I thought you knew him.”

“I do. That is, I did. He visited the Singletons one summer when he and Bobby were college roommates.”

“He said he was out driving, and decided to stop on impulse.” Sam paused then frowned at Amanda over the rim of his glasses. “But next time someone knocks on your door and wants to see the house, just tell them to call me for an appointment. That’s what I’m here for. Better to be safe, especially since you’re out here by yourself now. You never know who you’re letting in.”

“No, you don’t.” No, indeed.

Sam drank from his glass then added more sugar. “I’ve put an ad in the paper for Sunday,” he said gently. “And posted the listing on all the realtor websites.”

Amanda sighed. “Oh, Sam.”

“We need to get the house sold,” he reminded her. “The clock is working against us.”

“I had no idea this would be so difficult.”

“You tried, Amanda.”

“I know. I just never thought... Maybe if I had known, I could have changed her mind, or done something different.”

“Your grandmother was a stubborn, independent woman. It was never her intention to leave you in this predicament. She loved you more than anything, you know,” Sam said. Amanda’s grandmother, Grace Hamilton, had been his friend for many years. Like Amanda, he had grieved over her death.

“I know, Sam. If only she had told me...”

But Amanda knew there was no use in rehashing the past. Grace Hamilton, her judgment clouded by a long and debilitating illness, had mortgaged her beautiful old house. Not once, but twice. It wasn’t until after the funeral that Amanda found out about the second mortgage, taken out only weeks before her death. When added together, the payments were more than Amanda could handle.

For the past six months she had struggled, falling farther behind each month. Her only hope of keeping the house was to get a new mortgage—one that combined the old debt and spread the repayment out over a longer period. But every bank she had approached refused to make the loan, citing every reason but the real one—she was young, single and self-employed, the latter a choice she had made so she could work at home and care for Grace at the same time.

Sam had offered to help her out, more than once, but Amanda had refused. One of these days he would need the money he had put away for his retirement, in spite of his protest to the contrary.

He leaned back in his chair. “Look, Amanda, you’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Maybe later you’ll see this in a different light.”

“Oh, Sam, I don’t know.” Even though her heart was heavy, she forced herself to smile at him. He was the kindest man she knew, and right now he was the only person in the world she could count on.