suffered. He didnât ask. Miss Fanny probably knew, but he wouldnât ask her to tell him.
Vanessa would have to be the one to do that.
If she ever trusted him enough to tell him anything.
âLet me walk you to your door,â he told Miss Fanny. He needed to think this through. He checked the driveway next door to see if Vanessaâs little blue car was parked there.
âSheâs not there,â Miss Fanny said, already reading his mind. âI think she went to the lawyerâs office to take care of some business. Probably the reading of the will.â The older woman turned when they reached her front porch steps. âBut sheâs planning a big estate sale sometime soon. Sheâll need help...sorting through all that clutter.â She shrugged. âAnd since youâre also planning a rummage sale at the church...â
Rory nodded. âIâll be glad to help.â
Miss Fanny nodded, her work here done.
âThank you for the corn fritters,â Rory said after heâd made sure she was safe back inside her house. âGo take your afternoon nap.â
Miss Fanny waved him away and shut the door.
Rory hurried back down the steps, but he stopped on the sidewalk and glanced over at the long, sprawling house to the left of Miss Fannyâs place.
He hadnât said this to Miss Fanny, but Rory had often thought heâd like to buy the old Craftsman cottage and fix it up.
But now, he also had the added challenge of trying to help repair the woman whoâd come to town to sell this house. Heâd have to pray hard on how to manage that without scaring Vanessa away for good. And heâd have to pray hard for her to forgive the minister whoâd obviously damaged her for life.
* * *
âWhat did you say?â
Vanessa stared at the studious gray-haired lawyer sitting across from her in the elegant conference room situated in an old Georgian-style building across town.
Charles Barton leaned up and studied Vanessaâs face, his bifocal glasses low on his hawk-like nose. âI said you have inherited the bulk of Richard Tuckerâs estate. Mind you, after your motherâs care and expenses over the last few years, a fourth of it is gone. But you have the Millbrook Lake cottage and you have the holdings in Alabama, namely a house in Birmingham and several commercial rental properties in that area.â
Vanessa sat staring at the man across from her, unable to comprehend what he was telling her. Finally, she swallowed and spoke. âI knew Richard left my mother comfortable, and I was grateful that she had constant, around-the-clock care at the nursing facility, but I had no idea about something such as this happening.â
When Mr. Barton had stated the exact amount of the inheritance, Vanessa had almost fallen out of her chair. Growing up, sheâd often dreamed of that kind of money. Now, she was content with her shop in New Orleans and the online boutique full of eclectic clothes and artisan wares from hundreds of vendors. She wasnât rich by any means, but she made a good living, selling quirky items to quirky people. Vanessaâs Vintage had taken off in the last year or so. The boutique in New Orleans had become popular with both locals and tourists, and the online store kept up a steady business.
âYou are now a wealthy young woman,â the lawyer stated. âOf course, weâll deal with probate and a few other minor details, but all in all, since Richard had no other close relatives, this should be an easy transition.â
âIâd planned to clean up the cottage and sell it,â Vanessa admitted, still numb. âI thought that was the only thing I needed to worry about.â
âYou can decide what to sell off and what to keep once this sets in,â Mr. Barton said. âAfter a death, I always tell my clients who are left to take over estates not to make any rash decisions. Give it some time.