Page 109 of Scarlet Promise

Demyan stalks out of the living room, leaving me there to stare after him.

Ten minutes later,I’m calm enough, my stomach settled enough for me to think.

Albert’s barking brought Olga in, and she took one look at me, set her mouth, motioned to the sofa, and disappeared.

Then she returned with jasmine tea she swears helps, as well as some crackers.

After she fussed over me for a bit, complete with a throw tucked around me, I sent her off with a smile and went back to researching.

Albert sighs as he rests his head on my free knee.

This whole endeavor’s going to be more complicated than I thought. I could buy the block from the landlord. I’m positive about that. But the other places have leases, that while I could break them, seems a little unfair.

Then I’d have to wait to expand and maybe look around for more properties.

Also, while it seems the landlord just wants to make as much money as possible each time he puts the block on the market, there has to be some kind of reason why no one actually buys it.

Even if there isn’t…

I start researching other listings, all of them near parks.

Parks always have foot traffic.

“If we’re serious, Albert, we should start serious and go from there. Find a bigger space we can just buy without dealing with this other landowner who might be problematic and save more dogs. Even some cats.”

He whines, and I scratch his ears.

“What about something with a yard? Maybe two storefronts or an old house we can convert?”

There are places all over that could be bought and renovated ground up, or just converted. And the cost of land seems a fraction of what that other landowner wants.

I’m in the middle of hour two when I stop, my heart beating so fast that I find it hard to breathe.

There it is. A house on a street of businesses, and two of the businesses, a clothing store and a hardware store, are for sale,too. I bookmark it. The house itself is twice the size of Eva’s shelter, and it’s not that far from it.

I try to tell myself not to be excited yet, but I can’t help it. I am.

My phone starts to buzz, and I fit my earpiece and press answer.

“Malyshka,” Ilya says, his voice sending ripples of longing through me. “I’ve been thinking of you. Are you okay?”

Am I?

I actually think I am.

There’s the issue with Demyan still not accepting everything, but now he knows the truth, all of it, so hopefully the only way to go now is up.

“I’m good,” I say. “I spoke to Demyan. We came to an agreement. He’ll let me have the money from my trust fund I asked for, and not a penny more, as long as I don’t sell my shares in the club.”

“And are you okay with that?” he asks.

I laugh because it’s so Ilya. He knows I am, but he likes to check. Just like he always has.

“Absolutely.”

What I don’t do is mention the fight about him, or my inadvertent blurt about the baby, because that’ll lead down paths I’m not ready to step on. I don’t want to hurt Ilya. Not any more than Demyan already has.

“Actually, I’m thinking of buying somewhere bigger to expand the shelter, and I think I have a place, but obviously we’ll have to have it looked at…”