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like old houses supposedly are?”
      Elizabeth stiffened. “No, it’s not haunted,” she answered.
      “That’s a pity. Ghosts lend so much character to a place.” Peter picked up his tea mug and gave Elizabeth a look over it in mid-sip. “I made you uncomfortable, didn’t I?”
      “A little, yes.”
      “Why?”
      “I don’t know,” Elizabeth said. “I... I’m strange. My grandfather died recently. I’ve lived in that house with him all my life, and now I’m alone. It’s the reason I think of moving, so I can figure out what ‘a life of my own’ means, without the constant reminder of my grandfather all around me.”
      Peter nodded to everything Elizabeth said. “I’m sorry your Grandfather died, and I’m sorry I upset you.”
      “Don’t apologize, please!”
      They sipped their tea and slipped back into the comradely silence they’d shared in the car. Elizabeth felt a quiet happiness steal over her like nothing she’d ever known as she watched the cheerful little ducks on the lake.
      “ Soooo , anyway,” Peter said after a few moments, “your car, how much do you want for it?”
      “Oh! – I don’t know. I have absolutely no idea. And I mean, no idea.”
      “How about I call Eddy and have him tell us what it’s worth and if that sounds fair, I’ll write you a check.”
      “Okay,” Elizabeth said.
      A few minutes later Peter was writing Elizabeth a check and stopped in mid-signature. “Wait,” he said, “I should just as well go to the bank and cash this and then we can take the pink slip to Eddy and have him notarize it. Then you can get your new car... and I can have your old one, and the business will be done.”
      “Okay,” Elizabeth nodded to everything he said, assuming that it made perfect sense, as that’s how it sounded. She gave Peter the keys again.
      “On the subject of your house,” Peter said as he drove them to the bank.
      “Yes?”
      “Now I’m beginning to feel like I’m twisting your arm, but if you’re at all interested in selling, I mean, seriously, I hope you’ll let me be the first to know.”
      They pulled into the bank parking lot. Elizabeth got out a pencil and a slip of paper. “Here’s my address. Feel free to come by anytime to look at the house. Anyway, with your appreciation of the antique, I think you’ll enjoy looking at the place. It’s sort of a museum.”
      Peter took the slip of paper Elizabeth handed him. “I definitely look forward to seeing your house.”
      In less than two hours Elizabeth had sold the Chevy, waving bye to Peter as he hurried back to his deadline, and then she’d bought a new, shiny, black Prius.
      She was so excited, she didn’t even mind driving home in the rush hour traffic. She took turns wishing everyone would look at her new car, and feeling relieved when they didn’t.

 

    Chapter VI

    Elizabeth hadn’t awakened with such feelings of anticipation since childhood birthdays when her mother was still around.
      The last couple of days were like a new kind of birthday. She loathed to let the mood go. Although all the empty spaces where her beloved Grandfather used to be left a hole in her heart, she at least started to feel alive again. And she was beginning to see that she could make decisions and even be pleased with the results. For example, the beautiful new car.
      “All your life you’ve been a... a wimp !” she told herself as she leapt out of bed. “But no more. Today I’ll get a real estate agent to give me an appraisal on this place. And I’m going to check out what’s available at The Lakes .”
      There was a real estate agency only two blocks away and, although she wanted to drive her new car, she restrained herself and walked.
      As Elizabeth passed through the doors of Ocean State Realtors, she tried to get her eyes to adjust to the near darkness. She squinted at the person at the reception desk.
      “May I help you?”
      “Yes, I’d