Page 85 of Home Ice

She pulls over to the curb, and before the car is even in park, she turns to look at me. I see the slightest little copper swirls as the sun glints in her brown irises. "I want us to break up."

"Nope," I pop the word. "Sorry, Jams, I guess it's not as difficult as I thought. Maybe you don't believe this right now, but you deserve better than you've ever had before. And I'm going to be that for you." I get out and walk around to her side. When she's out of the car, I take her hand. She doesn't yank away or even argue. She just wraps her fingers around mine and doesn't let go, even when we get to the door.

Michael is sitting behind the desk when he waves us in. I almost don't recognize him in the dark blue suit he's wearing. He looks like he hasn't slept in a week. "Are you two here to see Chloe? She hasn't stopped talking about her trip to Toronto." He smiles. It looks like it's been even more than a week since he last did that. "She's not here, though. She's at the library with some friends. Claims she wants to study for a science test coming up after break, but I'm pretty sure she just wants to use their internet. I had to limit her wifi here at the house because she binged Korean shows and watched TikTok videos all day."

"K-dramas," A cute flush sweeps over Lily's face. "I might be the cause of that. Sorry."

Michael rolls a shoulder. "From what I've seen, it's nothing inappropriate. But it shouldn't be all the time. As a teenager, though, it's her job to disagree. Since she's on break, she should be allowed to do whatever she wants, she told me." The way he whips his head from side to side as he says it forces me to stifle a laugh. It's an almost perfect impression. "Sorry you came all this way just for her to not be here."

"It's not like it's that far." Lily sits on a chair opposite Michael, and I follow her lead. "Besides, I wanted to talk to you if you have a minute."

Michael looks at his computer screen, clicks something, and then puts his hands behind his head as he pushes his chair back a couple of feet from the desk. It makes him look even more weary than he already did. "I can take a break. It's not like I'm getting anywhere anyway. So what can I do for you?"

"You can tell me what's wrong," Lily answers.

He draws in his lower lip and bites the left side. "Nothing you two need to worry about."

"So tell us, and we can stop worrying then." I lean forward and rest my elbows on my knees. If someone is giving Chloe a hard time, I will absolutely ruin them. I don't care if they're under eighteen or not. My mind flashes to the first time I was here. To that boy who was being a smart ass to Chloe. Roland or Ronan or something like that. I can picture him, but I just can't recall his name.

"We're a small non-profit, and what we do isn't exactly popular with some people."

"You give unhoused kids a place to stay," Lily interrupts. "How could anyone not support that?"

Michael gives Lily a look that tells her she knows exactly why some people don't support what they do. "We give unhoused LGBTQ children a place to stay."

Roman. That was that jerk's name.

"But this doesn't have anything to do with that," Michael continues. "Not directly. You've probably noticed that this area is gentrifying. When this was just an abandoned house, the owner gave us a great lease as long as we could make our own repairs. That deal worked well for everyone for the last few years."

"But?" I ask.

"But some developers have come along and made offers on this property. The landlord is a nice man, and he's never once balked at helping us. But it doesn't make sense to turn down offers that will give him multiple times more money than he would ever get from a lifetime of collecting rent from us."

"Couldn't he cut you some kind of deal?" Lily asks. "Raise your rent a little, or let you buy the house at a discount? There's probably some tax deduction he could get for doing that, right?"

Michael shakes his head. "It's nowhere near what he would get for selling it outright. We have some money set aside for repairs and improvements. We could use it, but it's less than a third of what we would need. And even if we did that, it wouldn't leave us money to make any essential repairs that might come up afterward. The best chance we have now is finding a new home. Someplace close to schools, with neighbors who won't object to a dozen unhoused queer kids living next door, and in an area that won't interest developers for the next decade or two. Should be easy, right?" He forces a humorless chuckle.

"I'm sorry." It's inadequate, but I don't know what else to say. Michael looks heartbroken, and Lily looks like she could cry. I rub my thumb across the back of it.

"We'll be fine. We don't have a lot of support, but the support we have is very loyal. It will work out. Somehow."

CHAPTER 53

ROADKILL

LILY

As I drive Brant back to the arena to get his car, my head swims with fundraising ideas. Car washes, bake sales, selling candy for Valentine’s Day like I did when I was in school. The problem is they're all way too small. The shelter needs so much more than that. "Do you think the guys on the team would donate things for a raffle? Like a stick or a jersey or something?"

"I think they would give you anything you want. And I know for a fact Kayden has a fantasy about a group of women buying him at an auction."

Thankfully, we're at a stoplight because I automatically cover my eyes. "Way more than I need to know about him."

Brant chortles. "That's what I said when he told me about it. I'll talk to the boys for you."

My house has an extra bedroom, so I could take Chloe in. I've wanted to ask her anyway, but I've been afraid to push her before she's ready. But what about all the others? There's no way I can take them all. Do they just end up on the streets? Back with the parents who caused them to run away in the first place? "We'll figure something out, Lily. I promise."

I smile over at him, and I think it might be the first smile I've given him since we got back from Canada. "Maybe we could talk some mafia people into taking over the area, so the developers don't want to buy the land there anymore."

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