Mary Beth glanced up at her, knowing she must be pale as a ghost. There was no way any blood could possibly make it past the tightness in her throat into her face.
“I just can’t—”
She handed the letter to Annie, who scanned it briefly.
“Oh Mary Beth. It’s wonderful.”
The other ladies crowded around. “What? What?”
“‘The proposed buyer of the other part of the property,’” Annie read, “‘is looking for a small investment. The buyer would like to continue renting that part of the property to the Bijou Theater but doesn’t want to be involved in property management. The buyer would like to know if you …’” Annie looked up at Mary Beth. “‘… if you would be interested in managing the theater property in exchange for a percentage of the rental.’ That couldn’t take very much work, could it?”
“No. No, Mr. Huggins says Mr. Li who runs the theater is a wonderful tenant. There are never any problems. He always pays on time.” Mary Beth couldn’t keep a tremor out of her voice. “Read the rest, Annie. The last part.”
“‘If this is something that interests you, please let me know as soon as possible, and I will arrange a meeting between us and the proposed buyer of the other part of the property, Ms. Melanie Martinelli.’”
Mary Beth buried her face in her hands and wept. It was as close to an apology as her sister was ever likely to give.
****
Mary Beth had to wait until she had closed the shop and had gone home before she was sure she could call Melanie to discuss the Mr. Huggins’s letter. She knew her sister didn’t like anyone to gush, and that’s what she felt like doing every time she thought about what Melanie had done.
Melanie picked up the phone on the first ring. “Hello?”
Her voice was as crisp and businesslike as it had been the last time Mary Beth had spoken to her.
“Hi. It’s Mary Beth again. Have I caught you at a bad time?”
“No, it’s … it’s not a bad time. I just got in. For once, I’m going to have a quiet evening at home, alone.”
“That sounds nice.”
“It sounds wonderful.” Melanie paused for a second. “I think it’s time I slowed down a little, you know?”
“Maybe you should take some time off. Maybe visit family or something.”
Mary Beth let the subtle invitation hang there for a moment, but Melanie evidently wasn’t quite ready for that.
“What are you doing tonight?”
“Not much,” Mary Beth told her. “I just got home myself, and a quiet evening sounds great to me too. I wanted to let you know I got a letter from Mr. Huggins about the property. Are you really sure this is what you want to do? I mean, owning our little one-screen theater isn’t exactly what I’d call glamorous.”
“It’s what I want to do only if you’ll agree to manage the property. Mr. Huggins said the tenant is very reliable.”
“That’s what I’ve heard as well. But you don’t need to cut me in on your profits. I’m just next door. I can see to things for you pretty easily. It’s the least I can do since you’ll be making it possible for me to keep my shop.” Mary Beth laughed. “And you’ll be sparing all of us a twenty-four-hour Burly Boy’s Burger Barn.”
“I suppose I will be bringing progress in your little town to a grinding halt,” Melanie said with an overly dramatic sigh, but Mary Beth could hear the smile in her voice too. “But then again, being stuck somewhere in the Leave It to Beaver era is part of the appeal of the place, isn’t it? I mean—to some people.”
“Some people love it here and are very happy to be able to stay. And I mean that sincerely. Thank you.”
“Just a business transaction,” Melanie said, her voice again brisk. “Besides, I know we’re both planning to leave everything to Amy. She might have plans of her own for the place one day.”
“Yes, I suppose she might.”
“I told her about it the other night,” Melanie said abruptly. “About buying the place.”
“Oh really? What did she say when you called her.”
“She called me. She just wanted to talk, and we did for a while. I … I thought it was kind of nice.”
Mary Beth felt a smile tug at her lips. “I’m glad.”
“I suppose you got her to do that.”
“We did talk about it,” Mary Beth admitted, “but she wouldn’t have done it if she didn’t want to.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Anyway, I told her about buying the theater up there and everything. I mean, it was really her idea in the first place, and I thought it would be nice for her to know we cooperated on something for once in our lives. It’s going to be strictly business though.” Melanie’s voice lost the touch of softness that had crept into it. “That’s the only way to handle family-related investments. Everything has to be aboveboard and set down in writing.”