Phoenix seemed interested in the music store, and I made yet another mental note to get her into lessons of some kind.
I was afraid if I asked too much too soon, she’d shut down on me. We were making a little progress and I was happy with that.
Once we got to the winding lakeside roads, we both sat up a bit straighter. She helped me find the right number and we pulled up out front.
The cabin Dani secured for us was beautiful. The front yard was cut nicely, and dotted with enough trees to give it shade.
The side yard was the only part that really got enough sun, aside from the lake itself. If we did a garden, it would have to go there.
“This is nice,” Phoenix said as we climbed out to join the others waiting out front.
Dani waved me over to an older couple standing there.
“Hello, dear. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the woman said to Phoenix, smiling, before my niece gave me a look likewho the hell is this.
“This is Nancy and Craig. They’re the ones who own the home,” Dani explained for me.
“Why don’t you take a tour?” Craig said kindly. “Let us know what you think. We’ll be waiting out front.”
“Thank you,” I said before heading up the porch stairs. I gave Phoenix an encouraging smile before I pushed open the door. She followed me inside, Dani and Taryn on her heels.
This place was nice. The rooms were big and it was partially furnished, just the basics, but there was still enough room for what I already owned.
Thanks to the success of our store, I had enough savings to be able to get Phoenix everything she needed for her new room.
The master was built for a pack. It was spacious and had a beautiful omega nest attached. The bathroom had a door leading to each room. There was also a walk-in closet that dreams were made of, with plenty of organization.
One of the smaller bedrooms had a view of the lake, the other looked toward the opposite side of the house.
There would be a lot of decorating to do, but this place was exactly what we needed.
Maybe once things settled and I got a chance to apologize to the pack, they’d join us here. I knew they were good men, and they’d understand.
A girl could only handle so much at once, and thanks to my sister, my responsibilities had shifted.
“Can I have the room that overlooks the lake?” Phoenix asked, then tried to shake her head. “No, I’m sorry. I’ll take whatever you want me to take.”
“I want you to take the room you actually want,” I promised. “If you want the one by the lake, it’s yours.”
“Really?” That ray of hope was everything.
“Of course,” I promised. “I know that we don’t know each other that well, but I’m never going to lie to you. I’m not goingto force you to do things you don’t want to do when I can help it, and I’m going to take your opinions into account. I promise.”
She still seemed skeptical, but I had a feeling that with time, she’d believe me. All I had to do was keep showing up for her.
A MONTH LATER
I’d barely opened my eyes, alarm still blaring, when a churning in my stomach had me bolting out of bed. I made a beeline for the toilet and just barely made it before I emptied the contents of last night’s dinner into it.
"I'm never eating Chinese again," I muttered once the gagging and heaving had passed. My skin felt clammy and the nausea was threatening to come back.
A knock on my bedroom door told me I wasn’t as quiet as I’d hoped for.
"Aunt Bea, are you okay?" Phoenix asked, not opening the door.
"Yeah, are you ready for school?" I countered, biting back another wave.
"I just need to put on my shoes," she promised. "Are you walking me today?"
