Page 79 of Taking Chances

Sam:

Girl, give that gorgeous man of yours a huge thank you!

100k!!!

I almost peed my pants seeing it!

Me:

Sorry, what?

Sam:

The guy that you brought today?

Me:

What about him?

She’s still not making any sense.

Sam:

He donated 100k to the shelter just before you guys left.

I thought you knew!

Me:

I had no idea.

But I’m so happy for you guys <3

Sleep is no longer on my mind. My heart is racing as my belly fills with something. Excitement?

Lennox donated $100,000 to my shelter. That’s completely insane and undeniably amazing. He’s carrying so much guilt, but he helped so many people with this.

I need to thank him somehow.

32

LENNOX

Yesterday’s shit mood resulted in finishing the kitchen. It turned out better than expected. The dark wood cabinets are a stark contrast to the stainless steel appliances. It’s good to have a normal-sized fridge at last, though I still haven’t switched out the food from my temporary one. The butcherblock countertop looks perfect, but hopefully it will soon show signs of wear and tear, which I prefer. Three giant boxes sit in my wannabe dining room, full of dishes waiting to be placed in the new space. My knees ache as I do my best to scrub the bottom cabinets, but it’s nothing compared to how I felt after the shelter.

Donating the money was an easy decision, but it hasn’t helped me feel any better. That fucking money won’t bring Mason’s childhood back. I’m elbow deep in bleach when I hear a knock on my door.

The doorbell is broken—and I have no plan on fixing it—so the knock isn’t surprising, but who the hell is here?

Quickly, I pull my gloves off, washing my hands and drying them on a dishrag, which I throw over my shoulder before getting to the front door.

A scowl already in place, I’m prepared to scare away any door-to-door salesperson I suppose is behind the doors. In its place, copper locks and green eyes await.

“Oh,” Anne blurts, her eyes showing fear.

“Sorry, I didn’t know who it was.” I remove the scowl from my face.

“Good thinking. Scare them away without having to tell them anything.” She lets out a cute laugh and I sense my lips turning up.

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