirty minutes until the birthday celebration. She dashed off some quick responses to outstanding emails before heading to the ballroom where the festivities were scheduled to take place.
Lizzie smiled, noticing Emma and Ron already seated at a table outside Dexter’s. Emma waved as Lizzie threaded her way through the small tables. “Sorry I’m late. I got caught on the phone.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s nice to sit and watch the people passing by,” Emma replied. “You know, this trip was the longest we have done and we were talking about how different it is to be back.”
They had just begun to catch up when a waiter arrived at the table to take their orders. Within fifteen minutes, they received their plates and said a quiet blessing over the food.
“Mmm,” Emma gave a contented sigh as she chewed her first bite of salmon. “Better than I remember. I may never want to leave town again.”
Lizzie laughed. “You know you’ll be ready for another trip by the end of the month. If nothing else, the traffic here will drive you crazy.”
“True, there are some definite benefits to backwoods villages. I’m not sure I even remember how to drive.”
Throughout dinner, Emma and Ron regaled her with stories of their trip, the narrative flowing between them. Lizzie recognized a new intimacy between her friends, realizing this trip had strengthened their marriage and wondered if they were aware of this change.
“If you guys aren’t too jet lagged, would you like to take a walk?” Lizzie pushed back her cup of coffee.
“Sure, I could use some exercise to work off that tiramisu,” Ron said.
“Great, there is something I want to show you.” Lizzie turned right and started down the sidewalk. She and Emma walked arm in arm with Ron trailing behind. They waved at a shop owner of a tiny boutique on the corner before crossing the street.
“That fountain is right in the middle of the intersection,” Emma exclaimed pointing at a sculpture of four women with a large stone bowl resting on their heads. Thin streams of water trickled from the sides of the bowl down the stately bodies into a pool four feet below them.
“I know, isn’t it lovely?” Lizzie let out a delighted sigh.
Once they crossed the street, they left all business behind and strolled past manicured lawns and well-maintained homes. A car rolled past them, tires thumping along the old brick street.
Four blocks from the restaurant Lizzie stopped.
“I know we’ve been gone for awhile but I didn’t realize there were any empty houses in downtown.” Emma’s gaze traveled the length of the porch taking in the crumbling half wall, peeling paint, broken windows, and wild vegetation.
“Neither did I. It has a new owner and they are trying to rent it.”
“Are you kidding? That place is a death trap,” Emma cried.
“It is pretty bad,” Lizzie admitted, “but do you think it could be repaired?”
Ron cocked his head to one side and surveyed the structure. He waded through the tall grass and stepped onto the porch. The wood groaned under his weight. He paused before taking a tentative step. He inspected the frames around the door and windows, gently rapping on them with his knuckles. Lizzie and Emma waited on the sidewalk watching the inspection. Lizzie didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until she exhaled as Ron rejoined them.
“It’s a shame the owners have let it get so bad.” Ron paused and glanced around surveying the neighborhood. “This is a nice location. A lot closer to your job for sure.” He wiped dust and dirt from his hands onto a white handkerchief pulled from his back pocket.
“I don’t know if you could tell or not in this light, but the whole place has beautiful crown molding,” Lizzie replied.
Emma transferred her attention from the ramshackle home to her friend. “You’re thinking of renting it.”
Lizzie faced her friends, a smile creasing her face. “I know it’s crazy, but I saw it over the weekend and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I might call the agent to see if the owner would consider waiving rent if I do all the renovation work.”
“Do you even own a hammer, Lizzie?” Ron’s solemn tone took her by surprise. “This isn’t a small job. You can’t just take some paint and make it all pretty.”
“Believe me, I know. You haven’t seen the extent of the work inside, but I need to do something that gives my life direction. Somehow it feels like renovating this house could be that thing.”
Emma put her arm around Lizzie’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “If this is something you really want to do, you can count on us.”
“Guess it’s a good thing we came home when we did.” Ron’s white teeth glistened in his bright smile.
Tears burned the corners of Lizzie’s eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I knew you would understand.” She swatted the tears away. “Its getting late and you guys must be exhausted.”
Ron stifled a yawn and chuckled. “Felt fine till you mentioned being tired.” He reached for Emma’s hand as they turned back toward the restaurant. Lizzie spent the short walk telling her friends about the interior of the house and the dreams she had for it. By the time they reached the parking lot, the dilapidated house had transformed into a cozy home.
The friends parted at the restaurant and Ron pulled onto the quiet street, continuing down Washington Avenue instead of turning toward home.
“Where are you going?” Emma asked.
“I just want to drive by the house again. I didn’t notice the address and want to do a little research before Lizzie gets too invested.”
“You know nothing you say at this point will change her mind. The minute she decided to show us the house she decided she was going to do this.”
“I know, but I don’t want her to be taken advantage of. We should call Mark and see if he can recommend a good property attorney to draw up a contract for her if the owner is willing to accept her proposal, maybe even see about accruing equity in the home should she be interested in buying.” Ron pulled the car to a silent stop in front of the residence, noticing there was no mailbox, nor a number on the house. He inched the car forward to the next house, noted the number and pulled forward to find the numbers increasing in increments of four. He slipped the car into park and punched some buttons on his
phone storing the address.
“I sure hope our lawnmower works because I didn’t come home to work in another jungle.” The couple laughed and Ron nosed the car toward home
CHAPTER SIX
The cool, dark apartment welcomed Lizzie as she dropped her keys in a ceramic bowl on a narrow foyer table, crossed the living room to the kitchen, and pulled a Diet Dr. Pepper from the refrigerator. She took a long gulp, allowing the fizzy liquid to quench her thirst. In the living room, she turned on a lamp and flopped into a leather chair to thumb through a pile of mail. She sorted the credit card offers, donation requests, and travel magazines into two piles, one for the shredder and one for closer inspection later.
Near the bottom of the pile, she came across a small postcard with a picture of an elephant splashing in a lake. She turned it over, smiling to see Emma’s signature on the bottom. Perhaps if I checked my mail more often I would’ve known they were coming home, she thought as she set the postcard on the arm of the chair, and closed her eyes. The memory of her first meeting with Ron and Emma came flooding back.
Lizzie sat at the end of a long pew in the center of the church. She’d only been attending for a few weeks and didn’t know anyone yet. She was reading the church bulletin when a couple approached the pew.
“Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?” the woman asked politely gesturing to the empty space. Lizzie smiled and shook her head, rising to allow them past her. The couple settled in and the lady turned to Lizzie again. “I’m Emma and this is my husband Ron.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Lizzie.”
“Have you been coming here long?” Emma asked.
“A few weeks. I guess you could say I’m shopping around right now.”
Emma nodded knowingly. “It can be hard to find a new church home. Have you been to any of the Sunday school programs here? There is quite a broad range of choices.”
Lizzie shook her head, embarrassed she had let her church involvement slide so much. “To be honest, I’ve kind of enjoyed just being another face in the crowd.”