Page 65 of The Spotted Cottage By the Sea
Grandma sighed. “I tried calling your mom this morning, but she didn’t answer. I’m very worried.”
“She’s just downstairs. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I have bad news, Eliza!” Grandma said. “You have to tell her to call me back.”
She pulled on the fluffy pink robe Granny had gotten for her a week after she’d moved in. “Okay, I will.”
“I mean right away! It’s time sensitive.”
“Okay.”
“Eliza,” Grandma said sternly, “it’s about the house. I don’t want your mom to be upset, but I opened some of the mail sitting out here.”
Of course she had. “Sure thing, Grandma. I’ll go down and tell her. She’s been busy, so it might take her a few days to get back to you.”
“No, you’re not listening to me!” Grandma dropped her voice to a whisper. “There’s a notice of default for the house! She needs to call the bank right away. Thank goodness I was here to find it.”
Eliza wasn’t sure exactly what it meant, but she knew it had to be a mistake. Her mom had never defaulted on anything. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but thank you. I’ll let Mom know.”
“Thanks. Is there a spare key hidden somewhere? I need a place to rest.”
Eliza promised to check with her mom and managed to end the call before running down the stairs and finding her mom and Granny enjoying morning tea.
“The raspberry cheese danishes aren’t quite ready, sweetie,” Granny said when she saw her. “Should I start some coffee for you?”
“Thanks, Granny, but I’ll have tea.” She took a teacup from the cupboard and sat down. “Mom, I just got a call from Grandma.”
Her mom made a face. “Oh. I haven’t heard from her in ages. I tried calling her a few weeks ago, but her phone number was disconnected.”
Nothing unusual for Grandma. She didn’t like to be tied down, preferring to swoop in like an exotic bird and surprise them all. When she was younger, Eliza thought she was great. As she got older, though, she realized what life must’ve been like for her mom, and it didn’t seem so fun.
“She thinks there’s some mistake with the house.”
“Oh?” Sheila set her tea down. “What kind of mistake?”
“Something with the bank. She was opening our mail and found a notice of default for the house. And she wants to know where you’ve hidden the spare key.”
“Hm. I’ll have to call her.”
“Oh!” Granny stood from her chair. “That reminds me, I got another letter from the insurance company.”
Her mom tilted her head to the side. “I thought I sorted that all out.”
“I thought so, too. I’ll go get it.”
For the first time since she came downstairs, Eliza really looked at her mom. She had bags under her eyes and her expression was flat. “Is everything okay, Mom?”
She smiled. “Of course. Just a little tired from yesterday.”
Granny returned with an envelope in her hand. “This is it! They keep harassing me, Sheila. I told you they were!”
Her mom popped the envelope open and pulled out the stack of papers inside, carefully unfolding them. “This isn’t from the insurance company.”
Granny frowned, hands on her hips. “It isn’t? I thought it was.”
Sheila’s eyes scanned the first page, then she quickly folded it up and tucked it back in the envelope. “It’s fine. I’ll look into it.”
“Well, what do they want?” Granny asked. “They said they were going to liquidate.”
