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.
“I like Prince,” Maizy declared, putting a giant forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. Ivy pointed to the napkin on her lap and silently coaxed her to wipe her face. “He’s my hero and got me from the road with all those cars. I was really scared that no one would find me.”
Denver stretched his arm behind Maizy’s chair and angrily tossed his fork on his plate with a clang.
Mom looked at Austin. “He was the one who found her?”
Austin nodded and sliced up more of his meat. “He’s sent a few of his men to look for your ex. I don’t think he liked finding a little girl abandoned on the side of the freeway because her father decided to drop her off like a bag of garbage.”
“What are you going to do with this house?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Keep it,” Austin said with a mouthful. “It belongs to my parents and I don’t plan on selling. Maybe I can pass it on someday.”
Then he got real quiet and cut his meat into sizeable pieces.
“The house will fall apart,” I pointed out.
“Land doesn’t fall apart. The house can go for all I care,” he said, waving his fork around. “It’s the property that holds value. We can use it for a getaway whenever someone in the pack wants some time alone with their woman, or their wolf wants a private run.”
Ivy’s eyes brightened and she glanced around, as if she were thinking the same thing I was. What woman? These men didn’t seem like they were ever going to settle down.
Austin held the fork to his mouth and slowly pulled the meat from the prongs. He had a look on his face that only an inside joke could deliver. “You did mention something about a heat house.”
Oh God. I blushed so hard I had to pretend to drop my napkin on the floor and then bent over to pick it up. Someone in the room snorted with laughter and I was tempted to crawl all the way underneath the table.