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She paused and scanned Charlie’s face, which probably looked like a ball of confusion.

“Okay…”

“I got into it with this guy, who was a jackass when I questioned him about the amount you owed. Not going to bore you with all the details, but it turned ugly. I threatened litigation, said I’d tell all the people in the business about their ethics, call the Attorney General and Better Business Bureau… you get the picture. I laid the damn hammer down.”

“Yikes.” A sweat bead accumulated above Charlie’s lip. Was this good? Bad? Litigation? Charlie had nightmares like this, that a judge would slam down a settlement, and she’d arrive home one day to find itwrapped in red tape and locks on all the doors and windows. She snapped her beaded bracelet against her wrist. “Um, am I in some kind of trouble?”

“Trouble? No.” Kelli unzipped the leather pouch and slid a paper across the counter. “All that being said, here’s your new bill and monthly payment.”

Charlie’s fingers trembled as she scanned the numbers.What?This couldn’t be right. She held her finger at the number to ensure she saw it correctly. She read the number a dozen times more before she glanced at Kelli again, who crossed her arms with a satisfied smile.

“I… this, this is less than half of what I owe. Likewayless than half… I don’t even understand. This doesn’t make sense.” The room swayed in the background. Her pulse pounded in her neck. She blinked and focused on the paper.Less than half.If this was true, it changed everything. The stress, the pending bankruptcy, the fear that she’d have to give up her home. Less than half was not only doable, it was life-changing. “Is this true?”

Kelli nodded. “Drew and I chatted about your place, and some of the contractor’s work was not up to snuff. They should’ve immediately offered you a discount for botched features, not doubled their rates with bullshit charges for labor costs and things. Looking back at all your previous statements, they trickled in fake costs from the beginning and probably figured since you didn’t say anything, they could keep doing it.”

Her stomach clenched. Why would anyone do this? How did they go home at night and feel good about themselves? “I didn’t know… I looked every night at their work, and it all seemed okay.”

“The contractor are the professionals. Not you. You’re not gonna beat yourself up for this. They took advantage. Stuff like this makes me sick. And you can bet your ass I’m gonna check into other places they worked onandI’m reporting them.”

Charlie’s lips trembled. “This amount here? This is what I owe?” Her shaky pointer finger hovered over the red circled number. “Are you positive?”

Kelli nodded. “Sure am. I’ll email you the official paperwork later for your records. And Drew said he could come by at the end of the month and fix some of the framing stuff.”

Charlie’s mouth parted, but she couldn’t form any words. Hot tears sprang to her eyes.

Kelli put a gentle hand on Charlie’s arm. “I truly am sorry for overstepping. I tend to do that, and Mackey gets so pissed sometimes and?—”

Charlie wrapped her arms around Kelli and melted into her tiny frame. Her shoulders shook, and tears saturated Kelli’s shirt. Charlie only met her once and barely knew her, yet Kelli did this for her. Just like that? How… why…

Sobs escaped, and Charlie was helpless to stop them. Months of hiding, pushing things down, denial, bubbled up. The tightness she’d carried evaporated, and gratitude replaced the vacant spot.

“Shh… shh. You’re all right. Everything’s gonna be okay,” Kelli whispered as she patted her back.

Footsteps grew louder from the hallway. Charlie lifted her head and wiped her eyes with her forearm when Mack entered the room and froze.

“Jesus, Ma… what’d you do?” Mack’s tone was only slightly kidding as she beelined to Charlie. “You okay?”

Charlie shifted to hugging Mack. Drenched in support, tears sprang back to the surface. “I’m good. Your mom just really helped me out.”

Kelli patted her back once more and stepped away from the women. “Well, I better help Drew with snacks. God knows what sort of seasoning he’d try on the popcorn. Charlie, I’ll tell you later about the time he thought oregano and cinnamon would make a good mix.”

Charlie hugged the paper against her chest as Kelli left the room. With trembling fingers, she swiped a final tear from her cheek.

“You sure things are good?” She glanced between Charlie’s eyes and peeked down at the paper. “Is this about the bills?”

Charlie sniffled. “I was so worried. Even though I told you some, I didn’t tell you everything.” She pulled in a deep breath. “I thought I was going to lose my shop, and in a snap, your mom fixed everything. I can’t even believe it’s over. It’s like for the first time in a year I can fully breathe.”

Mack scooped her back into her arms and kissed the top of her forehead. “I wish you would’ve told me the depth of this sooner. I could’ve talked to them right away, or given you money, or made some calls, or something.”

“Stop. You did so much already, andGod, I’m just so relieved.” Her chin trembled again, and she buried her head in Mack’s shoulder.

Andrew came into the room, juggling an oversized bowl and several sodas. His eyes dashed between their faces, and he took two steps back. “I… uh… I’ll come back.”

“No, no. Please! It’s your home.” Charlie wiped a last tear and scooted over to him to grab the drinks. “It’s all good.”

He looked hesitantly at the women. “I don’t want to interrupt lady stuff.”

“Drew.” Kelli raised an eyebrow.