“It’s fabulous.” Margot opened a kitchen cabinet. “And you’ve got dishes and everything.”
“Go ahead and look around.” Dillon nodded. “It’s like a tiny home.”
Margot examined everything, exclaiming about how nice it all was. “I had no idea my daughter was so talented. This is really nice.”
Dillon thanked her. “It was a lot of work, but it’s worth it.” She pointed to the bed. “That is so comfortable. My back will be grateful in the morning.”
“And Dad gave you this trailer?” Margot asked her. “Yours to keep?”
“Yes. Remember, I told you.”
“Well, I wasn’t sure if it was for keeps . . . or just to use for now.”
Dillon felt a rush of concern. Had she misunderstood? “I’m pretty sure he said it was all mine.”
Margot frowned. “Well, then I’m jealous.”
“But you hated this trailer. You made fun of it. Remember?”
“I don’t hate it now. I could actually imagine living here. For someone my age, jobless and virtually homeless, well, something like this makes a lot of sense. Maybe you’d like your own bedroom back.”
Dillon was perplexed. Did her mom plan to swap? To move in and take over? “Tell you what, Margot, you find yourself an old trailer and I’ll help you fix it up.”
Margot wrinkled her nose. “Thanks a lot, but I’ve got my hands full with the lavender.”
“Really? Why’s that? I thought it just needed water and sunshine.”
“According to Dad, it needs weeding too. And then I’ve got to plan for what I’ll do once I start harvesting. It’ll be quite a job.”
“Oh.” Dillon suppressed a yawn. “Well, it’s kinda late. I have to get up—”
“Yeah, I don’t want to keep you up. I know you have work tomorrow. I was just curious.” She looked around one more time. “This really is nice, Dillon.”
“Thanks.” She watched as Margot tugged her sandals back on, and then told her mother good night. But as Dillon closed the door, she felt worried. Did Margot feel she had some right to this trailer? Hadn’t Grandpa given it to Dillon—free and clear? Surely, she hadn’t misheard him. She was tempted to run into the house and ask him to set her straight, but knowing he went to bed with the chickens, she knew he’d be asleep. Still, as she climbed into her delightfully comfortable bed, some of her earlier joy was diminished a bit. What if Margot really wanted this trailer now? What if she felt it was unfair that Grandpa had given it to Dillon? What then?
CHAPTER
12
The next day at the pool went more smoothly for Dillon. Her first classes were much the same, and then to her relief, her last class went better. Chloe appeared to be actually trying. Reluctantly perhaps, but at least she was willing to go waist deep in the water. Perhaps it was because Janelle remained at the pool for the entire lesson. Whatever, it was an improvement.
“You did great today,” Dillon told Chloe as class ended. She clasped the little girl’s hand. “I’m really proud of you.”
“You are?” Chloe blinked.
“Yes. You were very brave.” Dillon waited for the other children to clamber out of the water, then slowly led Chloe toward the steps where Emma waited. “I really do think you’re going to be a mermaid someday.”
“Like Ariel?” Chloe’s eyes lit up.
“Yes. Do you know that The Little Mermaid used to be my favorite movie,” Dillon told both girls as they stood on the bottom step. “Do you like it too?”
They both nodded eagerly.
“Do you remember how eager Ariel was to live outside of the water?” Dillon asked. “That’s how I used to feel too.”
“You wanted to live out of the water?” Emma looked confused.
“No. In the water. I wanted to be a mermaid. That was the first time I took swimming lessons. Right here in this pool. And I’ve been swimming ever since.”
“I’d like to be a mermaid,” Emma said.
“Do you think I could ever really swim?” Chloe asked Dillon. “For real.”
“I know you could swim. You just have to learn.”
“Like me,” Emma said. “Did you see me floating today, Chloe? Just like a real mermaid.”
Chloe frowned. “I can’t do that.”
“Not now,” Dillon said. “But you can learn.”
Janelle held up their bag. “Come on, girls. Don’t make Dillon stay late.”
“It’s okay.” Dillon took both girls by the hand, leading them onto the deck. “And both girls did their best today,” she told Janelle. “They get a good report.”
“Wonderful.” Janelle smiled brightly. “Thank you.”
Dillon was relieved that Jordan wasn’t the one picking up the girls today. She hurried over to the locker room to grab a shower. Her plan was to pay the Silver Slipper a visit. She wanted to show Vivian the “after” photos of her little trailer and ask for some advice.
Fortunately, Grandpa had confirmed to Dillon that the Oasis trailer truly was hers. Over breakfast, he assured her that had been his intention. “And I’ll dig up the title and sign it over to you,” he promised. “I know both Jack and Rose would be pleased to see how you’ve rescued it.”
“At least the inside of it.” She frowned. “I’m not sure what to do about the exterior.”
“Paint it.”
“But how?”
“With paint.” He grinned. “I’m always painting my farm equipment. Sometimes I use spray paint. Sometimes I just get a heavy-duty metal paint. It’s not hard to do. As long as you do the prep work first.”
“Do you really think I could paint it myself?”
“Don’t know why you couldn’t. You sure did a nice job on the inside.”
“Thanks to online tutorials.”
“Well, I’m sure you can find some tips on exterior painting too.”
“Okay,” she told him. “I guess I’ll look into it.”
But first she wanted to visit the Silver Slipper. And, according to Vivian, there were various schools of thought on the subject. “Some people insist that only a professional paint job is good enough. But I know others who’ve done it themselves with great results. You just need to do it right.”
“I’m sure I can find some online help for that. I found it for everything else so far.” Dillon paused to show her pictures of the renovated interior.
“You’re a whiz!” Vivian declared. “I can’t believe how quickly you turned it around. Impressive.”
“I suppose I was sort of desperate.” Dillon confessed about her less-than-ideal sleeping quarters in the living room. “But I slept like a baby last night.” She asked Vivian a few more questions and showed her a list of items she thought her trailer might still need. Vivian recommended various products and websites. “But you can get some of those things at the hardware store. Jordan carries a lot of standard trailer and RV stuff. That section is clear in the back of the store.”