An August Blaze

It was an extremely warm August day and the humidity was high. Trixie Frayne sat on the porch swing, enjoying the light breeze blowing along the property. She had spent the earlier part of the morning doing the ritual housecleaning. But as the day progressed and the temperature rose, it became too difficult to continue working.

She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of summer. Birds making their way through the treetops reached her ears. She could also hear the leaves swaying in the breeze.

The sound of an engine alerted her that someone was there. She knew who it was and opened her eyes with a smile. Trixie watched her husband of six months climb out of his Jeep. He came toward her carrying a bag.

“You’re home early,” Trixie said as he climbed onto the porch.

“Well, I brought you a snack for later,” Jim said moving close to her. “It’s supposed to get even warmer and this could help you cool down some.”

“What did you bring?”

“Just some ice cream.”

“Really?” Trixie asked, perking up.

“Of course. I’ve got your favorite.”

Trixie sighed. “Strawberry swirl ice cream.”

“Of course,” Jim repeated. “I’d better put this in the freezer before it melts.”

“I’ll be right here.”

Jim entered the house and Trixie closed her eyes. She knew Jim was being very thoughtful and she was looking forward to the ice-cold treat later on.

Hearing the door open, she opened her eyes once again. Jim moved over to the porch swing and sat down beside her.

Trixie looked at him. “How are things at the school?”

“Fine,” Jim answered. “The kids are trying to find ways to keep themselves cool. They’ve actually gone up to the lake at the Manor House.”

“That sounds like a nice idea.”

“We could join them,” Jim said. “It could be a bit cooler than sitting here in the shade.”

“Do you want to?”

“It’s up to you,” Jim said. “I just don’t want you to overdo it in this heat. If we go to the lake, there’s not much shade.”

“But we also have the water to keep cool,” Trixie pointed out. “And if it gets too bad, we can go to Crabapple Farm or Manor House.”

“The decision is up to you, Trixie.”

“Then let’s go. I’d rather cool off in the water then sit in an air conditioned house.”

“Well, we’d better go change.”

“I’m ready to go now,” Trixie said, looking down at her shorts and T-shirt. She glanced at Jim and looked him over with a critical eye. “But you definitely need to be wearing something other than the school clothes.”

“You’re right,” Jim said, standing up. “I’ll be back down in a few minutes.”

“I’ll be right here.”

As Jim headed inside once again, Trixie leaned back on the swing. She was looking forward to spending some time with the students. She enjoyed her visits to the school and seeing how the students were progressing.

* * * * *

That evening, Trixie and Jim returned to Ten Acres. After spending the afternoon at the lake, they had joined her parents at Crabapple Farm for dinner.

Now they were enjoying the quiet night as the temperature fell to a more bearable degree. They were sitting in the living room watching a movie.

Jim wrapped his arm around Trixie as they settled back against the couch. “I really enjoyed today.”

“So did I,” Trixie said. “The kids are doing so well. You would never know that some of them never swam before.”

“I know. And it’s a skill they will have forever. It also shows them that they can learn anything that they really want to know.”

“It sure does.” Trixie turned slightly and looked at Jim. “You know, I think we need some dessert.”

Jim raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. “I seem to recall you had two pieces of pie at the farm.”

“Moms makes great apple pies.” Trixie smiled. “Besides, I couldn’t turn Moms down when she offered.”

“True,” Jim said. “All right. I’ll get dessert if you put the movie on pause.”

“Got it.” Trixie got the remote and hit the pause button as Jim left the living room.

Trixie noticed their glasses were almost empty and figured she would refill them. Once the glasses were full and Jim had the ice cream and two spoons, they settled themselves on the couch. Trixie hit ‘play’ and the movie resumed.

They talked very little as they watched the movie. They had both been anxious to see it and were glad they now had a chance.

When the movie ended, Trixie sat up and stretched. “I enjoyed that.”

“So did I. That was a great movie.”

“I’m glad we finally got to see it.”

“So am I.” Jim leaned forward and started gathering their glasses and the empty ice cream container. “I’ll clean this up before we head up.”

“All right.”

As Jim left the living room, Trixie changed the channel to one where she could get the news. She found the station she preferred and leaned back to catch up on the day’s hot topics.

The newscaster came on and Trixie saw the ‘breaking news’ teaser going across the bottom of the screen. She watched as the coverage switched over to a reporter in the field, who was standing on a street corner. In the background were several fire trucks with fire fighters trying to extinguish a blaze.

Trixie stared at it for a moment and felt there was something familiar about the location. As the camera swung to show the building that was on fire, the reporter said, “Kohler Street.” Trixie gasped, knowing why the street sounded familiar: It was where Honey, Brian and Petey lived.

“JIM!” Trixie yelled, keeping her eyes on the screen, hoping to see the members of their family.

“What is it?” Jim asked, rushing into the living room.

“Look,” Trixie said, staring at the television.

“Oh no,” Jim said.

Trixie looked at her husband and saw his face was white. He sank onto the couch beside her.

“Have you seen them?”

“No,” Trixie said. “I haven’t, and I know they were going to be home tonight.”

“We need to go.”

“I’m right behind you.”

Trixie and Jim hurried out of the house and climbed into the Jeep. Trixie remained quiet as Jim drove, hoping with all her heart that Brian, Honey and the baby were all right.

Jim kept the Jeep going at the maximum speed limit and they arrived in the vicinity of the building a short while later. Jim parked and they quickly exited the vehicle.

They walked hand in hand down the street toward the police cruisers, which were parked in the intersection. There were also several officers standing at the intersection, keeping bystanders and gawkers back so the emergency crews could work. They could smell the smoke and the scent got stronger the closer they got to the intersection.

Approaching the officers, Jim motioned to one, getting his attention. The officer said, “You need to stand back, sir.”

“My sister, brother-in-law and nephew live in that building. I need to know where they are.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but only emergency personnel are being allowed through.”

“But my sister lives there,” Jim persisted.

“Sir, the fire fighters are doing their job.”

Trixie took hold of Jim’s arm and squeezed it. She knew he was getting angry at not being told anything. She didn’t want him to get in trouble with the law.

Trixie tugged on Jim’s arm and pulled him back from the barricade. She had seen a crowd gathered on the corner and figured they may be able to see something more from there. Reaching the corner, they looked down the street and saw the firefighters were spraying water on the burning building.

“They have to be all right,” Jim said. “They have to be.”

“They are,” Trixie said, holding onto Jim.

Fear washed over both of them as each minute passed. They could see very little from where they were standing. A couple of ambulances made their way past the barricades. Jim and Trixie stretched to see who was put inside, but they couldn’t get a clear view.

Looking down the street, Trixie could see people had gathered on the sidewalk across from the building. She couldn’t tell if they were residents of the building or gawkers. The breeze seemed to pick up and the smoke was blown in their direction.

Trixie coughed a couple times when she inhaled some of the smoke. Jim said, “Maybe you should go back to the Jeep. The smoke can’t be too good for you or the baby.”

“I’m staying right here,” Trixie said, and coughed again. “I’m not going anywhere until I know something.”

“All right,” Jim said.

Trixie looked down the street once again. She noticed that some of the people who had been standing across from the fire were making their way toward them.

As the people got closer, Trixie and Jim strained to see Honey and Brian. But they didn’t seem to be there.

The breeze hit them again and Trixie turned away so she wouldn’t be coughing. She felt Jim wrap his arm around her and pull her close. In his embrace, Trixie could feel him trembling. She could understand his worry, because she was feeling the same way.

Trixie finally felt the breeze shift again and turned back around. As she looked down the street, she froze in place. She hoped it wasn’t her imagination. When the person got closer, Trixie felt her heart beat faster.

“Honey! Over here!”

She watched her sister-in-law look toward them and pick up her pace. The closer Honey got, they were able to see she was carrying a bundle in her arms. They knew she had Petey.

“Oh Jim! Trixie!” Honey said when she reached them.

Together they pulled Honey and Petey into their arms and held her tight. After a moment, they heard Honey crying.

Jim leaned back and asked, “Are you all right? Were you hurt in the fire?”

“I’m okay,” Honey said, trying to stop crying. “It was just so scary.”

“But you’re safe now,” Jim said. “You, Petey, and… and Brian?”

“Where’s Brian?” Trixie asked quickly. “Where is he? Is he all right?”

“He’s fine,” Honey said. “He’s helping the paramedics. There were a couple residents who got smoke inhalation. He was helping them until the paramedics arrived.” She looked Trixie in the eye. “But he’s fine,”

“What about you? And Petey?” Jim asked. “Are you sure you two are all right? Any injuries?”

Honey looked at Petey. “We’re okay. As soon as the building’s fire alarm went off, we left the building. We got out before the flames spread.”

Trixie hugged Honey once again. “I’m so glad you’re both all right.”

“I’m glad we were able to get out,” Honey said. She turned to look at the building. “But I have a feeling we won’t be coming back here for a while.”

“You can stay with us,” Jim said. “I’m just relieved you got out of there, unhurt.”

“There you are!” a voice called out.

The three of them turned to see Brian making his way toward them. When he got closer, they saw there was soot on his face, hands and clothes. There was perspiration dripping down his face.

“Oh, Brian,” Trixie said when he reached them.

Brian gave Honey a hug of reassurance before giving Trixie a hug. He said, “I’m all right.”

“We’re so glad you’re all right,” Jim said, clamping a hand on Brian’s shoulder.

“I’m relieved we got out of there safely.”

“Do you guys need to stick around or do you want to get out of here?” Jim asked.

“Let’s get out of here,” Brian said. “This has been exhausting on top of working all day.”

“But we can’t get the cars,” Honey said.

“We can leave them for now,” Brian said.

“And I brought the Jeep so there’s plenty of room for all of us,” Jim said.

“But you don’t have a baby carrier,” Honey said.

“I think we can make an exception for now,” Brian said wearily.

“The Jeep is this way,” Jim said.

They led Brian and Honey down the street to where the Jeep was parked. They climbed in back while, Jim and Trixie got settled in the front seat.

“I’ll be overly cautious to get us back to the house,” Jim said as he started the engine.

“Actually, Jim, take us to the Manor House,” Honey said. “We have some clothes there, as well as some things for Petey.”

“That can be arranged.” Jim pulled the Jeep out of the parking spot and headed for Glen Road.

As they rode along, Trixie turned in her seat. “Do you guys know what happened? How did the fire get started?”

“We’re not sure,” Brian said. “It seemed as if the smoke was the worst on the first floor when we got down there. But as for the cause, we probably won’t know for a while.”

They rode the rest of the way to the Manor House in silence. Jim entered the driveway and drove the Jeep right up to the house. They got out and made their way inside.

As they entered the house, they saw Matthew Wheeler making his way down the stairs. He asked, “What are you all doing here?” He looked close at each of them, his gaze resting on Brian. “Brian, what happened to you?”

“Well, there was a fire at our building,” Brian said.

“Are you all right?” Matthew asked quickly.

“We’re fine, Dad,” Honey said. “We got out without any injuries.”

“What a relief,” Matthew said. “Well, you all are welcomed to stay here. The large guest room on the second floor has plenty of room for you.”

“Thanks,” Brian said. “We appreciate it. We shouldn’t be here for more than a few days.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Matthew said. “You can stay here as long as you need to.”

“Well, since you seem to be in good hands, Trixie and I are going to head home,” Jim said. “If you need anything, give us a call.”

Honey hugged Jim. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Jim kissed the top of her head. “And I’m glad you’re all right.”

Honey leaned back and Trixie gave her a hug. Trixie said, “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Trixie hugged Brian and Jim shook his hand. Jim said, “Goodnight.”

“Night,” Brian said.

Trixie and Jim left the house and climbed into the Jeep. As Jim started the engine, Trixie leaned back and let out a sigh. She said, “What a night.”

“I know,” Jim said, driving the Jeep down the driveway. “But at least Brian, Honey and Petey are all right.”

“I’m relieved at that as well,” Trixie said and tried to stifle a yawn.

Jim glanced at her. “You look tired.”

“It’s just that I didn’t expect to be up this late, running all over the county,” Trixie said, leaning her head back against the headrest.

“I didn’t either. But on the bright side, we can sleep in tomorrow since neither of us have to work.”

Trixie felt her eyes starting to close. She murmured, “I like the sound of that.”

“So do I.”

* * * * *

The next morning, Trixie was up at her regular time. She made her way down to the mailbox and retrieved the newspaper. Upon returning to the house, she turned the television on to get the morning news.

Drinking her tea, Trixie read the paper and got caught up on what was happening. She looked up in time to watch the news anchor switch to the story about the fire. She turned the volume up as she leaned forward. The apartment building appeared on the screen. Black scorch marks marked the building above each window. Puffs of smoke continued spiraling from the structure.

“Residents of the apartment building behind me were forced out last night, as a fire spread throughout the building. Fire fighters arrived on the scene quickly and began extinguishing the flames. None of the residents were seriously injured, although several were taken to the hospital where they were treated for smoke inhalation. Officials have been on the scene all night and are still pouring through the debris to find the cause. We will keep you updated as soon as more information becomes available.”

Trixie turned the television off. She had a feeling the building would be demolished. It looked uninhabitable.

Footsteps coming down the stairs made Trixie turn around. She smiled at Jim as he rubbed his face, trying to wake up.

“Good morning,” Trixie said.

“Morning,” Jim said. “You’re up early.”

“I guess I just couldn’t break my normal routine.”

“I can understand that,” Jim said as he sat down beside her.

“What do you want for breakfast?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Whatever you want,” Trixie said.

“How about some eggs and bacon? You make some great eggs.”

“I think I can manage that.”

As Trixie stood up, Jim took her hand and pulled her close. Their lips met and the kiss deepened. When they broke apart, Trixie looked at Jim and softly asked, “What was that for?”

“That was because I love you.”

Trixie smiled. “I love you too” She kissed Jim. “Now, let me go get started on breakfast.”

“All right.”

* * * * *

The next day, Trixie and Jim were invited to the Manor House for dinner. Matthew had said there wasn’t a reason for the get-together, but Trixie didn’t buy it. She had a feeling something was going on.

So, late in the afternoon, Jim drove them up to the Manor House. They headed inside and were immediately greeted by Madeleine Wheeler.

“We’re so glad you could join us,” Madeleine said, ushering them into the living room. “What can I get you to drink? We have lemonade, iced tea, soda, juice.”

“Could I have some iced tea, please?” Trixie asked.

“Make that two,” Jim said.

“All right,” Madeleine said.

As Madeleine got their drinks, Honey and Brian entered the living room. The two of them looked relaxed and refreshed.

“Hey,” Honey said moving over to them. “We’re glad you’re here to join us.”

“No problem,” Jim said.

Madeleine came over to them and handed them their drinks. “Brian, Honey, what would you like?”

“Iced tea would be fine,” Honey said.

“Same here,” Brian said.

Madeleine moved away again and Trixie looked at Honey. She asked softly, “Honey, what is going on with your mother?”

“I don’t know, but she isn’t the only one who’s been acting weird. Dad’s behavior really has me boggled.”

“Here you go,” Madeleine said, coming back over to them.

Before anyone could say anything, Matthew entered the living room. “Oh, good. Everyone’s here. If you all want, we can go into the dining room. Dinner is just about ready.”

“That sounds fine,” Madeleine said.

Trixie glanced at Jim and saw the puzzled look on his face, which she assumed matched her own. She had a stronger feeling that something was going on.

They entered the dining room and sat down at the table. Trixie and Jim sat on one side, while Brian and Honey sat across from them. Matthew and Madeleine sat at the ends.

All through dinner, they talked about the weather, all of their work, Jim and Trixie’s preparation for the baby, and how Petey was growing. As the conversation continued, Trixie got the feeling Matt and Madeleine had something they were hiding, and whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

Trixie looked at Honey and Brian. “What’s going to happen to your apartment?”

“Well, we heard from the landlord earlier today,” Brian began.  “It seems the building has been too badly damaged and has to be demolished.”

“We’re going to have to find a new place to live,” Honey said sadly. “And that place was so perfect. It was centrally located for both of us and was reasonably priced. It’s just going to be a hassle trying to find a new place.”

“We can help you look if you want,” Trixie offered.

“That would be great,” Honey said. She looked at her parents. “We know we can stay here as long as we want, but we need to be in our own place.”

“Then this place will be yours,” Madeleine said.

All four of them looked at Madeleine, unsure if they had heard her correctly. It sounded like Madeleine was offering Honey and Brian the Manor House.

“Mother, what did you say?” Honey asked.

“This place will be yours,” Madeleine repeated.

“We appreciate your generosity,” Brian said, “but we can’t accept.”

“Brian’s right,” Honey said. “We can’t accept the Manor House.”

“Hang on a moment,” Matthew said. “I think your mother got a little ahead of herself.”

“Sorry about that,” Madeleine said, sheepishly. “I just thought it was the right time.”

“What is going on?” Honey asked. “This conversation has confused me, and I’ve been here from the beginning.”

Trixie tried to her smile behind her napkin. She was surprised at Honey’s comment, but she could understand what Honey was saying. She was just as confused as her sister-in-law.

“Let me explain,” Matthew said. “Your mother and I have been talking. We love the Manor House, but we’re not here enough to get the full use out of it. We had thought about giving the Manor House to you as a gift.”

“You and Brian would have this whole house, and the property surrounding it,” Madeleine said. “It’s big enough where Petey would have plenty of places to play and if you added anymore children to the family, there would be plenty of room for all of them.”

“And you would have family right down the hill if you needed anything, instead of a town away,” Matthew added.

“I just don’t understand,” Honey said.

“Well, like we said, it’s something we’ve been talking about,” Matthew said. “But we decided to bring it up now. The incident the other night made us think it was the right time to talk to all of you about this.”

“I just don’t know what to say,” Hone said. “This is just so sudden.”

“This is a nice offer, but I don’t think we can accept,” Brian said. “It’s too extravagant of a gift.”

“You know,” Trixie said, getting an uncomfortable feeling, “maybe we should leave.”

“Actually, we’d like you to stay,” Matthew said. “This has been a long drawn out conversation for us. Brian, we know you have a lot of pride and want to provide a loving environment for your family.”

“And we know that a gift like this is something you just couldn’t accept as is,” Madeleine continued.

“So, we think we’ve come up with a viable plan that you may agree to,” Matthew finished.

“What’s that?” Brian asked slowly.

“We thought you would want to pay rent or a mortgage and that way, you would be paying for the house to be yours,” Matthew said.

“Your offer is nice,” Brian began. “But…”

“We understand you’re worried about the cost, but we think something can be arranged.”

Madeleine turned to Trixie and Jim. “And we don’t want you two to feel left out,” she said. “So, should Brian and Honey agree to the plan, we have decided to give you two the same amount of money as we are giving them.”

Trixie stared at Madeleine. She couldn’t believe what they were being offered. She looked at Jim and saw the same look of surprise on his face.

“We don’t need to know your decision right now,” Matthew said. “This is a lot for you to digest. But you can give it some thought and then let us know.”

“Matthew has the papers with the information about the plan in his office if you would like to see them,” Madeleine said. “But we’re not pressuring you.”

“This is something we’re really going to have to discuss,” Brian said slowly. “There’s a lot that needs to be taken into consideration.”

“We understand,” Matthew said. “Let me get you those papers and you can look them over.”

“All right.”

Matthew left the dining room with Brian and Honey. Madeleine looked at Trixie and Jim. “Sorry about dropping this bombshell on all of you. I think we could have timed it better.”

“It’s all right,” Trixie said. “It was probably a good time to do it since they found out about the decision for the building.”

“That’s what Matthew and I thought as well,” Madeleine said. “Would you two like some more to drink?”

“Some more iced tea would be great,” Trixie said.

Madeleine took Trixie’s glass and headed into the kitchen.

Once alone, Trixie turned to look at Jim, who had been unusually quiet since his parents brought up the idea. She put her hand on his arm and he looked at her.

“Are you all right?” Trixie asked. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

“Yeah. I’m just surprised at the gift Mother and Dad want to give us. It just seems like it’s too much.”

“Maybe it’s the only way they can show their love for you and Honey,” Trixie said.

“They have shown us they loved us for years by being there when we needed to talk or doing things together as a family. This just seems so weird. We don’t need the money or anything else. Their love is enough.”

Trixie smiled at her husband. She knew he took his finances seriously and tried not to forget the price of a dollar, and that family was more important than any amount of money. In his early years, he had been raised being aware of where each penny went, and even when the Wheelers adopted him, he didn’t buy anything extravagant.

“You know, if you think about it, this might be something Brian and Honey should really consider.”

Jim looked at her. “Why’s that?”

“Well, I’m not trying to focus on the negative, but nothing from their apartment is salvageable. They would have to purchase everything all over again. They would need their necessities, as well as all the things for Petey, and then furnish wherever they end up living.”

“I see what you mean. And depending on insurance, they might not be reimbursed that much.”

“But we can’t influence them in any way. We may think this is the best for them, but they need to decide this on their own.”

“You’re right,” Jim said. He leaned over and gave her a kiss. “That was some good thinking, Trix.”

“Thanks, Jim.”

Madeleine returned to the dining room right then. She set Trixie’s glass of iced tea down in front of her. Trixie said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Madeleine said, sitting back down.

At that moment, Matthew returned to the dining room. “Sorry about that,” he said. “I was talking with Brian and Honey.”

“Where are they?” Madeleine asked.

“They’ve gone up to their room to discuss what’s going on.”

“We kind of dropped a bombshell on them, didn’t we?”

“Yeah.”

“You know, Trixie and I are going to head on home,” Jim said. “She hasn’t been feeling well today and I really don’t want her to overdo it.”

“You should have said something earlier,” Madeleine said. “We could have rescheduled this.”

“We didn’t want to miss it,” Trixie said as she gave Jim a sidelong glance. She knew what he was doing and decided to go along with it.

“We understand,” Matthew said.

“Thank you for such a nice dinner,” Trixie said.

“We’re glad you joined us,” Madeleine said.

Jim gave Madeleine a kiss on the cheek before they left the house. Once they were in the Jeep, Trixie turned to look at her husband.

Jim looked at her in return. “Sorry about that, but I didn’t want the tension to bury us as we waited for Brian and Honey to return. And who knows if they would’ve made a decision tonight.”

“It’s all right,” Trixie said. “I’m kind of glad you did that. We probably would have spent the rest of the evening making small talk.”

“True, or they would’ve asked us to go up to talk to them.”

“I don’t even want to be part of that discussion,” Trixie admitted.

“Neither do I,” Jim said. “Neither do I.”

“So, since we’re leaving early, what do you think we should do?”

Jim gave her a mischievous smile and started the engine. “I know we’ll think of something.”

Trixie smiled. “Then we’d better head on home.”

“As you command, my dear,” he said. “As you command.”

* * * * *

A couple days later, Trixie was working in her study at Ten Acres. She had been at the agency that morning, but when the air conditioning broke down on one of the hottest days of the summer, she had returned home. Now, she was finishing up reports so they were on file in case they needed to reference them.

“There you are, beautiful.”

Trixie turned and saw Jim standing in the doorway. She smiled at him. He looked warm in his pants and T-shirt.

“How was your day?” Trixie asked.

“Long.” He moved into the office and sank onto the couch, “The kids have so much energy. And even in this heat, they seem to keep going.”

“Hopefully they are trying to keep cool at the same time. The heat is unbearable.”

“I know.” Jim looked at her. “So, what are you doing here? I called the office and got the machine.”

“The a/c conked out and I wasn’t going to stick around there with this heat.”

“Good thinking.” Jim looked at his watch. “Are you getting hungry at all?”

“Actually, I am. What do you propose?”

“Is there anything you’ve been craving?”

“Actually, I have been thinking a lot about pizza.”

“We can get that if you want.”

“Are you sure?” Trixie asked. “I mean, we can get something else if you want.”

“No. Pizza is fine.”

“Okay.”

“Jim? Trixie? Is anybody home?”

Jim and Trixie looked at one another. Jim said, “That sounds like Honey.”

They quickly got to their feet and headed downstairs. They saw Honey was standing just inside the kitchen door, but she wasn’t alone. Brian was with her.

“Come on in and enjoy the coolness,” Trixie said.

“Thanks,” Honey said. “We didn’t mean to barge in, but we saw both of your Jeeps and were hoping we could talk.”

“It’s all right,” Jim said. “Come on into the living room.”

“I’ll get us some drinks,” Trixie said, moving over to the cupboards. She got down four glasses and filled them with iced tea that she had made earlier. She carried the glasses into the living room and distributed them.

Trixie settled on the couch beside Jim and looked expectantly at Brian and Honey. She prompted, “Well?”

Honey looked at Brian and then back at both of them. “We were wondering what you thought about Mother and Dad’s offer. I mean, whatever we decide, it will affect the two of you and we just wanted your input.”

“What did you want to know?” Jim asked and took a sip of his drink.

“Well, basically, what do you think we should do?” Honey asked.

Trixie and Jim looked at one another. Jim spoke up. “It really doesn’t matter what we think you should do. Ultimately, the decision is yours.”

“But what would you do if you were in our position?” Honey pressed.

“Well, I guess we would weigh the pros and cons of the offer, discuss it thoroughly, and then make a decision,” Jim said.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Honey scolded.

“Honey, what we would do, and what you two will do are two separate issues,” Trixie said. “We can’t make a decision, because our reasons for whatever we do will be different from yours.”

“We would love to help you make this decision, but we can’t,” Jim said. “Only you know what’s right for yourselves.”

“We know,” Brian said.

“I guess we just needed someone to remind us of that,” Honey said.

“I wish we could’ve been more help,” Trixie said.

“You pointed us in the right direction,” Honeys aid. “That was helpful.”

“It was,” Brian agreed. “That gave us a better idea of where we needed to focus to make this decision.”

“So, we were talking about dinner a little while ago,” Trixie said. “Do you want to join us?”

“Actually, we need to get to the Manor House,” Brian said. “We left Petey with Madeleine, and should probably get back before anything happens.”

“You’re right,” Honey said. “Mother is still pretty hesitant and wary when she’s left alone with him, but she’s getting better.”

“And she will be even better when their next grandchild enters the world,” Jim said.

“Absolutely,” Honey said. She looked at Brian and they got to their feet. “Thanks a lot for talking about this with us.”

“You’re right that we need to decide this on our own,” Brian said. “And that’s what we’re going to have to do.”

“Well, if you need to talk to us, you know where we are,” Trixie said.

“We do,” Honey said. “Thanks again.”

“You’re welcome,” Jim said.

Honey and Brian said their goodbyes and left the house. When they were alone, Trixie said, “I’m glad we’re not in that situation.”

“Well, if Brian and Honey take the offer, we could be getting some funds as well.”

“I forgot about that.”

“So, we’re going to have to decide what we want to do with it, if we do get something.”

“But we don’t need the money,” Trixie said.

“I know,” Jim said.

“What if we put the money aside,” Trixie suggested. “I mean, there may come a day where we need some help. We’d have the money there and not have to worry about trying to get the money when we are focused on something that may be more important.”

“Trixie, breathe.” Jim’s eyes twinkled as he looked at her.

“Sorry,” Trixie said with a grin, as color rose to her cheeks.

“And you don’t need to be sorry. If this happens, I think your idea is the right one. But we really don’t have to worry about it until it happens.”

“You’re right. So there’s nothing we need to discuss about that, is there?”

“No, there isn’t.”

“Since there isn’t, are we going to order dinner?”

“Sure, do you want the usual?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then I’ll order.”

* * * * *

Two weeks later, Trixie and Jim climbed out of the Jeep. Trixie grabbed the pie she had made from the back seat and closed the door. She turned to Jim and smiled.

“Are you ready to party?” Jim asked.

“Absolutely. And knowing your mom and Honey, this is going to be the best housewarming party in Sleepyside history.”

“You’re probably right,” Jim said. “And it is a reason to celebrate. Especially since Brian, Honey and Petey are back here permanently.”

“Absolutely. That’s the best part of this.”

“You’re right.”

“Come on!” Brian yelled from the doorway of the Manor House. “The party is inside!”

“We’re coming!” Trixie said.

Jim said, “We should head inside.”

Trixie nodded. “It’s time to celebrate Brian and Honey moving into their new home.”

“Let’s go party.”

Trixie and Jim headed inside and joined the party, happy their siblings were close by once again.

-The End-

Author’s Notes: Once again my esteemed appreciation goes to Amy and Kaye for giving this story the editing it needs and pointing out where things needed a little tweaking. You both rock. Thanks a lot.

This is my submission for the Jixemitri fifth anniversary celebration. It is an honor and a privilege to be associated with all these wonderful people who have a deep love for this series. Congratulations on making it to five years and I hope for many more years to come.

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