LITMIR.BIZ

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by taking this job.”

      “You did,” Karan acknowledged.

      Setting the cup on the coffee table, Susanna glanced at a photo she’d placed in the living room. The only unpacking she’d done aside from hanging up her suits had been to place a photo in every room, so wherever she turned she’d see the face of someone she loved.

      Karan and her husband Charles’s wedding photo was in the dining room. Brooke’s and Brandon’s smiling faces graced several rooms. In this photo they sat in front of last year’s Christmas tree. Their last Christmas in their home.

      Ugh. “It’s another world around here.” Susanna switched gears to bridge the distance she suddenly felt from her old life. “You will not believe my new place. Totally Gone with the Wind, I swear.”

      “Tara or the slave quarters? You keep saying guest cottage. It sounds small.”

      “Don’t start.” She sank onto the sofa, into soft cushions. Definitely down-filled. Something she’d never have been able to indulge in when the kids had been young. A sofa like this might have lasted two hours during the pillow fights or fort-makings at one of Brandon’s slumber parties.

      “There are flowers everywhere. The place is called The Arbors for good reason. Walter said it’ll be even more beautiful when everything’s in spring bloom. I can’t even imagine. The place is already heaven everywhere I look.”

      “I know you love that, Ms. Green Thumb. And here you were worried about leaving your conservation lot. Who’s Walter?”

      “The property CFO.”

      “He’ll be staying with you after the transition?”

      “Walter and everyone else on the payroll. Jay has negotiated provisions for all the personnel. I won’t be making any changes without putting up a fight.”

      “Then let’s hope you like everyone. Particularly Walter, since he’s doing your old job. You’re a tough act to follow.”

      Susanna envisioned the white-haired gentleman with the deep drawl. “He’s been on the payroll for longer than I’ve been alive. He’s got things under control.”

      “Sounds like your first few days are going well.”

      “Thank God. At first glance, everyone appears capable and efficient. They’ve definitely been friendly. Lots of real Southern charm around here.”

      “Everyone is probably as worried about keeping their jobs as you are, Suze. Remember that. Once Northstar starts cutting the checks, those loyalties will make the transition, too.”

      “Fingers crossed. But I am encouraged. With the facility and the people.”

      “And the living arrangements.”

      “Thankfully.” Not that decor and design mattered all that much. Unless the place had been a trailer on cinder blocks, Susanna was moving in because the price was right.

      Free housing was part of her package. Gerald had convinced Northstar she should be on the property to accommodate a staff used to constant access to Jay. And Jay had needed to assume some financial responsibility to offset expenses in the event he chose not to sign in the end. This was one of the perks that didn’t cost him.

      But Susanna never shared financial worries with Karan if she could help it. Her BFF had grown up in a much loftier tax bracket. As a result she was casual with money in a way that only came from never having to worry about whether or not there’d be enough.

      “Explain to me how you’re going to be homeless when I own all these houses?” Karan had said in some variation more than once. “Take the kids and live in the lake house or the beach house or go to Manhattan. Brooke loves it there.”

      For Karan the move would be that simple. She had such a giving heart. Ironically, she also had no clue how generous she was, which was one of the very reasons Susanna adored her.

      “Define encouraged,” Karan said. “Does that translate to mean you’ll get used to living in the guest cottage?”

      “This place is perfect for me. I’m one person.”

      “Not if you want me to visit. Or your kids.”

      “Brooke can sleep with me and Brandon can bunk in the office. You know we’re big on slumber parties. For you and Charles, there’s a Hilton on the other side of the UNC campus. I already checked.”

      “Good. How big is Jay’s place?”

      “Think Tara in Gone with the Wind.”

      Silence.

      “What?” Susanna asked.

      “Well, I’m not sure how I feel about a man who lives in a plantation and leaves you in the slave quarters. He couldn’t clear out a wing? He is selling the place and moving, right?”

      “Jay didn’t put me anywhere. Northstar made the arrangements.”

      “What are they doing with the plantation?”

      “One of my objectives is to make recommendations. Northstar is looking at the potential for a rehab facility or maybe adding a facility that’s not specifically Alzheimer’s related. I haven’t seen the place in person yet, but it’s old, so renovating to code could be expensive. I’ll have to see.”

      A task for another day. She could tackle only one thing at a time without feeling overwhelmed. She was already bolting upright in bed hours before the alarm rang.

      “Well, you’ve got time,” Karan said generously. “Brooke won’t graduate until next year. I’d be surprised if she didn’t decide to settle near you.”

      “If the acquisition goes as planned, I’ll know whether or not I want to buy something. If Brooke likes it in Charlotte, we’ll set up a new home base.”

      “And you can get a life again. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life alone, do you?”

      “No, please.” She exhaled a long breath. “Not the dating speech. I’m too fragile for that right now.”

      “No mercy. You’re too young to wait around until Brooke or Brandon make you a grandmother. You need to get out and have some fun. I realize it’s been a while for you, but there’s more to life than just working and taking care of everyone. I know you had all your plans laid out, but things have changed. You need a new plan.”

      Susanna had always been the focused one, the one who’d known what she wanted. Karan was worried. And right. Susanna did need to figure out how to move on with her life.

      And she would. But until the kids were on their own, finances took precedence. Meeting her family’s needs was top priority, which meant she had to do everything in her power to insure that Northstar acquired The Arbors. And that meant when she wasn’t in the facility learning how to be a property administrator, she was at home boning up on Alzheimer’s care.

      Was she hiding from moving on with life? Probably. Did Karan know she was hiding? Probably.

      But there were only so many hours in the day. “I’ll figure things out, Karan. One step at a time, and you’ll help me. Just like you always do.”

      CHAPTER FOUR

      JAY HAD VISITED THE COTTAGE every night since Susanna had arrived a week ago. First night he’d helped her unpack her suitcases and shown her around. Second night had been a blown electrical breaker. Third night was a problem with the washing machine, which hadn’t been used since Walter’s niece had needed a place to stay during a divorce.

      Repairs were the nature of old houses, and old houses were Jay’s life. While the facility and guest cottage didn’t come close to touching the age of the main house, they weren’t new by anyone’s estimation. In fact, when he figured out where he wanted to put down roots, he’d build a brand-new place so he wouldn’t have to

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