Marlee Considers Jobs And Her Qualifications

Marlee couldn't believe her ears! Her deputy was going on vacation? Well, she had been planning a vacation out west with Whitlee, maybe this would work out alright after all. She didn't know how far Colorado was, but she remembered that her mama and daddy had taken a vacation there once and so had Grandma B a long time ago. Well, she was going to talk it over with her Grandma B. She had to make sure that she hadn't thrown away Grandma Lu's stimulus check. She still had a feeling that she might have done that by mistake.

"I wonder how much work I have to do to earn that much money for Grandma Lu. I probably will be old like my grandma before I can quit. Maybe I can get a job in Colorado when I get there.
Yup, that's just what I'll do; get a job. Papa said I was a good helper fixing the leak in the sink one time. I could be a "pummer" and fix stuff like he does. We put in new shelves in the kitchen because her grandma had lots of stuff to put away. That was kinda fun. I wonder how much it pays...

While Marlee was worrying about how to earn some money for Grandma Lu, Jackson had gotten a new haircut for summer. He was anxious to see his grandpa and go to the lake and maybe do some fishing. He just couldn't wait. There was so many fun things to do there. They lived almost like in a woods. They called it timber. There were lots and lots of trees there. He had once seen deer and even some wild turkeys. His grandpa fed them every day. Someday when he got big maybe his grandpa would let him feed them. He sure hoped so. They were so pretty.

When Marlee got back to her Grandma B's mini farm, Grandma B noticed that she was a little quiet, but didn't think much of it. What Grandma B didn't know was that Marlee was planning her trip and she wasn't going to take Whitlee with her! She had to work and wouldn't have time to play with her little sister. She was going to Colorado by herself.
"How am I going to break this to Whit? She really wanted to go on a 'sister vacation' with me. We would have had fun, but I have to get money for Grandma Lu. It's all my fault she didn't get her check."