Sue nodded. “Make sure she knows I’m motivated to sell. I want this book closed and tossed in the trash heap. I also don’t want to come back for the closing.”
“Gotcha.” Vivien went to greet the woman.
“You don’t have to go in if you don’t want.” Jameson came from the car carrying the purse she’d forgotten in the back seat. “Tell me what you want me to get. I’ll take care of it.”
Vivien and Jameson had insisted on coming with her, and she had never been more appreciative to have company. They’d made a road trip out of it, and their support had made the idea of coming back here bearable. Heather and Lorna had wanted to make the trip as well, but someone had to watch the theater, and Martin needed Heather’s help with January.
“I’ll be all right.” Sue slipped her arm around his waist. “Thank you for coming with me.”
“There is no way I’d let you face this alone.” Jameson held her hand as they went to the front door.
Sue dug in her purse for her house keys to unlock the home. Inside, the air was stale, like time had stopped and waited for her to return. She had thought about what items she would want to keep. There weren’t many.
The home was as she left it, the living room messed up from the supernatural scare. Sue waved her hand, forcing the room to clean itself. The cord hanging from the television plugged itself into the wall. She couldn’t help watching it to see if it would try to send her messages. It remained off.
“Do you want me to start building moving boxes?” he asked. They were currently lying flat in his trunk. He’d insisted on bringing some just in case she needed them.
Sue didn’t answer him as she went to the kitchen. Dust had settled on the surfaces. She was a little surprised that Kathy had not been coming to the house to clean. When Hank was alive, she’d been a constant source of housekeeping criticisms. She also hadn’t called again. Apparently, Vivien’s threats had worked and Sue was now free of the woman.
Sue lifted her hand, magically cleaning the kitchen. The dishwasher opened, and a load of dishes she’d left inside flew to their respective cabinets and drawers. Dust swirled and went into the trashcan. Items inside the drawers rattled as they straightened.
When everything settled, she went to a cabinet and pulled out a vase. She handed it to Jameson to carry. “This was my mother’s. I don’t want anything else in here.”
Sue then pulled out trash bags and set them on the counter. She threw away a half-drunken bottle of wine that had been sitting out.
Jameson set the vase down and helped her clear out the fridge. When it was empty, she waved her hand and cleaned it as well. She made her way through the house quickly, cleaning each room, throwing away what needed to go, and leaving everything else behind. The last room was the bedroom.
“Can you get the duffle bag for my clothes, please?”
Jameson instantly went to do as she asked.
Sue stood alone in the bedroom and waved her hand to clean it. The bed made itself, and dust flew into the trash bag she held open.
Hank’s smiling face stared at her from a photograph of them together. Sue didn’t even feel the need to tell him to fuck off anymore. This part of her life was almost entirely over. She picked up the frame and dropped it in the trash bag. She did the same with the wedding album in the closet, not bothering to look inside, and then tied the bag shut.
Sue put the jewelry, including the now-famous cuff links, and cash in her purse. She’d sell the jewelry, including her wedding ring, and invest it back into the bookstore. Sue felt it was only right her past life paid for her new one.
Melba had been teaching her the ropes over the last few months since she’d officially bought the store, and Sue was eager to expand. She and Jameson discussed opening a wall between their businesses so that customers could flow both ways. The stage would be perfect for musicians, visiting authors, and spoken word poets.
Vivien appeared in the doorway, drawing Sue from her rambling thoughts. “Good news. We’re all set. You can trust this one. I’ve arranged for her to sell whatever the new owners want to keep with the property. I told her she could keep her commission rate for any large items she sells on our behalf. Food, clothes, anything else you leave behind will be donated to charity. She’ll have any evaluations and donation receipts mailed to us. You’ll want those for your taxes.”
“Sounds perfect, thank you.”
“What else?” Vivien looked around the room. “Oh, you’ll sign a few contracts today so she can start the house listing, but everything after that will be done with electronic signatures. At most, we’ll have to get a notary signature and mail something back. I know you’re motivated to sell, and I told her that, but I also said not to bother you with lowball cheap offers. Her company has a service, and they’ll take care of the lawn mowing. Once we leave, there is very little you will have to do.”
Sue breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you for taking care of that. It’s a great relief.”
“Of course.”
Sue grabbed a portable fire safe that contained all her important papers—social security cards, bank info, and copies of Hank’s death certificate. She then opened a few drawers and began piling clothes on the floor. “This will be the last of it. Oh, and the guns in the safe. I suppose I can’t leave Hank’s weapons here. I’d throw them away, but that’s probably not good either. I don’t want to keep anything of his.”
“We’ll take them to a gun store and sell them before we leave town,” Vivien said. “That way you’ll have a receipt that proves you properly disposed of them.”
Jameson returned with a duffle bag and grabbed the trash bag. “I’m going to take all the garbage out and put new liners in the bins before we go.”
“Thank you.” Sue could tell he was trying to help her get through the house as quickly as possible.
Vivien kneeled and started shoving the clothes into the bag. “Just these?”
“Yep.” Sue went to the closet and dropped some shirts on the pile, hangers and all.
She then went to open the gun safe in the closet. She put the weapons and ammo into one of Hank’s suitcases, along with his paperwork. Then, writing the combination on a sticky note, she affixed it to the door.
“Clothes are done. Jameson is putting them in the car.” Vivien touched Sue’s shoulder. “What is it?”
“I was thinking that I’m lucky Hank decided to use a hammer and not any of his knives or guns.” She gestured to his bag. “He had enough of this crap.”
“Let’s go sell them, and you can use the profits to buy an entire section of self-help books for empowering women,” Vivien suggested. “Or romance novels with alpha women. Whichever he’d hate more.”
Sue chuckled.
“I love you, Viv. I don’t know where I’d be if it wasn’t for you, Lorna, and Heather.” Sue rolled her eyes. “And Julia, of course.”
“Anything else?” Jameson asked, joining them. His focused expression said he was determined to get this over with for her. “The realtor is waiting for you in the kitchen to sign some papers.”
Sue smiled at him.
“What?” he asked.