Page 102 of Hiss and Make Up
“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 amuchcheaper 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 notthatbad.”
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.”
