Page 53 of Wayward

“Now, at night, some of the cats sleep in the barn with the sheep and some sleep in my studio. It’s fine. We just don’t want the bats in there, or coyotes or anything else.”

“Got it.”

“You’ll have to speak to Misha about how chasing the cats is a no-no, as well as the rabbits, squirrels, opossums, chipmunks, and groundhogs.”

Or I could just make sure he didn’t do it by training him.

She pointed out her pottery studio then, which was more or less behind Gale’s house. She explained how there was a kiln in there and lots of shelves for her finished pieces.

“You can go in and grab anything you need.”

“Thank you.”

“You know, your eyes are really the most lovely shade of black, like melty onyx.”

I had no idea if that was a good thing or not.

“It’s a good thing,” she assured me. “Though it would be a hard color to make into a glaze,” she concluded, her eyebrows furrowing as if she were perplexed.

“Well, you can work on mixing up different colors until you get it.”

Instant smile. “Yes. Precisely. And now we need to take a look at your home because I’m famished. You must be as well.”

Breakfast had been hours ago, and I’d skipped lunch, and though in my old life I hardly ever ate properly—too many things to do and people to see in a day—over the last two months my body had gotten accustomed to regular meals.

“It was really nice of Gale to put up the fence,” I mentioned to her.

“Yes, although he could have painted it black.”

“White is more universal, yeah?”

“If you think so.” She sounded unconvinced.

“Hey,” Gale said, leaning out of the front door of my new home. “You two come eat. We can do the rest of the tour and look at the main house afterward.”

“You’re coming with?” I asked him.

“Of course. I’m the only one who’s armed.”

“Funny,” I replied drolly.

He shot me an odd look, eyebrows lifted.

“Don’t worry,” Ada said, patting my arm. “I have a mining helmet and a cricket bat for you. You’ll be fine.”

I glanced at her and then back to Gale.

“You need the light on the mining helmet,” he clarified for me, “and it’s important that you have your hands free.”

Standing there, looking back and forth from one to the other, I had no idea why they were screwing with me.

Ada brushed by me, walking into the house. Gale stood there, waiting, his warm eyes never leaving me.

“You don’t actually have to go through her house with me,” I said, not moving, staring up at him on the porch, giving him his out.

“I wouldn’t let someone I hated go in there alone, and since I definitely don’t hate you, I’m going. I am concerned, though, about how long it’s been since you’ve had a tetanus shot.”

“Stop being funny.”