A New Hope (The Second Chance Series Book 2) (4 page)

While his family was eating burgers on the balcony, Andrew was sitting in the bank manager’s office working out a deal for the farm. “How much was the loan for and how much is owed on it?”

“The loan was for fifty-thousand dollars and all that was paid were a few payments. They basically went toward the interest though.”

“What’s the balance of the loan? I’m assuming that’s what you’re going to be asking for the property right?” Andrew asked. It seemed like the bank manager was trying to give him the run around and he was starting to get irritated.

“Well yes, that’s generally how we do it.”

“Okay. What I am wanting to do is buy the property. I will wait until it officially hits the market, but I will pay for it in full as soon as it hits.” Andrew told him, hoping he finally got through to the man.

“Cash, sir? Are you sure about that? Fifty-thousand dollars is a lot of money.”

Andrew had to take a deep breath and reined in his temper before he answered. He hadn’t wanted to hit anyone this bad since the day Garrett was arrested for following them. “I am well aware of how much money it is. Perhaps if you pulled up my accounts from the Nashville Tennessee branch of this bank you would know that I can afford it.”

“Sir, I don’t think that’s necessary.” The bank manager stammered.

“Well I do. Either you can look for yourself or I will go to one of your tellers and have them print off my account records. Then I’ll lay them on your desk for you. Maybe then you will stop talking to me like I am some uneducated Podunk Hillbilly.”

“Mr. Peterson,” the bank manager began, only to be interrupted by Andrew.

“It’s Dr. Peterson. Maybe you didn’t catch that when I first introduced myself. My name is Dr. Andrew Peterson and I am head of emergency medicine at one of the largest hospitals in Tennessee.” Andrew snapped at him and tossed his driver’s license and AMA card on his desk.

The bank manager was taken aback by Andrew’s outburst, but he picked up his driver’s license and pulled up his accounts. His jaw almost hit his desk when he saw the balance of the checking account and when he looked at the two savings accounts he almost fell out of his chair. “Forgive me, sir. I meant no disrespect. I’m just not use to dealing with people who can lay out that amount of money in cash.”

“I’m not concerned with what you are and are not use to. I am just concerned with this property. I want it and I am willing to pay cash for it right now if we can work it out. I am the legal guardian of Mrs. Matthews’ grandson and he was devastated when he found out the only home he had ever known was taken, I just want to get it back for him.”

“Okay, Dr. Peterson. Let me call the account manager for the property and get him in here. Then we can look over the papers and see what we can work out.”

“Sounds good to me.” Andrew responded and leaned back in his chair to wait for the account manager.

Less than five minutes later a slender woman with deep chocolate skin walked in. When she saw Andrew sitting there she smiled brightly and sat in the chair beside him. “You must be Dr. Peterson. My name is Candice and I just took this account over from Burt when he retired last week. How are you today?”

“Nice to meet you, Candice. I will be doing better once we get this taken care of. My wife, daughter, Elliot and I were hoping to be back in Tennessee by early next week, so the quicker we can get this done the better.”

At the mention of Leslie and Karla, Candice’s smile faded a bit and Andrew knew he had played the right card and stopped the flirting session before it had even gotten started.

“Okay Dr. Peterson. Let’s go over the papers and we will see what we can work out.”

Half an hour later Andrew walked out the doors of the bank with a notarized letter stating that in 60 days, and upon payment, the property would be transferred into his name until Elliot reached twenty-one. Then it would revert to him and he would be the one to make the decision as to whether to keep or sell it. After he got in the car he pulled out his phone and sent Leslie a text.
We got it baby. Can you order me a burger please? The bank is only ten minutes from the hotel so there isn’t any point in stopping.

Leslie answered immediately;
YAY!! I’ll have your burger here when you get back. I love you.

Andrew smiled at her enthusiasm and texted her back;
I love you too. See you soon.
Then he laid his phone in the passenger seat and drove to the hotel to tell Elliot the good news.

When he walked into the hotel room he heard laughter coming from the balcony. He walked out the sliding glass doors and was struck silent by the scene before him. Elliot and Karla were playing some kind of card game and Leslie was laughing at their antics. Not wanting to break the moment, but wanting to be part of it too, he walked out and sat silently in the chair beside Leslie.

She looked up when he sat down and pushed a covered dish in front of him. He lifted the cover and dug into his burger as she pushed a chocolate shake next to his plate. He was half way through his meal before the kids even realized he was there.

“Hey Andrew. Didn’t hear you come out.” Karla said with a smile.

“Well Karla, that’s probably because you two were laughing so hard you couldn’t hear anything.” He responded with a grin. He was glad he could joke with her now without frightening her.

Karla burst out laughing at his teasing comment and Elliot soon joined her. They laughed for a moment before Elliot composed himself and asked, “Where did you go, Dr. Peterson?”

“I went to the bank to see what I could do to keep them from selling your farm.”

“Really?” Elliot asked in shock. “What did they say?”

“Well, I found out that the house will be sold in sixty days and they’re selling it for what’s owed on it. With the taxes and interest fees it’ll sell for around sixty-two thousand dollars.”

Elliot’s jaw dropped when he heard the cost of keeping the farm. “Wow. That’s a lot of money. What else did they tell you?”

“They told me I can buy it if I want. I even have a letter here stating that in sixty days and upon payment, the property will be deeded to me. When you turn twenty-one I am going to sign it over to you and you can make the decision on what to do with it.”

“What? You’re buying the farm for me? Just like that?” Elliot asked is shock.

Andrew grinned and answered him, “I am buying the farm, yes. I do have an idea for it though, until you take it over that is. I was thinking we could get what you want out of it and either sell, donate or store everything else and rent out the house. We could ask Mr. Robertson to be the property manager and pay him for making sure everything stays in working order. The money charged for rent would pay the taxes, Mr. Robertson and the upkeep and anything over that we would put into a savings account in your name, that way you would have money to keep the farm going for a while until you decide what to do with it. How does that sound?”

“I don’t know what to say.” Elliot said as he got up from his chair and walked around the table to Andrew. “I like the idea of renting the house out, but what about the money you’re putting into it?”

“We aren’t worried about the money Elliot.” Leslie told him. “What we want is for you and Karla to be happy.”

Karla got up and walked over to where Elliot was standing and wrapped her arm around him. “Elliot, believe them when they say all they want is our happiness. I was a broken mess when they found me almost a year ago and look at me now. Yes, I still have issues to work through, but I am not broken any longer and I know that I can face anything as long as I have Leslie, Andrew, my friends, and now you, beside me.”

Andrew and Leslie stood up and wrapped their arms around both kids and just held on for a few minutes. “Okay,” Andrew said as he pulled away. “Elliot, I think it’s time to get ready so we can get to the funeral home before visitation starts. I want to make sure everything is perfect before other people start arriving.”

Utilizing the two bathrooms in the suite, everyone was ready within an hour and they walked to the elevator as a unit. When they got into the car Karla reached over and grabbed Elliot’s hand and gave it a little squeeze.

“Remember, we are stronger together.” She said in a quiet voice.

“I remember,” he responded just as quietly. “I’m glad Nana found y’all.”

“I’m glad she did too, Elliot.” Karla responded.

When they pulled into the parking lot of the funeral home a few minutes later Karla squeezed his hand again before they exited the car and walked towards the funeral home. She knew this was going to be a difficult next few days for him, but she was determined to help him get through this. She may not have known she had another brother, but now that she did, she wasn’t going to let anything hurt him.

The funeral home was crowded with Mrs. Matthews’ friends. Apparently she was a well-respected and highly loved member of the community. Karla was so overwhelmed by the amount of people there that she had to step outside to get away from them for a little while. She still wasn’t comfortable in small, crowded places.

After a few minutes the doors opened and Leslie came out. “There you are. Elliot said you left, but none of us could find you.”

“Didn’t mean to worry anyone. I just needed a little time to myself. Is it wrong of me to wish Callie, Rylee and Conner were here?”

“Not at all, sweetie. Why don’t you call them and maybe that will make you feel better.”

“I think I will. I’ll be back inside in a few minutes. I just had to get out of the crowd for a while.”

“Okay. I’m going to let Andrew and Elliot know where you are and that you’re alright.”

“Thank you.” Karla said as Leslie stood up and walked toward the door.

Once she was inside Karla pulled out her cell phone and called Conner.

“Hello,” he answered on the first ring. “Is everything okay, Karla?”

“Hey Conner. No, everything isn’t okay. I wish I was there or you were all here. I miss all of you.”

“I wish I was there too. When with you be back?”

“Hopefully on Monday or Tuesday. I know I should be focused on helping Elliot, and I am, but being here brings back memories of Grams and Pops. I didn’t realize how much I missed them until I came here.”

“How is Elliot doing? I couldn’t imagine losing my Dad and Grandma within a couple of weeks of each other.”

“He’s hanging in there. I just want to be home, where I feel safe.”

“Has something happened to make you feel unsafe?”

Karla smiled at the concern in his voice. “Nothing has happened, but this is the place it all began. This is the last place I knew love, until I met Leslie and Andrew.”

“Can I give you some advice?”

“Of course you can. You know I’m always open for advice.”

“Focus on the happy times you had in Texas. Focus on the love and happiness you had with you grandparents, and not the stuff that came after. If you do that you can get through this and then come home. We miss you too, you know.”

“I know you do. I probably should get back inside. Elliot needs me and I think I’m okay now. Thank you Conner, for always being there.”

“I will always be here Karla, for whatever you need.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow after the funeral. Make sure Callie and Rylee are there too.”

Conner laughed at that and said, “I will, I promise. Be careful tonight, Karla. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“I will, Conner. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

When she hung up the phone she sat there for a few more minutes before she got up, walked back inside and found Elliot.

“Karla, are you okay?” Elliot asked when she walked up beside him.

“I’m okay. Just needed some air.”

“I was worried. You looked a little freaked out when you left.”

“I was a little freaked out, I don’t like crowds, but I’m alright now. I promise.”

“I’m glad you’re here with me tonight. I don’t think I could do this without you.”

“I will always be here for you, Elliot. Even if I’m not physically around, I’ll always be just a phone call away.”

“You can’t promise that Karla. People leave, even if they don’t want to.”

“Elliot, listen to me for a second. The only thing that will keep me from being there is death. Leslie and Andrew have taught me that family always comes first. Yes, I have friends, but those three are part of my family.”

“What if your friends don’t like me?”

“Oh, Elliot, I’m sure they’ll love you.”

“I hope so. I know how much they mean to you and I want to get along with them.”

“Yes, they mean a lot to me, but Elliot, you’re family. You will always come first.”

Before either of them could say anything else Leslie and Andrew walked up. “Its 7:30 Elliot, and people are starting to leave. The Robertson’s are also here and they’re looking for you.” Andrew said and put his hand on Elliot’s shoulder.

Before Elliot could say anything a tall man with red hair, a blonde woman and red haired boy walked up. “Elliot, there you are. I have been looking all over for you.”

“Hank, how long have you been here?”

“Not long. We had to wait until Dad got off work and we had supper first.”

“Elliot, how are you honey?” Mrs. Robertson asked as she wrapped her arms around him.

“I’m actually doing okay.” He answered as he pulled out of her arms and stood beside Karla.

“Mr. and Mrs. Robertson, Hank, I would like for y’all to meet my sister, Karla.”

“Nice to meet you, Karla.” Hank said and shook her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Hank.”

“Mr. Robertson, would y’all like to come over to the house for supper on Sunday?” Elliot asked them.

“I think what Elliot is saying is, we’re leaving on Monday and would like for you to join us on Sunday evening at their house for dinner.” Leslie intervened when Mrs. Robertson looked at Elliot in confusion.

“Oh, yeah, sure. We would love to have supper with y’all on Sunday night. That’d give Hank and Elliot a chance to say goodbye.” Mr. Robertson answered.

Before anyone else could say anything Mr. Harris walked up and let them know that visitation was over and everyone was leaving. They said their goodbyes and the Robertson’s left. Elliot walked back into the chapel and stood beside his Nana’s casket.

Karla walked to the door and watched him for a minute. “Nana,” she heard him say. “I miss you so much. I know that you aren’t hurting anymore, but I really miss you. Karla and the Peterson’s are nice and seem to really care about me. I’m glad you found them. Dr. Peterson is going to buy the house and then give it to me when I turn twenty-one. He’s pretty awesome. Nana, I’m scared to go to Tennessee. I’m afraid I won’t make any friends and I’m afraid people are going to make fun of me because I don’t read well. I guess it’s time for me to go now, but I will be back to say goodbye tomorrow. I love you Nana.”

When he stopped talking Karla walked into the room and wrapped her arms around him as tears overtook him. Five minutes later Andrew and Leslie walked in and found them still embracing. They walked over and wrapped their arms around them both.

As Elliot’s tears slowed he looked up at Andrew and asked, “Can we go now?”

Andrew nodded and they headed back to the hotel.