Mom perked up to listen to his response.
"Yes, I've been to his place. It's been many years, but if I can recall, it was a big place. I used to wonder why he had so much land but hardly anybody to share it with."
"Oh, so you do remember?" she said.
"Yes, I remember. I need to give Sammy a call." He repeated.
"Dad, Uncle Samuel is no longer with us, remember?"
He looked at Rebecca and fell silent.
"Your father is right, Rebecca. He always used to get on your great uncle's case about living on all that land by himself. I guess his daughters never had an interest after they grew up and moved out. His wife passed away several years earlier. Sometimes it's hard to leave a place where you have so many memories. It would be nice if whoever takes over the house can restore and maintain it's original character."
Cole rested his hand on my knee. "You didn't mention anything about inheriting property in Georgia."
Rebecca and Abby were waiting to see what I would say.
"It's not an inheritance. We're being gifted the property. Me and my sisters would have to sign the deed together. The reason why I didn't mention it is because I don't plan on getting involved."
I should've filled him in on the details later. I could see Rebecca positioning herself to get ready for round two of this daunting conversation.
"Cole. You're the perfect person to weigh in on this,” she said.
Abby cut her off. "Rebecca, don't start. Can't we just enjoy a family day without you imposing your agenda on us?"
"It's our agenda, and I think Cole could give us some wise advice, Abby."
Rebecca proceeded to share the details of the property with Cole. She covered everything from the square footage, the taxes, and even her business ideas. He patiently listened. I secretly hoped he would say something to put this silly idea to rest.
"So, what do you think, Cole?" she said.
"I hear the enthusiasm in your voice. However, I think it would be a tall order to take on something like this without actually being there to oversee things. Even if you lived in Savannah, the first thing I would caution you about is who you hire to do the renovation work. You want quality craftsmanship at a good price. Nobody wants to be ripped off. Now imagine trying to ensure that you're getting what you paid for from a distance? No bueno."
"But what if I were to make arrangements to check in on the project frequently?"
Cole shrugged his shoulders. "It's not impossible. But would I do it? No."
Abby interjected. "Thank you for talking some sense into her, Cole. Maybe now we can finally put this to rest,” she said.
"No, we can't. Where there's a will, there's a way. I respect your advice, but what I really hear you saying is to make this work somebody would need to be there to supervise, right?"
She turned to Cole for clarity.
"That's one major aspect. Of course, there are other things to consider. If you were just talking about flipping the house, that would be one thing. However, if you're bound to keeping it for a certain time, and you want to turn it into a business opportunity, that's a whole other ball game."
"I'd be willing to let go of the business ideas. At a minimum, we should acquire this property and keep it among us to sell in five years for a profit. If not, we're just throwing money away. The house has a zero balance on the mortgage. And it's worth well over a half a million in value. It's a no brainer."
Abby raised her voice. "You're not even taking into account how much the renovations would cost. Wait, here's another logical thought… have you even seen the place in person yet? No! It could have an oak tree growing right through the living room floors for all you know. I can just see it now. We all arrive to see the house for the first time, and you look at us and say something simple like, 'I didn't know it had an oak tree growing through the floor.'"
"Abby, the kids can hear you." I tried to encourage Abby to calm down, but as usual, Rebecca had already pushed the wrong buttons.
"Mom, where did you put the contract? I want to read it over one more time,” Abby asked.
"It's in my stationery drawer in the kitchen."
Abby stormed off to get the paperwork while Rebecca rolled her eyes.
"I hope I didn't say the wrong thing. I just wanted to give you honest advice about how I would approach this, Rebecca. If you ask a contractor, they're going to tell you whatever you want to hear just so they can make money."
"Thanks, Cole. I know you're just trying to help. I'm taking what you said into serious account. I just think there are ways around it, and I wish my sisters would get on board."
Abby walked back out on the deck with the paperwork in hand.
"Here's what I think about this letter, the deed, and anything else associated with this house."
She ripped the papers in two. "Now, have I made myself clear?"
"Are you crazy?" Rebecca said.
"Crazy to listen to any more of this foolishness."
I held my head down and massaged my temples. I should've known this was leading nowhere good. It had been a while since Abby and Rebecca had a major disagreement. I just wished it didn't have to be a full-on performance in front of Cole and Emmie.
"Cole, how about you help me round up the kids so we can all prepare to wash up for dinner?"
"Sounds like a plan,” he said.
Thankfully the kids were caught up in a game and didn't appear to be paying much attention to Abby and Rebecca.
Rebecca took a deep breath. "Abby, I'm going to be the bigger person and ignore what you just did. Instead,
