Page 49 of Wilder

“Are you staying for supper, sweetie?” his mom asked. “I’m making spaghetti.”

“I guess I’ll risk it.”

“Ha. Very funny,” she said. “It’s not that bad.”

“I think it’s one of your better dishes these days.”

“It is,” she agreed. “Even your dad likes it.”

“As long as I don’t have to make it after painting all day, I’ll eat pretty much anything.”

“Well, I’ll leave you two to it, so you’re done in time for supper.”

They continued to work steadily, getting all the walls painted. They had to work around the furniture since it had all been pushed into the middle of the room, but they managed to get it done.

Once the walls were all painted, they cleaned up the brushes and rollers they’d used. The trim for the windows and the door was in the garage, where his dad had already painted them white. They’d install them and move the furniture back after supper, when, hopefully, the walls would be dry enough.

Over spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad, they talked about the orphanages. His parents had stayed in touch with the people running them, so they had constant updates on the kids and the ministry.

“I would like to do a fundraiser for them,” his mom said. “They each have a stateside organization set up, so donations could go directly to them.”

“I’m sure we could come up with something.” Wilder knew his siblings would jump at the chance to help. “Too bad we couldn’t combine the skate thing Alexander wants with a fundraiser.”

“What skate thing?” his dad asked.

Wilder explained to them what had been going on with Alexandra and the skating program. “It’s all up in limbo at the moment. We’re hoping that Kayleigh or Hudson can get some clarification on what exactly Alexander wants.”

“Alexander and Alexandra,” his mom muttered. “How confusing.”

“Yeah. I’m assuming that Alexandra was named after Alexander. He’s her godfather.”

“I guess that’s probably why he’s helping her out.”

Wilder nodded. “That’s what we’re all assuming.”

“Well, maybe we should talk to Kayleigh and see if we could combine the program with a fundraiser.” His mom smiled. “Who knows? Maybe Alexander would cough up a sizable donation. That would be wonderful for the orphanages.”

“It would be,” Wilder agreed. “I plan to go up to the resort tomorrow, so I’ll see if Kayleigh has time to talk. Having a specific goal might help to give the program some direction.”

“Do you think we can pull something together in less than two months, though?” His mom didn’t sound convinced.

His dad leaned over to kiss the side of her head. “Honey, you know that when our family sets their mind to something, we can make it work.”

“Just let me run this by Kayleigh, and possibly Hudson, first,” Wilder said.

His mom nodded. “Try to get her to see how beneficial this could be all around.”

“I will.” Though he and Kayleigh were quite different in their approach to things, he knew she would at least listen to what he had to say.

By the time he got back to the house, it was almost nine. He was tempted to call or text Alexandra, but he knew that she got up early to train. He didn’t want to take the chance of keeping her up later than usual.

Besides, he really didn’t have a reason to call her.

Late the next morning, Wilder drove out to the resort. He’d called Kayleigh, and she’d said that she and Hudson could meet with him for lunch. Since he knew they were both busy, he was glad they were willing to squeeze in some time with him.

He parked outside the entrance to The Steakhouse, then headed for the doors, hands in his pockets to ward off the chill of the day. Dark clouds hung heavy in the sky, and the forecast was for snow. Wilder hoped that, for once, they weren’t wrong.

Inside the restaurant, the hostess greeted him by name with a smile. “On your own, or are you meeting Kayleigh?”

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