Page 154 of Lucas

He parks next to a building, and I leap out, heading straight for one of the cages. “There are parrots here that lookjust like Cartman!” I exclaim, turning back to Lucas, only to find him standing with a man who looks very excited.

My face breaks into an embarrassed smile, and I walk over to join them. “Hi. I’m so sorry. I just got excited seeing you have African Grays here.”

The man beams at me. “We’re always happy to see people enthusiastic about the place.”

“What is this place?” My eyes roam around the vast property.

The man glances at Lucas. “I thought you explained it to her?”

Lucas grins. “I left you the honors.”

I look between them, and the man extends a hand to me. “Nice to meet you. I’m Marcus. I run The Haven Sanctuary.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ava.” I shake his hand. “Is that the name of this place?”

He nods. “Yes. We’re a rescue and rehabilitation center for parrots.” He gestures down the path and starts walking. I follow.

“Lucas, aren’t you coming with us?” I ask when I notice he’s staying put.

“No. This is for you,” he says.

I pause for a moment.

“Shall we?” Marcus prompts.

“Yes, of course.”

“We rescue abandoned and injured parrots here. You’d be surprised how many people get a parrot, find out it’s difficult, and just dump them,” Marcus explains as we walk.

I grimace. “I know. My parrot is a rescue. His previous owner taught him to swear.”

Marcus laughs. “Yeah, we’ve had a few of those. It’s hardto get them to stop cursing once they learn it. Many people don’t want to adopt them because they have kids.”

We approach one cage filled with green parrots. “These are Indian Ringnecks. A lot of the parrots here now came in with wing injuries that impacted their flight, so we can’t release them.”

Marcus leads me around the facility, explaining each cage and parrot species. The cages don’t look new, but they’re spacious and spotless. The birds are well cared for. We finish the tour and head back toward the starting point.

“Marcus, I’m sorry, but I still don’t understand what I’m doing here,” I say as we walk.

“Mr. Valeur requested that you be involved in all the planning and setup of our new facility.”

I shake my head. “Lucas requested? I don’t understand.”

“Yes, after he donated ten million to us, and you can’t imagine how rare it is for us to get donations of that size. People prefer to give to cute puppies, not parrots. Anyway, he asked that you be involved in the decisions.”

“He donated...” My voice trails off as I search for Lucas, but he’s disappeared. He donated because he knew I rescued Cartman. A thoughtful, generous gesture.

“We live day to day here, donation to donation. We’re all volunteers, and some of us pay out of pocket to cover costs. He’s like an angel that fell from the sky for us. We were thinking of using the money to build some new cages. Some of ours are too crowded for the birds. And we could also renovate the ones that need it,” Marcus continues.

“Yes, that sounds excellent.” We soon arrive back at the building where Lucas parked, but he isn’t by the car. “Marcus, it was wonderful talking to you. I’d be happy to sit down andgo over the plans later. I’m sure they’re great. From what I can see, you’re doing amazing work here.” I give him my number. “Why don’t you call me, and we’ll set up a meeting?”

Marcus glows. “I’ll call. Thank you so much, Mrs. Valeur.”

“Ava, please.” I smile, placing a hand on his arm.

His grin widens even more. “Ava.”

Lucas’s arm snakes around my waist, and I almost jump out of my skin. Where did he come from? Thin air?