Hiss and Make Up
Page 23
“Okay…”
Sierra couldn’t blame her friend for being nervous to talk to her. Not after all the weird stuff that had been going down out there and the stories she’d told Liz about it all. But this would be a good story. One with a happy ending for everyone.
Or at least that’s what Sierra hoped.
They walked through the gate and out to the road. Sierra gestured at the huge stretch of property where Denise’s half-burned house stood.
“What am I looking at here?” Liz asked. “Besides a very sad situation.”
“You’re looking at the proposed site of the future St. Martin Animal Sanctuary.”
Liz gave her a questioning look.
“The name’s still up in the air, but you get the idea.”
“No, I don’t get the idea at all. Which group is doing this? Did Denise sell the property or did she get a wild hair up her butt to go into animal rescue? Because if the later, I’m highly skeptical.”
“Not Denise. Me,” Sierra said. “And, I’m hoping, you.”
Denise’s jaw hung open, and she turned her stunned gaze from the blackened house to her best friend. “I should have known if there was a wild hair up anyone’s butt it would be yours.”
“So is that a yes?”
“No! Besides, doesn’t Denise kind of need her house?”
“She’s moving to Texas for now. It’s complicated.”
Complicated was an understatement. From what little Sierra understood, Denise’s marriage was a bigger mess than they’d suspected, and the frequent strip club visits were just the canary in the coal mine. Sierra didn’t want to pry on the details, but she did know that Denise discovered he’d been sleeping around for quite some time. Marc was waiting to hear back from his sister on all her plans and decisions moving forward. The only thing Denise had made clear was her intention to take the insurance money and not come back for a while. She was leaving her chunk of the family property to Marc.
Liz shook her head in disbelief. “A month ago you were solving mysteries to pay your bills. How the hell are you suddenly going to build an animal sanctuary?”
“Not me. We.”
“Sierra, I’m serious. This isn’t a lemonade stand.”
“I know, I know. We can do a huge fundraiser to get it off the ground and build the place. We’ll get people on board to help with the business end. You already know how to start a nonprofit and plenty of vets and other people who can help on the animal end. Plus, we can partner with other groups. We’ll have fundraisers and get volunteers and donations. I was thinking I could bring animals to birthday parties to fund the operation once it’s up and running. Or we could rent out kennel space for boarding or doggy daycare to keep it running. There are lots of options.”
Sierra watched the shock and horror fade from her best friend’s face, and a spark of interest filled her dark eyes.
Liz shook the spark away. “We can barely afford the house as it is. And this is a lot of work. Neither of us has the time or money to put into something like this. I know you’re excited and your heart’s in the right place, but this doesn’t make any sense.”
“What if we could live free and save up a few months, then you and Luna could move into a place for half the cost of where you’re living now?”
Liz narrowed her eyes. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
Sierra turned her body and gestured at Marc’s house.
The horror and shock returned in full force. “You want me to sell my house and move me and my kid in with the guy you’ve been dating for a whole month?” Liz put her hands up. “I’m out.”
She started to walk back to the barbecue, but Sierra grabbed her arm. “Wait, wait, wait. Not permanently.” Liz stopped for a second, and Sierra pointed a little farther down the road where a “for sale” sign sat in front of a cozy brick house. “We could oversee the construction from Marc’s house rent-free and save up a ton of money for a few months. Then, you and Luna could have your own place with a much cheaper mortgage out here.”
Chloe and Adrien were currently tied up with paperwork, but they both said they’d gladly to sell the house to Liz in a few months if she wanted it.
Liz stared at the Guidrys’ house.
She was thinking. It was a better reaction than Sierra had hoped for.
“What about Luna’s school? And friends? Her whole life is at our house.”
“Her ghosts too,” Sierra said. She hated pointing it out because there were so many good memories in that house. But maybe a change would do Luna some good. “You can run it by her therapist first. She’d be in a good school here, and she’d make new friends. How much would she love growing up next to an animal sanctuary and a bayou?”
“She is a tiny version of her Aunt Sierra, isn’t she?” Liz frowned.
“Hey, it’s not that bad.”
Liz turned and looked Sierra in the eye. No horror, no shock, no excitement. This was business-Liz. “What does Marc think about this?”
Sierra smiled. She couldn’t help herself. “It was his idea.”
“Jesus,” Liz muttered and rubbed her temples. “You’re both nuts. You know that, right?”
“So does that mean you’ll at least think about it?”
“This is a lot to think about.” Liz looked back at the proposed property, and Sierra could see the possibilities forming in her friend’s head. “Fine. I’ll think about it.”
Sierra clapped with glee and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“I’m not promising anything besides thinking.”
“I know.”
Liz sighed and shook her head, then smiled despite herself.
“Come on, let’s get back,” Sierra said. “We’ll talk again later.”
They returned to the yard, where Liz went back to Luna and Puck around the kiddie pool. Marc closed the grill and met Sierra in the middle of the patio. He placed a hand on her lower back and laughed at Luna and Puck.
“I guess I have a dog now,” he said.
“I guess you do.”
“How’d it go?”
Sierra shrugged. “She’s thinking about it.”
“Which means?” Marc asked.
A grin spread across Sierra’s face. “Oh, she’s in.”
He smiled and kissed her. “You are quite convincing.”
“Hey, it was your idea,” she reminded him.
“Not to say I told you so, but it’s a pretty perfect idea.” His expression tightened. “Denise called while you were talking to Liz.”
“How are they?”
“Josh is with them at the hotel. He’s checking in to some kind of rehab place this weekend. She’s getting an apartment there while he does that, then they’ll make more decisions. His job is willing to transfer him to the Houston office so he won’t have to travel anymore, and if he continues with therapy and is committed to change, she and the kids will stay in Houston. So, yes, she definitely doesn’t want the property anymore. Even if things don’t work out, she said she’ll want a fresh start somewhere else.”
Sierra nodded. “Of course.”
Sierra didn’t quite understand. If were in Denise’s shoes, she’d be bringing her kids to stay with Marc, not following this jerk to Texas. But they deserved their own second chance, she supposed.
“How are you with all of this?” she asked.
“A little sad. It’ll be weird not having them around. But I want her to be happy. Whatever that means for her.,” Marc said. “What about you?”
“I’m fine,” she lied. When he raised his brow at her, she said, “I’m just nervous. Not for me. But for all of us.” They’d talked about this, but she still had concerns. “What if this doesn’t work out? What if we don’t work out? We’re all going to make really awkward neighbors.”
“I told you, I’ll move.”
“Stop. I’m serious.”
“I’m serious too,” he said. “If we don’t work out, I’m going to be convinced this place is cursed.
”
She laughed. “So you’d saddle me with a cursed house? Thanks.”
He pulled her close against him. “Then I’d just have to take you with me.”
She narrowed her eyes at him as he kissed her. “I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
Surprisingly, she was confident they’d figure this out. More confident than she’d been of anything else in a long time. But she needed to make sure Liz and Luna were taken care of. They deserved a happy ending too.
Sierra looked at the yard and their friends and family. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d ever felt this much love and happiness in one place. Her eyes fell over Chloe and Freddy, and Sierra couldn’t help feeling happy to see a smile on Chloe’s face.
Marc kissed her softly, lingering a bit before leaving to flip the burgers. She didn’t know what would happen in the future. If they could make all of this work. Or if she’d been right all along and second chances were just false hope.
But her heart was telling her that this was real. That as long as they were both in this together, and as long as they knew exactly who each other was and still accepted and respected each other, they could make anything work.
Full of hope and love and the unexpected courage that came with that, she left the patio and joined her friends in the yard.
Smolder
A tiny kitten.
An animal control worker.
The fireman who dared to break her heart.
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About the Author
Leigh Landry is a contemporary romance author who loves stories with happy endings, supportive friendships, and adorable pets. Once a musician, freelance writer, and English teacher, Leigh now spends her days writing and volunteering at an animal rescue center in the Heart of Cajun Country.
You can find more information about Leigh, news about upcoming and currently published books, and a free story collection at: leighlandryauthor.com.
Also by Leigh Landry:
Bayou Rescue Series
Hiss and Make Up
(more coming soon)
Cajun Two-Step Series
Second Fiddle Flirt
Six String Sass
Rim Shot Rebound
Squeeze Box Belle
* Complete Series Box Set *
Collie Jolly