Marriage Seasons 01 - It Happens Every Spring by Gary Chapman, Catherine Palmer Page B

home. Don't get
me wrong. I know how it is-been there myself, and I'll be the last
one to sit in judgment. But that bar is not good for the area. If we
start having the kind of creeps a porn shop would bring in ... well,
it would just set a tone. You know what I mean?"
    "I agree completely, and I'm sure Patsy would go along with you
on that."
    "At least there's one thing we could see eye to eye on!"
    "I know Dr. Hedges wants nothing to do with an adult-movie
business anywhere near his chiropractic clinic. I'm not even sure
the tattoo people would want pornography around."
    "You can't count on that, Steve." Pete stroked his thick beard.
"Tell you what ... I'll talk to Patsy and see what she thinks. But you
know the laws around here better than any of us. Would we have
any say in who moves into the strip mall?"

"It's private property," Steve told him. "The owners can rent to
anyone they choose."
    "Even if the rest of us don't want them?"
    "If you got together as a group, you'd have some influence, I'm
sure." He paused for a moment. "You know, I've heard the strip
mall could be for sale to the right buyer. If an upstanding person
bought it, then he could keep the undesirable businesses out."
    "That won't be me," Pete said. "I'm trying to be upstanding and
all, but I barely make my rent. I know Patsy Pringle doesn't like me
doing small-engine repair next door to her tearoom, but sometimes that's all that carries me over from week to week. I'm hoping
business picks up during the summer, or I won't last through the
year.
    "You'll do great with your bait and tackle once the weather
warms up. People will be flocking here for gas, too. No question
about that."
    "Maybe you can find a buyer for the mall," Pete suggested. "That
would be a great idea-make you a bundle on the commission,
too. You have anyone in mind?"
    Steve shrugged as he lifted a hand in farewell. "I'm not sure. I
guess we'll just have to see, won't we?"
    As he headed toward his car, Steve glanced back over his shoulder at the row of storefront windows glittering in the setting sun. If
things went well tonight ... if life took a turn for the better ... well,
he just might have someone in mind after all.

    Brenda slid the lasagna out of the oven just as Steve's car pulled
into the garage. Good. For once, he had followed through on his
plan to come home.
    All day she had been expecting her husband to call with one
excuse or another. A potential client wanted to show him a milliondollar home that he might want to list with Steve. Or he had forgotten a last-minute meeting with a termite inspector. Something like that. At six, the phone had rung, and her heart sank. But
Steve was only calling to say he had stopped at Pete's for some gas
and would be there shortly.

    The thought of having Justin and Jessica home for a whole week
thrilled Brenda, and she was eager to talk to Steve about it. Working on the basement had helped her begin to feel almost like she
used to-eager to make plans for the family, excited about projects
they could do together, hopeful that the kids would have a wonderful time and would want to come back more often.
    Jessica used to come home on weekends. But because of a new
boyfriend, she had come home only once since Christmas break.
Justin rarely called or visited. He had made new friends, a new life,
and-as he enjoyed telling his parents-a new home there in
Springfield. And as for Jennifer, she was a short-term missionary in
Africa. Other than the occasional e-mail, she might as well be a
stranger to her parents.
    "Smells great!" Steve said as he stepped into the kitchen from
the garage. "I've been thinking about that lasagna all day."
    Despite her best intentions, a retort flew into Brenda's mind.
I'm surprised you didn't prefer to have dinner with one of your clients
at the country club.
    But she managed to bite her tongue. Thank God!
    All day Brenda had been praying that she and Steve could have a
civil,