“Do you have any dreams now?” Abbyasked.
“Yeah,” Vicki said. “I want to spend the rest of my life surrounded by people I love. I’ve been blessed with a new family and maybe one day I’ll even get to hold my grandkids. That’s mydream.”
“I hope it comes trueforyou.”
“It will,” Vicki said with a smile. “I’m just happy to get up every day and take it as it comes. I can’t change the past, but I can live on my terms now, not someone else’s. And let me tell you, that’s the biggest joy in theworld.”
Abby gave Vicki a hug. To survive everything she’d endured and still come out with a positive attitude was a miracle. Maybe there was hope for a different kind offuture.
“Want one more bit of advice?” Vickiasked.
“Sure,” Abby said as shepulledaway.
“If you ever run into a good man, don’t let him go. They are few and farbetween.”
* * *
Cody pushed openthe sliding glass door and stepped onto the porch where Vicki and Abby stood huddled together. They both looked at him with a conspiratorial glance before smiling at each other. What was that allabout?
“Mornin’, Cody,” Vicki said as she brushed past him on the way tothedoor.
“Mornin’, ma’am,”hesaid.
“Don’t forget what I told you,” Vicki called over hershoulder.
“I won’t,” Abbyresponded.
“What’d she tell you?” Codyasked.
“She’s a smart woman. She gave me something to thinkabout.”
“Women and secrets, I swear,” he said with a huff. “Anyway, I came to find you because I have someexcitingnews.”
“I thought you didn’t watch the news,”Abbysaid.
“No, not that kind of news. Yourpaintingsold.”
“What?” Her eyeswidened.
“My friend framed it and put it up in the gallery. I wasn’t sure how to price it, so I told him to sell it for what he thought it wasworth.”
“How much did he sell it for?” sheasked.
“Two hundreddollars.”
“What? That’s impossible. It was a crappy painting made with cheap watercolors. I only spent a few hours on it. It wasn’t even on goodpaper.”
“You’re talented. My friend recognized it the minute I showed him the painting. He wants more of your work,”hesaid.
“I don’t have anything else. I can’t give him another painting like that, not without a proper paint set and canvas,”shesaid.
“True, he did say that if it had been on better paper, he could have sold it for more. This could be the start of a new career,”hesaid.
She frowned and turned to rest her forearms on the railing around the porch. The sudden change in her mood confused him. Why wasn’t she happier about selling the painting? If he could whip up something in a few hours that would earn him two hundred dollars, he’d sure as hell want to do itagain.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. He moved closer and rested a hand onherback.
“This doesn’t really change anythingforme.”
