Free The House on Honeysuckle Lane by Mary McDonough

keep, how to sell. It’s what Mom wanted. Anna Maria can help you if you really feel overwhelmed. But remember, she’s already stretched pretty thin.”
    â€œDon’t worry, Danny,” Emma said. “Andie and I will handle this on our own. Do you want some coffee?”
    â€œNo,” Daniel said. “Thanks. Oh, Emma. I talked to Joe Herbert this morning. He suggested I might want to reconsider the way Anna Maria and I have been putting away in the kids’ college savings plan. He said because college is still some time away, we might want to be a bit less conservative than we’ve been.”
    â€œI think Joe’s probably right,” Emma said. “But as I don’t have access to your accounts, I can’t be certain. If you’d like me to take a look at anything, I’d be happy to, though I totally trust Joe. He hasn’t steered us wrong yet.”
    â€œDad would be glad to see you taking an interest,” Daniel said.
    â€œWhy wouldn’t I be?” Emma asked, shaking her head. “Sophia and Marco are my family.”
    Daniel turned to Andie. “Well, we all know that Dad intended Emma to be his successor, but our Emma had other ideas. She wasn’t interested in inheriting the family business.”
    â€œWhat made you bring that up?’ Emma asked. “It’s ancient history and hardly news.”
    Daniel shrugged. “No reason. Oh, and you should know that Mary Bernadette Fitzgibbon has been pestering me about our giving the Oliver’s Well Historical Association the George Bullock desk. She reminded me the other day—as if I could forget—that in 1805 the British government ordered a suite of furniture from George Bullock for Emperor Napoleon when he was exiled on Saint Helena.” Daniel laughed. “Anyway, I wouldn’t put it past her to approach either one of you if she runs into you around town.”
    â€œIs she still chairperson?” Emma asked. “The estimable Mrs. Fitzgibbon.”
    â€œNo, she retired from that position about six months ago,” Daniel said. “Leonard De Witt took over. But she still plays a vital if unofficial role. Mary Bernadette Fitzgibbon is the OWHA.”
    â€œMom cherished that desk, didn’t she?” Andie commented. “Passed down through the generations of her family like it was.”
    â€œMaybe we should find out its financial worth,” Emma suggested. “If it’s valuable, and I’d guess it is, we could sell it and split the proceeds. I’d be happy to give my share to Sophia and Marco,” she added. “Something else to stash away toward college.”
    â€œWhy not just let the OWHA have the desk?” Andie asked. “That way everyone can enjoy it, not just a single owner. It’s a very beautiful piece.”
    Daniel shook his head. “But it doesn’t belong to everyone. It belongs to us, the Reynoldses via the Carlyles. By the way, Rumi agrees with me one hundred percent. She absolutely doesn’t want the desk to leave the family. It’s what Mom wanted.”
    Andie smiled. “Do you remember the time when you were about five or six, Danny, and Mom caught you using crayons at the desk?”
    Daniel frowned. “I had a coloring book. The desk wasn’t at risk.”
    â€œThat’s not what Mom thought.”
    â€œShe wouldn’t even let Dad use the desk,” Emma added. “I’m surprised she didn’t keep it tucked away somewhere under lock and key instead of in the living room where it was vulnerable.”
    â€œShe liked to see it every day,” Daniel said.
    Andie nodded. “And she wanted other people to see it, too. It always elicited comment.”
    â€œShe was proud of it,” Daniel said firmly, “and rightly so.”
    â€œOkay, so the desk stays here, at least for now.” Emma poured more coffee into her cup; Daniel hoped that she knew how to