Betrayal Ch. 07 - The Epilogue

"Heck, someday the other ten acres will be worth at least a million bucks, and that day ain't that far away!"

"Well, Darrell, I hope you don't want me to pay a million; I'll be about $750,000 short."

Darrell laughed and explained. "Coach, I'll take the $250k you say you've got, if you'll let me contract the rest of the repairs and renovations. To tell the truth, I'm a little overextended financially right now, and I've got an much bigger deal on the table. With your money I can make that happen, and, heck, I might become a millionaire before you do!"

They spent the next ninety minutes going over the house with a fine tooth comb, with Dale making a list of things that needed doing or Tim wanted done. When that was over, Darrell gave Tim a ballpark estimate he could afford, and they shook on it. Darrell said his crews were tied up today and tomorrow, but he would send a plumber and electrician to get those issues out of the way.

Since no realtor was involved, they agreed on a standard sales contract, and the use of a lawyer they knew who had his own tittle company. The survey was fresh, so the tittle company should be satisfied; if not, they would use the same surveyor at minimal cost.

Darrell and Dale left, and Tim walked around outside to determine what he would need to take care of the acre of lawn, shrubs, and trees. He wanted to look around the whole eleven acres, but decided he needed to be wearing his boots and jeans when he did, so he got in this truck, drove to the little grocery store about a mile away, and bought a six pack of Lone Star.

When he woke up this morning he owned one house. Eight hours later it was sold, and he had bought another house on 11 acres. He wanted to share that with someone, and that someone was Jeannie. He went back to his old home, popped the cap on the first longneck, and, ignoring the irony, called her. He sipped a beer, and they talked for over an hour, long distance! He would pay Ma Bell through the nose for that, but he didn't care; her voice invigorated him!

The boys were ready to leave when he got there; it was still early, so he took them to see their new house. The idea that they had a new house got them over excited, and they ran the mouths, mostly at the same time, all the way over.

They loved the big yard and all the trees, but Mark wanted to know why things were torn up in the house and they didn't have any furniture. Daddy explained that their furniture was coming later, after they got some work done on the house, so they were staying in a motel until it was ready.

They liked the motel, because it had a nice swimming pool.

Tim took his guys to daycare at eight the next day, and then spent the morning coordinating the transfer of his utility and phone accounts to the new house, getting the address changed for mail, and removing Karen from all the bank accounts. He was the executor of her estate, so he had the death certificate, letters testamentary, and other required documents, but there were so many things to be done it was almost overwhelming.

The life insurance policy and AD&D policies had paid off. He felt that money should go to her sons, so he had set up trust funds in the amount of $100,000 each, put $10,000 in interest bearing savings accounts for each, and turned the remaining $80,000 over to Danny, a friend in Round Rock who was a successful investment advisor.

Danny made decisions that would pay off rather well in the future, buying $1000 for each boy of chancy tech stocks, Apple and Microsoft, and another $1000 on nickel-per-share stocks for a retail chain called Walmart. He also bought a few blue chip stocks, but invested the rest in real estate around the southern side of Lake Travis.

Tim so appreciated his friend's rationale for each purchase that he took $15,000 from his land and cattle account and gave it to Danny, telling him to gamble away. He usually used cattle proceeds to buy more cattle, but twenty-five years later the decision to invest that money improved his teacher retirement check by several digits.

He was outside talking with the plumbers and electricians when Jeannie drove up in the new 1980 Jeep Grand Wagoneer her daddy gave her. It was eye-catching by itself: white with wood paneling, had a 360 engine that growled, and 4 wheel drive, but that wasn't why work stopped. That happened when the blonde driver stepped out wearing sandals, white short shorts, and a red and white checked, off-the-shoulder blouse. She was still nicely tanned, and the visual effect of her approach caused hard-ons unanimously.

Seeing the fan club, she sashayed up, gave Tim a kiss on the cheek, said hello to the workmen, and asked for the grand tour.

She was highly impressed by the workmanship of the woodwork, the banisters, the fireplace and mantel, by the square footage of the oversized living and dining area, and by the spacious bedrooms and closets. She wasn't impressed with the layout of the kitchen, the built-in appliances, or the three bathrooms, but she absolutely LOVED the yard and the "ten acre wood" surrounding the house.

After her input, Tim called Darrell's office and asked them to send him by when he got a chance. He came right after lunch, and Tim said, "Let's do another walk through, this time with my interior designer." Darrell winked and said "Let's go, Miss Jeannie!"

Big eyed, she called Tim aside: "I didn't mean to cause all this new work, Tim. You asked for my opinion and I gave it to you, but if these things are all right with you, you should leave them alone. This isn't my house."

Tim smiled, took her arm, and took her back to Darrell, but she thought she heard him quietly say, "Not yet" before he sent them off. Her heart fluttered.

The cost of the changes Jeannie thought important were partly offset by Tim's decision to install a metal roof rather than replace the cedar shakes. Darrell just happened to have a roofing crew needing work, and a surplus of the color that offset the native rock walls of the house, so they cut a deal that was good for both. The metal roof would be safer and less affected by storms, yet be attractive. And it cost a lot less to install and maintain!

The plumber and electrician were about through with the original improvements, but they were re-routed to the new projects in the bathrooms and kitchen. They measured everything and handed him a sheet covered with drawings and numbers.

"Let's go shopping for appliances!" Tim suggested with a smile. Jeannie looked at him thoughtfully, and again told him those were just her suggestions, based on her personal taste, so he shouldn't spend money on replacing something he liked. He just smiled and said, "Let's go. I need to pick the boys up at 5, and the appliance store Darrell recommends is closer to Austin."

Tim was REALLY glad he brought her; he had no idea what colors or styles to pick, so he pushed her forward to inform and negotiate with the sales woman. "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you!" she told him with a frown.

She said that as if she thought he cared about the color and style of appliances that went into the kitchen, which he didn't. She had much better tastes than he did, anyway.

The boys were thrilled to see Jeannie, and had to catch her up on everything that had happened since they saw her last. Frustrated by Patrick's domination of the conversation, Mark took her face in his hands, turned her to him, and started telling her what HE had been doing! Tim laughed, but Jeannie handled the competition like an experienced mom, and both boys got their turns.

She grabbed her little travel case before they left her Jeep in the garage at the new house and took her to the motel with them. She didn't know what they had planned, but wanted to be ready for anything.

After a nice swim, they ate supper across the street at a small family-style restaurant, and then returned to the room to get ready for bed. She read Winnie the Pooh to them, turning the hundred acre woods into "the ten acre woods, just like your new house has!" She tucked them in bed, gave each a kiss, and prepared to drive home.

Tim would not allow that so late, so she called her mom and spent the night... with Mark in her bed, and Patrick in Daddy's. She did get a very nice goodnight kiss from Tim, which made going to sleep in the same room with him that much harder.

They took the boys to daycare at nine, after breakfast and playtime at McDonalds, and went shopping for bathroom fixtures. Jeannie thought he should install custom tile showers and granite countertops, so they picked out toilets, sinks, bathtubs, and faucets for the sinks, bathtubs, and showers.

Tim detoured by the closest Sears. He had a push mower, weed eater, and other lawn tools, but keeping the acre of yard and the sides of the road mowed would require a riding mower. He bought a Craftsman 42", along with ramps to carry it in the back of his pickup. Jeannie had no say in that decision, but she didn't care anymore than he did about the kitchen appliances.

She had moved from riding in the passenger seat into the middle over the two days, and he kept his hand on her bare leg when he could. She was feeling positively domestic, and as happy as can be... under the circumstances.

It was still too early to be open with their relationship, lest they cause a scandal, but in her mind they were already a couple planning their future together.

***

Time flew by. She moved into her new apartment, with help from Tim and his sons. Coaching school started, and the boys went to stay with Karen's parents for the five days. The staff was set, filled with people Tim knew and trusted. He kept the best of the old staff, and added two exceptional coaches, so coaching school was about learning new things and bonding as a team.

They went to lectures and clinics until one, then went back to a conference room at the hotel. They ate a catered lunch, and Tim instructed them in offensive techniques, sets, and the playbook they would use at all levels, from seventh grade through varsity.

After a break, his defensive coordinator and good friend, Bill Owens, who had been a very successful coach at the 5A level, trained the staff in the defensive techniques, sets, schemes, and stunts they would be using at all grade levels.

At five thirty they adjourned to the hotel bar for drinks, pool, and chatter. By the end of coaching school, they were all on the same page about coaching philosophy, how to treat kids, the nuances of the offense and defense, and they were friends. That mattered in the course of the long, stressful, high school football season in Texas.

The logistics of a single father, who is also the head football coach and athletic director, taking care of two kids as well as his professional duties, were challenging. He had that conversation with the superintendent and board of trustees when they offered him the positions, but they were sure he would figure it out and do a great job. He wasn't so sure then, and he was less sure as the season approached.

Jeannie also had teaching and dance team duties and responsibilities that tied her up for practice and varsity games, so he was struggling a bit; and then people began stepping up. Miss Beverly offered to keep the boys with her until he got off practice, as needed, if he would let them come home with her and eat with her family. Sharon and her sister both offered to babysit when needed, for away varsity games and Thursday night sub-varsity games, and they had a group of other babysitters they could call in if they were tied up. Sharon still looked at him with longing, but she accepted that he had a new woman in his life, and her life as a collegian was heating up.

The grandparents and siblings suddenly took an interest in coming up and taking the boys to home games with them, and staying until Dad was through Saturday afternoon, which relieved a lot of pressure.

Jeannie, of course, did everything in her power to be with them and keep them happy. She often picked them up and took them home, she cooked meals for them, she got them ready for bed if dad wasn't there, and they drew ever closer to her. It wasn't ideal, but they made it work.

***

The most successful football season in two decades flew by. The only loss was a last minute field goal to the district champions. That kept them out of the playoffs in those days of single representation, but the district champs won state by three touchdowns, so they felt pretty good about themselves after the disappointment faded.

Given that they had eighteen starters returning, including nine on each side of the ball, the immediate future looked bright. Factor in that the JV, sophomore, and freshman teams won district and had only two losses among them, and that the junior high teams went undefeated, the longer-term future also looked bright.

Meanwhile, Jeannie's dance team and the band scored ones at contest, and finished Top 5 at state, so she was feeling good too.

Oh, they had a few sleepovers from time to time, but no hanky-panky. Jeannie loved the new house, but she joined the boys' campaign for a swimming pool for next summer, assuring Tim in private that she had some very nice bikinis he hadn't seen but would if he had a pool surrounded by trees.

They were circumspect, but they were fooling no one. The time they spent together at Tim's house, the looks they gave each other at school, and her relationship with the boys made it pretty clear that this wasn't some mutual support group. The kicker might have been Mark calling her Mommy when he got sleepy at games and putting his head on her shoulder, which got a lot of 'Oohs and Ahs' from the nearby spectators. It made Jeannie feel so good she sometimes wanted to cry.

No one ever said anything to them, but they were accepted as a couple. Most thought they were drawn together by the untimely deaths of their spouses, but some knew about the problems with the poker game and blizzard, and they were pleased they found each other in their pain. When invitations went out to parties, they each received one, and inevitably came together.

Tim did his best to keep his intentions a secret, but when he asked for her hand in matrimony in front of her parents on Christmas Eve, no one, including Jeannie and the boys, was surprised. He called home to surprise his family, and Nate's comment was, "Oh, you're just getting around to that? We thought that was done months ago. Oh, yeah, football season.

"Well, Brother, we have something to top that -- you're going to be an uncle!"

Jan took the phone and added, "Twice over! Gary and I are having a girl, and so are Nate and Linda! Port Aransas did the trick, so keep next March open!"

Their early June wedding was held at the shed on the ranch. It was well attended anyway, by friends both local and from their school community 200 miles away. The Hildebrand's priest, Father Jose, officiated a very traditional ceremony that included all the old language about love, honor, and cherish, forsaking all others, until death do us part. Both parties recited their vows loudly and clearly, backing away from none of the promises, and their first kiss as a married couple was the perfect blend of love and passion, or as much as could be shown in front of a crowd.

They honeymooned at a remote location in the Caribbean, and returned with all-over tans. Nine months later, they had a blonde-haired baby girl they named Janah Marie. Their little boys made over her and loved on her almost from birth, and they became fierce and ferocious protectors of her for life... even after another boy and girl joined their loving family over the next few years.

Tim never got the soundproofing he wanted for every wall, but he did for the master bedroom, and his wife learned to use pillows to stifle her cries when their children were at home. When they weren't, she relied on the woods around the house deadening the noise, but their closest neighbors always knew when they were home alone, and used that for their own inspiration.

Jeannie got the kitchen, appliances, and bathrooms she wanted, the boys (and their mom) got the swimming pool they wanted, and Tim got the state of the art infrared and fiber optic security system he wanted. They all agreed that turned out to be their best buy.

But that's another story entirely.