The Barefoot Believers by Annie Jones Read Free Book Online

year before Moxie had taken over the upkeep of the place. All their interchanges had happened through the mail, a business account and later e-mail.
    â€œWhat does that say about them? You don’t want nothing to do with folks like that.” People often described Billy J as full of bluff and bluster, and that was exactly the tone he used now.
    It seemed odd in this context. Odder still when her father’s voice grew quiet, almost childlike in softness as he added, “Do you, Molly Christina?”
    Molly Christina. Her daddy had called her that her whole childhood and his just saying it made her feel all of ten again as she answered, “I…I guess not.”
    â€œGood. Then you get to your work and get gone. The sooner begun, the sooner done.”
    â€œThe sooner begun, the sooner done,” she echoed, barely audibly.
    â€œThen get gone. You done enough for these people.”
    â€œI have done a lot. For a lot of years I took care of the cottage and catered to the renters. These last two, of course, I’ve only had to keep an eye on it. Make sure we didn’t have any unwelcome guests.”
    â€œSquatters,” her father grumbled. Over forty years of dealing with the transient nature of things around here had not just made him ornery, but also a bit hardened toward people he didn’t know well.
    â€œI was thinking more of mice and snakes.” Moxie shivered. “But I confess that was more for me than them. I kept thinking we’d get a renter and I’d have to go in and deal with who knew what if I didn’t send someone in every now and then to give the place a going-over.”
    â€œThere. Now see, you already know you don’t have to deal with any vermin.”
    â€œOr squatters.”
    â€œI was talking about squatters,” he groused.
    â€œWell, I’m thankful for that. As for what all this place needs to make it livable?” Another look at the sagging structure. Then a quick check of the clock on her cell phone before pressing it to her overheated ear and saying, “I mean, it was one thing when we had rental money coming in and I could take it out of their profits as a business expense. But with it sitting empty for two years now?”
    â€œMoxie, girl, you’d give a person the shirt off your back. When you work for someone, you give one hundred and ten percent. Time or two, I’ve known you to give certain folks a piece of your mind.”
    Certain folks? Moxie could only think of two, and she was talking to one of them.
    â€œBut when it comes to money?” The old man did that familiar laugh-cough thing again but managed to stave off another prolonged fit. “Well, you didn’t get where you are today giving money away.”
    Where she was today? She exhaled and as the breath left her body, her shoulders slumped. “I hope they didn’t expect me to reach into my own pocket to make repairs on their property.”
    â€œIt’s enough you giving them so much of your time and hard work. You should bill them for that.”
    â€œI am not going to bill them, Daddy.” Her father would have. The man hadn’t built up and maintained Billy’s J’s Bait Shack Seafood Buffet as a great spot to gather for both tourists and locals without being savvy about business. But sometimes business savvy was not good business. And it very often was not the way to get along with one’s neighbors. “In case you’ve forgotten, I have new tenants moving in across the street this weekend and I don’t want anyone to get off on the wrong foot.”
    â€œTenants? I thought tenants paid rent.”
    â€œAnd I thought waitresses didn’t get paid on days they didn’t show up to work.”
    â€œThat little girl is a single mom and it was just the one day. I’m sure things will turn around for her and I won’t have to do that again.”
    That “little girl” was the same young