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Somehow, that hurt all the more.
CHAPTER 7
LAURA
“L
aura, what can I do for you?”
The voice on the other end of the line was strange, and Laura realized just how long it had been since she’d checked in at the office. Sitting back in her chair at the dining room table, she smiled ironically, wondering if they’d missed her. “How’s life been the past couple of weeks, Irene? I assume you haven’t given my office away yet?”
On the other end of the line, Irene laughed. “No, but I did catch one of the first years sneaking in there for office supplies. He left a few layers of skin off his backside shorter than he’d been going in. Other than that, you haven’t missed much.”
“The Christmas baccanalia wasn’t memorable?” Laura asked. “I had two babies in the office pool, you know.”
“After you’ve been here as long as I have, everyone getting their freak on for the Christmas fling is pretty much par for the course,” Irene replied. “I mean, nobody went streaking down the hallway wearing nothing but reindeer antlers like your second year here. Remember that?”
Laura nodded. “It didn’t help Hadley any that he insisted on saying that he was going to be on Dasher, on Dancer, et cetera, et cetera.”
“And he wasn’t talking Christmas poetry either.” Irene laughed. “No, the board partners made sure things stayed a little more under control this year than that. Other than that, folks are basically checking out for the holidays. How about you, how’s your grandfather’s estate coming along?”
“Fine. I’ve got a county courthouse that seems to think that the holidays started sometime around Halloween, but they are actually doing some work. I’ve got all the authorization I need to start settling debts and receiving assets.”
“In other words, his life insurance and Social Security ponied up,” Irene said.
Laura hummed.
“What else? I mean, I miss seeing you around the office, it’s far too much of the old boy network fest on this floor with you gone, but you’re not the kind to just call me out of the blue.”
“Yeah, about that… I’ve got this family asset that I could use your advice on. I mean, I know what my legal standing is, I’m the executor of the will and the primary beneficiary?—”
“Who are the others?”
Laura chuckled, that was Irene. The woman was a legal machine.
“My grandfather left a small amount to the Scouts since he was an Eagle Scout way, way back in the day, another bit to the local animal shelter, and a donation to the Denver Broncos so they can, and I quote, finally buy a decent quarterback. He was a bit salty about the post-Elway years.”
“I can see that,” Irene said. “At least he’s not a Jets fan like my papa.”
“None of those donations are a big deal, in fact, I already cut a check to them out of my own funds in his name to coverit until the life insurance pays up. But there’s two pieces of real estate that are involved. The family home, and his Christmas tree farm.”
“Go on,” Irene said. “What’s the issue?”
“If I sell the farm, I’ve got the buy-in to be a partner,” Laura said. “Actually, I’ve got an offer on the table that would allow me to put the buy-in in escrow and still have enough to have a nice chunk of change for myself. There’s a developer out here who’s all sorts of fired up about trying to develop this area into Pueblo’s next major subdivision.”
“And you want my advice on what to do with it,” Irene says. “Sorry babe, but I won’t give you that.”
“What?” Laura asked, surprised.
“Because of the very fact you called to ask me,” Irene said. “If you didn’t have any feelings at all about this… what sort of farm is it again?”
“Christmas trees.”
“People actuallyfarmChristmas trees?”
“Where do you think people get live trees from? Wild trees in the woods?”
“Haven’t thought about it, I’ve had the same artificial tree since I got married,” Irene admitted. “My point is Laura, you’ve got feelings involved. Sentimentality, nostalgia… something else?”
