Tuesdays were the paper day at the Bradford Courier - they had been since the 1920s sometime, and even Lloyd wasn't sure when. It had been a heck of a lot worse in the days when they actually printed the paper on site using hot type -- Linotypes and Ludlows and other terms now just words to Dave. Those days were forty years in the past, now, and Lloyd was just about as happy to have them there. For several years, he and Hazel had gotten the paper out mostly by themselves, doing the work it had taken seven fulltime staff members to do forty years earlier. Computers -- several generations of them, in fact -- were the main reason the labor intensiveness of the business had dropped off. For most of those forty years, the paper had been pasted up by hand and photographed to make the plates the paper had been printed on, but about a year before, Lloyd had gone to the newest method. This involved doing the setup of the paper entirely on the computer screen and then sending the files to the printing plant. It still amazed him every time he stopped to think about it.

Though Lloyd was out of the hospital now, he was taking it easy, only spending a couple hours a day at the paper to help Emily find her way around -- and Dave, on the days he was there, of which Tuesday led the list.

Although Lloyd knew Dave was about equally involved in the takeover of the paper as Emily was, at least on a financial level, he also noted Dave had pretty much let Emily have her way with working out the details of running it, and only offered a few suggestions. The deal wasn't actually done yet -- it wouldn't be until the first of the month -- but most of the things in need of being done were in order. "It helps," Lloyd said, "When you can tell the bank to butt out, we don't need your help."

Dave didn't really know the gruff, pithy man very well, but he liked what he saw of him. He seemed to be one of those people born with a high level bullshit detector and was known for calling a spade a spade. He was a real character, and Dave was pretty sure things were going to seem a lot milder with Emily running the place.

"Yeah, it does," Dave replied, looking up from the horribly written sports story he was trying to make understandable -- literate was beyond hope. He reflected that Lloyd didn't need to know how much money shuffling had gone on in order to make everything work out. After the meeting with Julie's folks earlier in the month, Dave had made some changes. He still held the half-million dollar note from Stan for his business. When he'd gone up to Hartford with Shae, he'd had a copy of it in his pocket -- sort of the ultimate nuclear weapon if things went badly. But, the note had stayed in his pocket, and he wasn't even sure if Stan knew he was aware of it.

After his return from seeing Stan and Deborah, Dave had called Aaron Tietelbaum to see what the effect would be on his taxes of just writing off the note and forgetting about it. He could hold onto it just in case things went sour with his former in-laws again, but wouldn't pursue it if they stayed at least reasonable. Of course, writing off a half million dollars made a considerable impact on his taxes, enough to gain the money to invest in the Courier right there, although it took some money shuffling with a mutual fund to get everything to come out even.

It had been considerably worse dealing with Emily, who was of the opinion that since it was his money, it should be his business. It took some shaking around with Vicky and Jason and some conversations with Aaron Tietelbaum and eventually with a lawyer before they worked out that they would set up a limited liability corporation. Dave held forty percent of the shares in his name, and loaned Emily the cash to buy the other sixty percent.

Dave would go on the books as publisher and chairman of the board; "publisher" was almost, but not quite an honorary title, while "chairman of the board" was nearly as meaningless as there were only the two of them who held stock, and he wasn't the majority shareholder. Emily was the editor and CEO, which as far as Dave was concerned was fine because she was going to be running ninety-eight percent of the show anyway. "I'm just glad we managed to get everything worked out," he added.

"Yeah, the timing is going to work out just about perfect," Emily agreed. "Sharon and I talked it over this morning, and we're going to turn the key for the last time Saturday night, so we don't have to worry about being open on Easter Sunday. I've still got to put together an ad about it, though."

"When I stopped off to get coffee this morning, I noticed it's looking pretty empty in there," Lloyd observed.

"Yeah, we haven't been doing much restocking since the first of the month," Emily told the two. "The last week we've been finding stuff that goes back to before I started working up there. The gas tank is about as low as I've ever seen it, and I'm not sure it's even going to make it to Saturday."

"It's got to be hard to watch it close down," Lloyd nodded.

"Yeah, it is, in spite of everything," Emily sighed. "It's a big part of my life that's ending. I wasn't a whole lot older than Kayla when I started working there a few hours a week, mostly cleaning and stocking shelves. When I graduated from high school, I was working behind the counter the next day."

"And not recognizing everybody who came in," Dave teased, trying to lighten the moment a little.

"Everybody except for Eve," Emily laughed. "The heck of it is I honestly don't remember her in the slightest." She let out a laugh, and her mood changed back to serious. "A few weeks later, Kevin and I got married, and we rode his old Kawasaki crotch rocket up to Mackinac Island for what we had of a honeymoon. I came back a few days later, put on the apron, and I've pretty much been there ever since. A lot has happened in that time, and to be honest, it's been the solid rock of my life while everything else has changed in ways I never thought possible. It's hard to believe in a few days it's going to be just a memory."

"Things change, Emily," Lloyd said philosophically. "Whether we like it or not, time passes. We just have to accept it and move on. Gather ye rosebuds, and all that. I probably should have done this ten years ago, but I kept trying to tell myself I was still a young man."

"You are still young, Lloyd," Emily replied soothingly. "Young at heart, anyway, and that's what counts."

"Yeah, maybe," he shrugged. "Deep inside every senior citizen is an eighteen year old trying to get out. Still, I should have done this a while back. It wasn't fair to Betty, if nothing else. Besides, maybe it wasn't fair to Bradford. I like some of the changes you and Dave have been making. It's giving the paper a whole new look, a whole new feeling. People tell me they think you're doing good."

"It'll be good to be able to give my full attention to it," Emily said. "But I promised Sharon I'd stick it out till the end. It's just good that Dave has been able to carry some of the load the last month or so, but he's been cutting into his time on his novel to do it."

"Things change," Dave said, not really wanting to turn back to the mess purporting to be a sports story -- the baseball team's outlook for the season, which was no better than the story itself. "And in fact, they change on you in ways you never expected. Just ask me, I know."

"Yeah, no foolin'," Lloyd smiled. "You just never know, do you? Things are changing for all of us in ways we never expected. You hear any more about where you're going to be living next year?"

"Same old, same old," Dave said. "It all depends on Avalon, and I get the impression nobody there knows what they want to do either."

Just then the phone went off; Emily wound up answering it. "Bradford Courier . . . " she said, then brightened considerably when she heard who it was. "So how are you doing, anyway? . . . Yeah, thank God it's mostly a first-trimester thing, I think I puked more with Kayla than I have the rest of my life combined . . . I tell you what, I wouldn't want to have another one now. I've got JJ in double digits and Kayla will be a teenager in a few days, so the end of the tunnel is in sight and I'll still be fairly young . . . oh, yeah, he's here, I imagine he'll want to talk to you."

She put the phone on her shoulder and said, "Dave, it's Shae for you."

That was a little strange, as Shae rarely called him at the Courier, not that he was there much, only on Mondays and Tuesdays. He picked up the phone next to the computer and said, "Hey, babe, what's happening?"

"They finally announced something about Avalon. It's good news, but not real good news, if you know what I mean."

"Not really," he said. "Tell me."

"In the short run, we're going to go on hiatus around the end of next month. It may run a little longer, maybe into May some, it's still not set but my belly is going to become an issue in there much later than that."

"Well, it's about what we expected," he said. "You said hiatus, though. Does it mean they're going to start back up again?"

"Hell, I don't know and I'm pretty sure they don't either," she snorted. "We're talking about shooting a series sometime in the next month where Shaella Sunrise and her parents move away, in other words, writing me out of the show. There's no telling if they're going to use it or what, but at least it gives me the option of not coming back after I have the baby."

"It puts the ball right in your court, doesn't it?" he said.

"Yeah, it sure does," she sighed. "I guess it means I'll at least be spending the summer there with you. After that, though, we're going to have to talk about it. I'll tell you this much, though: I'm going to be primo pissed if we move back to New York and they cancel it on me after all."

"Throw the ball back in their court," Dave suggested. "Tell them you have to have a firm answer by, oh, the first of August, or you walk."

"Makes sense," she said. "It would still leave us time to move back here and get the boys established at Boyce Day if we have to, or get the apartment cleaned out before we have the baby if we're not coming back."

"There is a number of different angles to it," he said. "But it's Tuesday and you ought to have a pretty good idea of what that means by now. I'm still planning on heading your way the day after tomorrow, and we'll have all weekend to explore them."

"Yeah, I suppose," she said. "For a second there, I was all set to march right back into Sean's office and lay the August first deadline on him, but maybe I ought to hold it off till Monday, just on general principles."

"Not Monday," Dave laughed. "They might not take you seriously."

"Why not?"

"Shae, look at the calendar and tell me," he grinned.

"I don't get . . . Oh. Ohhhhh! April Fool's Day, right, it wouldn't be a good idea. The hell with it, the August first deadline idea is just too good to pass up the way they've jerked me around. It's not like I really care much, anyway. I guess I'll go try to catch Sean before he runs and hides again."

"I hate to burn bridges unnecessarily," he told her. "But it doesn't mean you can't light a match near the fuse."

"I suppose," she laughed. "Hey, unless something blows up, I'll tell you what happens after story time tonight. Love ya, babe."

"Works for me, babe," he smiled. "I love you, too."

Emily had been following the conversation with some interest. "I take it they still haven't reached a decision," she commented lightly once Dave had hung up the phone.

"I don't think they can make a decision," Dave snorted. "All they're doing is hedging their bets." He went on to explain about them shooting a story arc about Shaella Sunrise moving away with her family. "I think it's getting down to the point where Shae isn't going to stay on, whether they decide they want to continue or not. She feels a duty to some of the people on the show, but it strikes me her patience is wearing thin."

"It's not surprising," Emily said. "She's feeling the baby coming on more and more, and it's bound to change the way she feels about things."

"Oh, I'm sure of it," Dave nodded. "She's getting more and more ready to put that part of her life behind her, but she doesn't want to have to be the one to make the decision on the show."

"So," Lloyd asked. "When are the two of you getting married?"

"Don't know," Dave said. "It's one of those things we need to talk about. After we talked to Julie's folks the last time I went to New York, we pretty well decided we wanted it to be before the baby came, but as long as possible after Julie's death. That seems to argue for around Labor Day, maybe a little before, but she and I haven't even thought much about it. In any case, it won't be a big deal. Emily, I suppose you're available as necessary?"

"Well, yeah," she replied. "We'd talked around going out to Sturgis this year, but it was more for the knife store. We'd take a big display and set up a booth. Now, with the paper and all, it may not be feasible, or if it is, it'll be just Jason and Vicky who go, or maybe Jason and Kevin. Nothing really had been settled the last time we talked about it, so I guess we don't have a vacation this year. I should be available on short notice."

"I'll bring it up to Shae this weekend," he said. "Right now I'm about ready to do it and get it over with, but there are those other considerations, as well. I wouldn't rule out any time after Shae comes here to live, and it's sometime from about a month from now to into October."

"Are you still going to be living where you are now?" Emily asked.

"Probably for a while yet," Dave replied after thinking about it for a moment. "It's pretty convenient being right across the street from Mom, but once Shae is here to stay, it won't be quite as big of an issue. Really, when you get right down to it, the house is on the small side. It's about right for the boys and me, but it'd be small for Shae even if it was the two of us, and it's going to be worse after the baby comes."

"Small for Shae . . . oh, that's right," Emily said. "I can't help think that as much as she likes being here she's grateful to be back in her apartment where things fit her."

"Yeah, that's it," Dave said. "I told her a while back that maybe we'd think about building a house she would fit in, since there's not likely to be anything we could buy that would have the kind of clearances she needs. But I really haven't done anything about it. I've had a hell of a lot else on my plate the last month or so, and there hasn't been much time to even think about it."

Lloyd sat looking thoughtful for a moment. "It's pretty well going to have to be stick built," he said. "There's no way in hell you're going to find a modular with those kinds of clearances."

"I haven't even thought about it and figured that," Dave snorted. "Face it, we're probably going to have to be where we are now for a year or more, just because I wouldn't be able to find a construction outfit this time of year that doesn't have their dockets pretty well full."

"Maybe not," Lloyd said. "I stopped off at the Chicago for coffee this morning, and Jerry Court was bitching that his big summer job fell through. He and his guys probably do the best work of anyone in the area, and I know he'll be looking. You might be able to get a deal if you strike while the iron is hot."

"It'd be nice to do it," Dave nodded. "But like I said, I haven't even had time to think about it. I don't have any idea what I want in a house except for high clearances for Shae. I don't know if she's thought about it, either. So, I haven't got a design, which is good, since I don't have a place to build it, anyway. Then, hell, getting the underground work and site preliminaries done will eat up most of the building season."

"That's not as true as it used to be," Lloyd said. "The construction people tend to push the season a lot more than they used to, even a few years ago. As far as plans go, I know there are thousands of stock floor plans out there, and you could find just exactly what you want and just have it built with the high clearances you want, and save a shit load of money in the process."

"Well, it's a thought," Dave shrugged. "I really wouldn't want to make any major decisions on it without having Shae a part of the process, though. But it means I still have to find a place to build it."

"It's not impossible," Emily said thoughtfully. "I think there are some lots available out in Sunrise Meadows. You're on city water and sewer there, so you don't have the problems of a well and septic tank."

"And it's just that much more on the city's tax rolls," Dave grinned. "I saw you coming on that one, Madame Mayor."

"Well, I wouldn't mind," Emily grinned right back. "But you don't have to be in the city. I can think of a half a dozen places around you could probably buy for the tear-down value and have your well and sewer already in the ground." She looked thoughtful for a moment, then continued, "In fact, I know just the place. You remember Don Paxton, Mandy's dad?"

"Not real well," Dave said. "I remember the house, though. Nice location, but if memory serves correctly the house was sort of a dump." It was a nice location, a couple miles northwest of town on the far side of the Interstate, maybe a mile north of the General plant, far enough back in the woods that the highway noise was very muted. It was a nice location; it had a small pond on the property with a tiny stream that rolled through the valley. It also had a pool Dave remembered well -- and he also remembered Shae telling tales of the all-girl skinny dipping parties there in high school.

"It wasn't really a dump," Emily protested. "Just not well built. Mandy used to say things were always breaking or needing repair."

"I know the place," Lloyd said. "It was owner built right after World War II, back when they had a housing shortage. I can't recall the name of the guy who built it; he'd have to be quite a bit older than I am if he's still alive. It was tough getting materials and even tougher getting construction people. Anyway, this guy wanted to be in a house so he built it himself, and he wasn't a craftsman by any means."

"Isn't Don still living there?" Dave asked.

Emily shook her head. "Not for a couple years, anyway," she said, and went on to explain, "There was a fire, oh, two years ago, wasn't it, Lloyd?"

"Two or three, I'm not sure," Lloyd said. "I got lucky and got a good photo of it blazing. It's just sitting there, burnt out and empty. Some kind of an insurance hassle, I'm not sure what. I know Don wasn't anxious to rebuild there. It was too big of a house for him living alone, anyway. Now, he's living down around Tampa somewhere."

"Sarasota," Emily replied. "At least the last time I talked to Mandy. Anyway, I'll bet you could pick it up fairly cheap if you were willing to pay the back taxes."

"You know," Dave said talking slowly while thinking furiously. "The place might have some potential. Emily, would you mind if I snuck out of here for a few minutes to refresh my memory? I can't stay gone too long; I've got that stupid baseball outlook story to make sense of."

"One of Harbison's, right?" Lloyd grinned. "Doesn't it just give you a pain in the gut to think the man is teaching English? You go take a look at the Paxton place. I'll go make sense of the story. God knows I ought to know how to, as many of his as I've had to do over the years."

It was a nice day, even though it was the tail end of March. The snow had pretty well gone the month before, and the frost was pretty well out of the ground, too. It meant the slop of spring breakup was gone, mud season was over with, and the ground was firming up. Spring hadn't arrived yet, but there were some buds on trees, and the grass would be greening up in the next couple weeks.

There were two ways to get to the Paxton place; the one Dave took was down Main, past the Chicago Inn and under the Interstate overpass. Just past that, he turned onto Fremont Road where it had been realigned when the General plant had been built, and turned north on it. After half a mile or so it swung back to the west to pick up the original road, which rolled past a couple fields before it dove into a patch of woods and descended into a barely perceptible valley. Dave hadn't been there since high school, but he remembered the driveway to the Paxton place was just past a small bridge, barely a culvert, that carried Deer Creek under the road. He slowed the Chevy, turned into the driveway, then slammed on the brakes when he noticed a heavy steel cable had been strung between two trees, presumably to keep people out -- the curious, maybe kids looking for a place to get a little backseat time.

Glad of the fact that today he had decided to wear his comfortable running shoes rather than good shoes, Dave got out of the car, walked around the improvised gate and up the driveway, which paralleled the creek, running fairly full as it handled the spring runoff. The driveway was paved, and while not in the best of shape was pretty decent. A couple hundred yards through the woods up the driveway, a small clearing opened. The pond Dave remembered was still there, clear of ice; but he paid it little mind. The house was there, if barely recognizable from the missing roof and a couple walls; everything left was blackened from fire and smoke. From a distance, he could see the place was made of cinder block, a fact that he'd forgotten or maybe not even known. There was still some siding in place on part of the building, but not much, and even at a distance the appearance of the block work told even a neophyte like Dave that no great skill had been used in laying the walls up.

But really, it didn't matter, at least in what Lloyd and Emily had suggested. He turned his back on the house and looked around the yard. Yes, it was a pleasant place, and even on this calm spring day without the leaves on the trees to dampen the noise, he could only barely make out the whine of the tires of a truck over on the Interstate. He could remember a few good times in this place, and was sure Shae could, too. This would do, and might even do well, he thought. He turned around and glanced around the lot and at the house again, wondering a little if where the house stood was the best place on the property for it. Maybe not, he thought, but it's not a decision for today, and God knew there were enough others to be made today.

He made the quick hike back up the driveway to the Chevy, backed it out onto Fremont Road and headed north to the other route to town. A quarter mile or so up the hill, he turned right onto Curtis Road, which soon took him over the Interstate. As he drove over the highway, the vision of a teenaged Shae flashing truckers from this overpass came to mind -- it would have been a sight to see, he laughed to himself. At the next corner he turned right onto Lincoln Road, which turned into Front Street as he entered Bradford. From what he could see it was about the same distance either way, although the Curtis Road route was prettier and less busy.

When he pulled back into the same parking space on the street in front of the Courier he had left earlier, he couldn't have been gone more than fifteen or twenty minutes. He walked in, to find Lloyd finishing up the baseball story, and Emily busy on a page layout. "Well," she said. "What do you think?"

"There's nothing wrong with the house that couldn't be fixed with a great big yellow bulldozer," he said. "But it's a nice lot if there's any size to it."

"Something like ten acres, if what I remember from Mandy is correct," she said. "You think it might work?"

"Wouldn't be surprised," he grinned. "Who do I have to talk to about buying it?"

"Beats me," she said. "I'd start with Don, though. I don't know if I have his phone number in my files at home, but I ought to have Mandy's."

"Could I ask you to take five and go find out?" he said. "I have a feeling this is going to have to be done quickly, before this Court guy lines up another job."

"Sure," she said. "I could stand a breather, anyway." She shook her head, grinned, and added, "You know Dave, sometimes you take your time making up your mind about things, but after you do, you don't let anything stand in your way, do you?"

"I try not to," he laughed. "Lloyd, do you know Court's phone number?"

"6391," Lloyd replied from his seat at the computer, omitting the 368 that prefaced all the phone numbers in town. "Six will get you two he's still sitting out at the Chicago bitching about no job for the summer, though."

"I don't think I know the guy," Dave said. "But I'll tell you what. As soon as Emily gets back, I'll buy you a cup of coffee out at the Chicago. While we're waiting, I need to call Shae."

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