The Widow Next Door

Tim Cummins is just twenty years old, in his third year at Georgia Institute of Technology when his parents are killed in Mexico during his Christmas break. As an only child, he inherited the full estate—over five million dollars, the house he grew up in, and his father’s hardware store business. His father’s oldest and best friend, ‘Uncle’ Ben, ran the store for him while he finished his college degree.

The widow next door, Isabella (Izzie) Holland, spent most of the Christmas-time weeks with him when his parents died, then through the years they grew closer and closer. They would sit out on her deck or his, sharing a beer, sometimes not even talking, just being with each other.

Finally when he was twenty-five, they became even closer when Isabella was injured and needed his help. She had sprained her ankle and was wearing a cast, so Tim had to help her in and out of her tub for a bath. …