Free Destiny and a Bottle of Merlot by Bria Marche Page A

did. Greenwich is so expensive anyway, and she’s kind of out of the loop living there. What do you think?”
    “I like the idea of having all our friends nearby. Give her a call tomorrow. We can take a drive over there and talk to her.”
    ***
    “Hey guys, it’s nice to have company once in a while,” Karen joked, as she welcomed Mia and Aaron into her living room. “Let me take your coats. I made lunch too. Hope you like salad and pasta.”
    Claire brushed up against Aaron’s pant leg and meowed. Mia giggled, remembering the first time she was introduced to Karen’s cat. Mia found the perfect spot behind Claire’s right ear to scratch. The cat settled in and purred.
    After lunch, Mia helped Karen clean up the dishes. Aaron poured coffee while Karen served three pieces of warm apple pie. They sat around the table as Mia began.
    “I want to run something by you, Karen, but please don’t feel obligated to say yes. I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about living in Tarrytown, but I’m going to put my house up for sale. I’m moving in with Aaron.” Mia glanced at Aaron, squeezed his hand and gave him a smile. “Before I list my house, I want to offer it to you, but only if that’s something you would be interested in. Please don’t feel pressured. We love you, and would like to have you closer to all of us.”
    “Wow, I’m kind of stunned. It never crossed my mind, but it’s an exciting idea. I could be in the middle of the craziness instead of on the sidelines,” she said, laughing. “Our houses are about the same size, and you live in a nice neighborhood. I’d be a lot closer to help out in the Peekskill store, and could always ride up with Max to the Hunter store when Mario needs us. Let me talk to a Realtor about my house and find out what it’s worth. What do you want for your place?”
    “I’m thinking in the neighborhood of $500,000. I don’t want to call a Realtor though. They’ll try to get me to use them, and if I’m selling to you, we don’t need their help. I can ask Josh’s opinion, I guess. If you are interested, I’d hire a real estate attorney to draw up the papers. Give it some thought. Like I said, no pressure. We’ll talk in a few days. Just know this, we’d love to have you closer.”

Chapter Eleven
    Sasha was becoming more and more confident in her own abilities as time went on. Dead serious about changing her name, she climbed into the Tundra and headed for White Plains. She had an appointment today to present her name change request to a judge at the Westchester County Courthouse. All the necessary paperwork needed to be filled out while she was there. She had to find out more about quitclaiming the Victorian and getting a license to run a small inn, too. After that, a stop at the social security office and driver’s license building was scheduled. She would do all of this without any help, and she felt good about it. The party at the Victorian was next weekend, and she wanted to introduce herself as Martha Destiny to her friends. Of course, they would be shocked that she actually went forward with it, especially because she did it alone.
    ***
    “Why do I have to appear in front of the judge today? Can’t you take care of it for me, Jason? You are on retainer, and you charge exorbitant fees, you know,” Jack said, as he drove. He was angry. Because he missed a few of the dates for community service he was ordered to do, he now had to explain the reason to the judge in open court.
    “Jack, you have to show some responsibility, or you’ll end up with a lot of fines and possible jail time. If you don’t show up today, it’s just sending a message that you don’t give a shit.”
    “I don’t give a shit, and I’m missing work because of this,” he barked into the phone as he drove toward the courthouse. “I’m pulling into the parking lot. What’s the courtroom number?”
    “It’s 5C. I’ll meet you there.” Jason Henry, Jack’s attorney, looked at his