Everyone else did. Ivy stared at her plate, shoulders hunched, spreading her mashed potatoes around with a fork.
Mom sprinkled a dash of pepper on her steak. “I’ll go with you in the morning and see what you boys are dealing with. As a homeowner, I know a thing or two you wouldn’t think to check. I just hope you had an inspector come out and look at the foundation. Lexi, do you mind watching Maizy for the day? I won’t be able to keep an eye on her and I don’t think that’s the kind of place she should be running around in. There might be nails or loose wires.”
“Sure. No problem.” Mom didn’t bother asking me to go because she knew my stance on manual labor. Especially after the paint-thinner fiasco.
“Good. We’ll stop by the hardware store and pick up several gallons of white paint. Something always needs a fresh coat of paint and we might as well get started right away.”
“Mom, do you really want to be painting in this heat?” I argued.
Yeah, she did. That woman was born to redecorate. She just never had much room to do it in her small house. But the idea of a large home that was big enough to have once been a hotel? I knew she was about to die a little bit and go to heaven. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had them laying down wood flooring by sunset.
I leaned into Austin and spoke privately. “Did you clean up everything?”
The first thing my mom would see when she walked into the house was a mattress with tangled sheets, and I was sure I had left some of my things there. I didn’t want to give her the wrong idea of what kind of daughter she had raised.
Austin grinned, telling me visually that hell no, he hadn’t moved a damn thing.
Ivy finally piped in. “I can help furnish the rooms. I’m good with finding cheap or free furniture and fixing it up; just give me some money and I’ll work with a budget. People wait for trash day and put it on their curb, so if one of you can come along with me on those days, we can scope out some of the neighborhoods and load them onto a truck. Garage sales will get you bargains if you go late.”
“Why late?” I asked. “Early bird gets the worm.”
She pushed her braid off her shoulder and a strand of hair slipped in front of her nose. “Early bird also pays a fortune. The late bird gets the deal on leftovers, because the owners just want to get rid of it for any price at that point. People can’t see the potential in some pieces that look ugly or broken. I can. I see beneath all the glossy paint at the raw beauty below the surface.”
Hand to God, every man in the room was watching her like she was a prophet. Ivy had such a beautiful voice and the manner in which she spoke drew you to her words, as if everything had a deeper meaning. She could be talking about scrubbing a toilet and make it sound like she was teaching you a lesson about humility.
I smiled and took a bite of cucumber. Ivy was going to fit in well; she was exactly what this pack needed. They had somehow accepted her as a sister, even though she was insanely beautiful in an earthy way, with lush lips and delicate features. I had so much to learn about Shifters.
“You going to be okay by yourself?” Austin asked hesitantly.
“Sure. I’ll have to plan something fun with Maizy,” I said in an animated voice, grabbing her attention. I winked at her and she giggled while nibbling on a tomato wedge. “Maybe we’ll do Pretty Pigtail Day and make some homemade pizza. Would you like that, Maze?”
She gave it the weighty consideration only a six-year-old can. “Umm, okay. Can we play games like at the pizza place?”
I glanced at Austin, not wanting to let her play on Denver’s game system. “You got any kid games around here?”
He frowned a little and thought about it. “Cards?”
“Then I’m just going to have to kick it old school and show her how to play hopscotch.”
“Hide and seek!” she replied.
“I don’t think we have the stuff to make a pizza,” Austin murmured in a deep voice.
“Trust me, you do. I know how to make homemade dough. Heck, I can make a pizza using toast if I really need to.”
“She can,” Mom agreed. “And it’s appalling.”
“You have tomato sauce in the cabinet and there’s provolone cheese slices in the fridge, so it’s all good. Call me if you want lunch later on. Maybe you can lend me the keys to one of your cars and I can swing by.”
“What’s wrong with yours?”
I gave him the look. His brows relaxed as he remembered. I’d once hated that car because it was a symbol of Beckett’s infidelity, but now it was a reminder of the man who tried to take my life.
“The wolves will stay off the property,” he stated as fact. “I’ve marked a warning and the Packmasters in the area know about our situation. If you have any trouble, you can call Prince. His number is on my phone and I’ll leave it with you.”
“Prince?” my mom suddenly piped in. “The guy in the sparkly pants who sang ‘Purple Rain’?”
I did a facepalm, trying not to laugh, because it was funny. I’d actually gotten used to his name and didn’t find it unusual until she brought it up.
