Page 80 of Wayward

“We’re going to do the demolition on the attic once the foundation is done. I’m going to start searching for architects next week so we’ll be ready once we get the go-ahead from the building inspector.”

“But we have to wait until the attic is gone and the basement is completely water-free.”

“That’s correct.”

She clapped her hands. “I’m so excited to be starting!”

“I know,” I said, smiling at her.

She reached up and cupped my cheek in her hand. “You and Gale have just been angels. Darling, we really must talk about your salary.”

“Let’s worry about that later. You have to visit with your family.”

She turned to them. “Franz, dear, what did you need? Did you want me to speak to your father about increasing your allowance?”

“No,” he replied nervously, glancing at me and then back to her. “I thought we agreed that you would help offset costs that our allowances don’t cover.”

She nodded. “Yes, but not forever. My goodness, it’s been over five years that I’ve been carrying you and Harry and Ainsley for incidentals beyond your own trust funds. But you see, now Maks is here, and he feels that my home is what needs all my attention and money at the moment. We have to get so much done before the winter, and it’s already May.”

“True,” I agreed.

“Well,” Mr. Farley said, “perhaps if we could come inside and take a look at the jewelry, and you could see your way clear to giving us some of your grandmother’s estate pieces, like the carnation diamond choker or the—”

“Oh, Oscar had all the jewelry moved to the bank ages ago, except for what I’m wearing and some of my favorite Chanel pieces from my Studio 54 days,” she said with a cackle, fisting her hands and giving a little shimmy shake.

“No,” I ordered.

“The effect is better in a plunging beaded dress and stilettos.”

“Stop,” I groaned. “I don’t want that in my head.”

She was giggling. “So much sex and cocaine.”

“Just…no.”

Leaning in to me, she wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed, bending over to kiss Misha’s head. “I’ll bet someone needs to go potty,” she announced, and when she held out her hands, Misha scrambled out of the sling to get to her.

She put him down on the grass, and he yipped and darted away, lifting his leg for a moment and then running, stopping after only moments to look back, crouch down, ready to play, tail wagging as Ada chased him. The way he jumped up in the air, nearly bouncing, barking and circling back, was adorable. He couldn’t have been any cuter, and I was so glad to be able to give him a life where he could run around and play and just be a dog. And in that moment, a thought occurred to me.

“You look like you got hit by a bolt of lightning,” Ada said from where she was, not too far away but enough that her voice had to carry a bit.

“What if,” I began, “after the house gets all fixed up, we could open an animal sanctuary for dogs and cats and try to find all the little furry people new homes?”

She stood there, just staring at me.

“Ada?”

Nothing.

I cleared my throat and tried again. “Ada?”

Her inhale of breath was loud. “Oh, Maks, I think that’s an utterly marvelous idea. We could call it the Libby Farley Animal Sanctuary.”

“Yes, we could,” I agreed. “And we could use your potter’s mark as the logo.”

She gasped and ran back, Misha right behind her, and flung herself at me. “Oh, I knew it,” she said, arms wrapped around my neck, holding on. “I knew you were the one, Maks. I knew you were supposed to be my caretaker, my home’s caretaker, and now the caretaker for my land. Most importantly, for Libby. You’re going to give my baby her legacy, and she loved animals more than anything.”

“Not true,” I whispered into her ear. “She loved you most of all.”