Linny's Sweet Dream List Read Online Free Page B

tone, she added, “And I’m sorry you’re walking into a place that needs tidying.”
    â€œI can handle it.” Linny tried to sound confident, but in truth, she was daunted. The trailer was trashed. She glanced knowingly at her mother, who hummed “How Great Thou Art” as she rummaged. Dottie had that Southern way of soft pedaling unpleasantness. A “spruce up” and “tidying” sounded like she’d just need to do touch-up painting, but the trailer looked more like it was ready for the wrecking ball. Still, she and Andy had enjoyed tackling home improvement projects. They’d fixed up the small frame house they’d bought when they’d married, tearing out carpeting, getting flung around by a floor sander they’d rented, and refinishing the oak floors. She could still picture them sitting on the couch at the end of the project, exhausted. She’d draped her legs over his knees, and they’d sipped their beers, marveling at the glossy, rich sheen of the hardwoods. After that, Andy had sworn he was going to block her Houzz and Pinterest websites because Linny kept coming up with new fix-up projects she assured him would be simple.
    Now Dottie was browsing through the items crowded on the mantel—a box of moth balls, bottles of Mountain Dew, Princess Diana commemorative figurines. “Ah-hah,” she said triumphantly as she picked up a can of Barbasol and handed it to Linny. “I want you to take this.”
    Linny blinked. “Mama, I’ve got shaving cream.” Her mother was getting nutty, no doubt about it. Suddenly aware of just how tired she was, she said, “I need to run. I’ve got a lot of cleaning up and unpacking to do.”
    Her mother held up a finger. “Wait one minute.” Dottie pushed a spot on the side of the can, and a compartment sprang open, revealing a roll of cash. “Here’s two thousand for fix up money. You’ll need it for paint, carpet, and the like.”
    She stared at the bills her mother pressed into her palm. Where did she get this kind of money? Dottie had been on a fixed income ever since Linny’s father passed away.
    Her mother must have noticed her expression, and gave her a proud little smile. “That trailer rented for five-fifty. Sometimes the renters gave me cash, and I don’t get to the bank much.”
    Whoa. Five-fifty a month . “Way to go, Mama.” Linny nodded, impressed. The rental trailer had been on the farm for years, but she’d never thought about the income it generated.
    â€œIt was my idea to buy the trailer and use it as a rental, you know. Your daddy didn’t want to mess with it. He said it was too much trouble.” Her mother’s voice was tight. “But beside this last batch of bad apples, the tenants have mostly been good, and the rent tides me over each month.”
    Cocking her head, Linny smiled at her mother. She didn’t know Dottie had so much business sense. She looked more closely at her. Why did her mouth look like a taut clothesline just because Daddy didn’t want to manage rentals? Linny knew all about her own grief after Andy died and knew no two people made the same journey through that underworld. But after being widowed for five years, why would Dottie still be angry at him over something so inconsequential? She rubbed the back of her neck and thought about it as she watched her mother put the Barbasol can back and ineffectually tidy the junk on the mantle. For the past few days, she’d been having memories of her parents fighting, and she was starting to wonder if her picture of her parents’ long and happy marriage was accurate. In the aftermath of her own marital mayhem, getting clarity on that piece of family history was now very important to her. One more item for her mental to do list, Ask Kate if she thinks Mama and Daddy were happy together.
    All business now, Dottie led her back through the