When tomorrow comes, p.10
When Tomorrow Comes, page 10
“So?”
“She wants to put me, I mean us, on retainer for $5,000 a month to find homes for all of her pets.”
“FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH?”
Baye held the phone away from her ear when Libby shouted the number. “She has stipulations, though, and wants to negotiate a contract that we both sign to make sure her wishes are carried out.”
“How many months is she planning to do this? What if she turns forty-one and hasn’t died?” Libby’s words came out in a rush. “Shit, just one month would let us pay off the vet, hire some part-time kennel help, and maybe sock some savings away.”
“I guess that would depend on how long it takes us to find good homes for her animals.”
Libby slowed her babble only a little. “How many does she have? She could just sell the sheep, goats, and llama that are in the pasture next to us. I don’t know about the donkey. Who would want a loud-mouthed donkey?”
“She doesn’t want the sheep and goats sold to someone who might sell them for slaughter. They’re pets. She also has a pot-bellied pig, chickens, rabbits, a huge parrot, a monkey, a Maine coon, and two dogs…correction, just the big white dog. The little terrier will go to her housekeeper.”
“Okay. It could take months to find homes for the monkey, parrot, and raccoon, but them being so hard to place will be a good reason to take several months. That would let us clear our past-due accounts, and I could quit this waitressing job I hate.”
Baye burst into laughter. “A Maine coon is a very large cat, not a raccoon.”
“Whatever. What time should I be there? I’m flexible because I’m off work tomorrow…I mean today. It’s stupid to even ask, but do you need help cleaning that garbage dump you live in?”
Baye looked over her shoulder at the kitchen. Dirty dishes and trash filled the sink and covered the countertops, not to mention the smell coming from the refrigerator. “Yeah. I’ll text Teague in the morning and tell her to come over around three o’clock.”
“That sounds good. Now let me get some sleep, and I’ll be there no later than eight in the morning.”
“Bring doughnuts and coffee. Judging from the smell, I’m not sure we should eat anything out of this refrigerator.”
Chapter Nine
What the hell are you doing?” Libby stood just inside the front door, holding a cardboard tray and surveying the chaos of paint cans, brushes, two ladders, and computer paper scattered along the living room/dining room floor.
“Thank God you’re here. I’ve been up all night, but I’m almost finished,” Baye said. She felt euphoric after taking a couple of extra Adderall pills, an amphetamine medication prescribed for her ADHD, to stay awake. She’d take another to get through the day, too. She could crash for a long sleep tonight.
“This place is an even bigger mess than yesterday.” Libby glared at her. “You’re supposed to be cleaning. Why are you painting?”
“I hated that wallpaper even when I was a kid. Just the fact that it’s been there for at least fifteen years is enough reason to remove it.” Damn. Libby was always bringing her down.
“I don’t disagree with that, but this is not the time to be remodeling, damn it.” Libby looked at floor. “Is that my printing paper all over the floor?”
“I needed something to protect the floor from drips.”
“Clearly it didn’t.” The pages had slipped this way and that as Baye had walked on them, leaving large portions of the floor unprotected and an apparent magnet for drips and spills. “That was an extra-large pack of printer paper I just bought yesterday, Baye. Did you use all of it?”
“I’ll buy you lots more paper after Teague pops that first five thousand dollars in my bank account.”
“You mean Heavy Petting’s bank account.”
Baye rolled her eyes. “Yes. In the business account.”
Libby looked around. “If you haven’t texted her yet about the meeting time, you probably should make it around five o’clock, rather than three. It’ll take that long to get this place halfway clean, then for you to get showered. You stink of sweat and have paint in your hair.”
“I texted her last night that we’d meet at three this afternoon.” She stepped back to admire her work. She wasn’t crazy about the blue color, but it was left over from the cathouse construction and all that was available in the middle of the night.
“We’ll take ten minutes for coffee and doughnuts, and then we better get busy. I’ll tackle the kitchen while you clean up in here.”
Baye put down her paintbrush. “Yum. Doughnuts.”
* * *
“Get up! You have only twenty minutes to get yourself cleaned up.”
Baye jerked awake when the recliner was nearly tipped over backward. She’d finally finished scrubbing the last of the paint from the hardwood floors and planned to sit down for only a minute. She scowled at Libby. “Shit. You nearly tipped me over.” She rubbed her tired eyes. “What time is it?”
“Twenty minutes until three. I’ve cleaned up that awful kitchen and the stinky refrigerator. Then I cleaned the downstairs bathroom.”
Baye stood and stretched. “Good. I’ll shower in there. The one upstairs is nasty.”
“Oh, no, you don’t. You are not going to mess up the bathroom I just cleaned. If the upstairs one is nasty, it’s your own dirt and soap scum.”
“Okay, okay.” She took a few seconds to collect herself. She’d meant to take another Adderall. “I’m going. If Teague gets here before I’m ready, just hang out with her. I’ll be quick.”
She took only a few steps when her phone quacked to indicate a new text message.
Teague: Just to clarify—you are coming here at three, right? I want your cousin to also meet my animals too before we review the contract.
She stared at the message. “Shit.”
“What?” Libby peered over Baye’s shoulder to read the text and growled. “I’m going to kill you.”
“I’ll tell her to come over here.” She started to reply, but Libby snatched the phone from her and began typing.
“Get in the shower, damn it.” She handed the phone to Baye so she could read the reply she sent.
Baye: I’ve been painting and was about to jump in the shower, so we might be a few minutes late.
The phone quacked again.
Teague: Okay. See you soon.
She smiled at Libby. “Guess I can use the clean bathroom since she’s not coming here.”
“Over my dead body,” Libby growled through clenched teeth. “I didn’t spend an hour cleaning that bathroom for you to trash it again so soon. Now go. Get. In. The. Shower.”
“Okay, okay. You don’t have to get huffy.”
* * *
Teague paced in front of the kitchen island and back, her agitation growing with each minute. Multiple copies of the contract were printed and ready for review. Connie had prepared finger sandwiches and bite-sized bakery sweets artfully displayed and covered in two glass cake stands to protect them from marauding parrots and monkeys. She looked at her phone again. Twenty minutes past three. Baye had said they would be a few minutes late. She fought the overwhelming urge to wait on the front porch. Connie had advised pacing the porch would look too anxious. But, damn, she couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss the night before. Of course, she wouldn’t expect a kiss like that today since Baye would have her cousin with her, but how should she greet her? The sound of doorbell chimes jerked her from her thoughts. “Walk, do not run to the door,” she said to the empty room. So, she trotted.
“Hi. Sorry we’re so late,” Libby said when Teague opened the door.
“I was beginning to wonder if you changed your mind.” Although her response was to Libby’s apology, her eyes were on Baye as the implied question hung in the air between them—did she regret the kiss? To her relief, Baye’s smile was soft as she stepped forward and placed a chaste kiss on Teague’s cheek.
“It’s my fault. I had to shampoo my hair three times to get all the paint out.” Baye stepped closer and wrapped her in a long, tight hug to whisper in her ear. “Forgive me?”
All her doubts fled as Baye’s hug dissolved the anxiety singing through her body. “Yes.” She stepped back when Baye released her. “Please come inside.” She led them to the formal dining room, where she intended to review the contract and negotiate any requested changes. Two copies were laid out, along with pens for any changes and a laptop where she could instantly make any agreed revisions and reprint for signatures or for their attorney’s review.
Libby sat where Teague indicated, but Baye frowned and remained standing. “Can I say hello to the kids first?”
Teague was puzzled. “I do not have children.”
“Your animal children, silly. You wanted Libby to meet them.”
She thought this suggestion over. Meeting the animals before agreeing to a contract did make sense. What had she been thinking? She was thinking of that kiss. “You make an excellent point.” She indicated the door that led to the open-concept kitchen and living area. “Mac and Cappie are in the sunroom.”
Baye stopped at the kitchen island. “Oh my God. Connie made this for us?”
“Yes. Some of the small sandwiches are cucumber and cream cheese. Others have chicken-salad or shrimp-salad filling. The second cake stand contains bite-sized brownies, baklava, and cheesecake.” She always needed to know what she was about to taste before she put it into her mouth and figured they would have the same requirement.
“This looks so good, and I’m starving. I haven’t had anything to eat since early this morning.”
“I apologize. I should have offered the food first.” She shifted nervously from foot to foot, inwardly cursing herself for her social ineptness. “We have bottled water, lemonade, and sun tea to drink.”
“It’s fine,” Libby said. “I vote for business first…to get it out of the way.” She elbowed her cousin. “Quit acting like a feral stray.”
“Ow. Oka-ay. Geez. I’ll just grab a few of these little sandwiches for now,” Baye said as she loaded one of the dessert plates Connie had set out on the counter. “We can eat the rest later.”
“Pretty, Pretty,” Mac screamed from the sunroom, then sang, “You are my sunshine.”
Cappie spotted them and chattered as he ran back and forth along the top of his cage.
“Mac! Cappie!” Baye picked up her plate and went into the sunroom.
“You are my sunshine,” Mac sang again. He fluttered down from his cage and walked over when Baye knelt to greet him. “Treat. Mac wants a treat.”
She looked up at Teague. “Is it okay to share with him?”
Teague was pleased that she was so engaged with her pets. “They love cucumber, but the cream cheese will upset their stomachs. Connie said they would beg, so she left some cucumber slices in the refrigerator. I will get them.”
Cappie scrambled down his cage to sit alongside Mac when Baye sat cross-legged on the floor. “How are you guys doing?” she asked.
“How are you?” Mac said, while Cappie fingered her ankle bracelet. Mac noticed Cappie’s interest in the bracelet and moved to hold it in his beak and explore it with his tongue.
Libby laughed. “Does he know what he’s saying?” She sat on the floor next to Baye. “That’s a huge beak. I’ll bet he could totally bite your finger off.”
“No biting. Biting bad. Bad Mac bite.”
“That is right, Mac. Biting is bad,” Teague said as she returned and handed a plastic container of cucumber slices to Baye.
“Treat!” Mac’s scream made Baye and Libby startle, but he was very gentle as he took a cucumber slice from Baye’s hand. Cappie’s grab for his treat was lightning quick. Mac politely nibbled his slice, while Cappie chowed down on his.
“You can give them the next slice,” Baye said, handing the container to Libby. Like Cappie, she chowed down on the finger sandwiches on her plate.
Even Teague winced when an ear-splitting squeal sounded in the yard. Flower had spied them and probably smelled the cucumber. Judging from the mud covering her, she’d had a roll at the pond’s edge and was running across the yard to join them. Cappie snatched a second slice from the container Libby had in her lap, climbed the side of his cage until he could reach one of the ropes that hung from the ceiling, and used it to swing over and settle on Teague’s shoulder.
“Flower’s coming.” Baye looked up at Teague with a warm smile.
Teague offered a hand to help her stand, and Baye, in turn, pulled Libby up from the floor. “Pigs have a very good sense of smell, and cucumbers are one of her favorite foods. We should meet her outside. The cleaning staff mopped this floor this morning.”
They met Flower on the terrace but stood back while Teague washed the black mud from her.
Libby shoved the cucumber container into Baye’s hands. “I’m not sure about feeding a pig. I’ve seen movies where they ate people.”
Teague frowned. “Flower will not bite or eat people. She is not a wild pig.” She decided to demonstrate and held up a slice for Flower to see. “Sit, Flower.”
Flower grunted but obediently sat on her haunches and was rewarded with the treat.
She made a twirling motion with her fingers, and Flower spun in a circle to earn a second one. She was pleased when Baye and Libby applauded the trick. Now for the grand finale. “This is the trick I like best and was the easiest to teach her.” She held up the last cucumber slice. “Tongue,” she said, sticking out her own tongue in demonstration. Flower immediately stuck out her own tongue and waved it at them. Teague grinned when Baye and Libby laughed and clapped at Flower’s antics. This was going well.
“Do we have time to go down to the barn?” Baye asked. “I want Libby to see the rest of your brood.”
“Yes.” She almost stumbled when Baye linked their arms together for the walk, but her chest seemed to swell with something unexpected. Pride? Comfort? Affection? She didn’t know which, but it felt good. Very good.
* * *
Teague put the contract down. “You can have your attorney go over the small print before you sign, but let me summarize the main points. I must approve any potential home you find. No zoos or petting zoos. Those places are stressful for the animals. Lucky and Snow need a herd to work. Cappie is a good candidate to be trained as a support animal for someone paralyzed.
“Mac will be hard to place. He knows enough bad words that he must be placed with an experienced bird person with no young children. The sheep, goats, rabbits, and chickens must be allowed to live out their lives and never sent to slaughter. Their adoption contracts will include a stiff financial penalty if this stipulation is violated.”
“What about Flower? Oh, and Asset?” They had moved to the den/kitchen area, where they ate the rest of the snacks and worked around a coffee table so Mac, Cappie, Leo, and Flower could join them.
“I would like a home with another pet pig for Flower. Pigs are herd animals and very social within their species. Before I learned that my odds of living past forty-one were slim, I had planned to find a pig friend for her.” She frowned. “I don’t have a clear picture of where Asset might thrive other than here. His mother died having him, and he was bottle-raised so is more oriented toward people than other animals. He would rather look in a window to watch people than spend time guarding a herd. You and I will have to figure out the best situation for him.”
“So, do you have a timeline?” Libby asked. “Baye said you are offering five thousand dollars a month to find homes for them. How many months do you anticipate?”
“Twelve months. If something happens to me before the twelve months is up, my lawyer will still transfer the money into your account each month.”
“What if we secure homes for them in one or two months?”
“I don’t think you’ll be able to, but the contract states that after placement, you will check their new homes monthly to make sure my animals are thriving there.”
Libby picked up her pen. “Where do we sign?”
Teague was taken aback that Libby didn’t consult with Baye, who was untangling her hair that Cappie had burrowed into. “Baye? Do you agree?”
“I would have signed the minute we walked in the front door. I trust you.”
“Please have your lawyer look it over. You can sign now but have three days to nullify the contract if you want.” She would never sign a contract without vetting it first and was dismayed that Baye consented so easily.
Baye made a face and held Cappie out in front of her. “I think he needs a diaper change.”
Teague took the monkey from her, went to the changing table tucked into the corner of the room, and quickly corrected the stinky situation. Libby looked a little green when she returned to her guests.
“Are you feeling okay?” Teague asked.
Libby pulled the neck of her T-shirt over her mouth and nose. “His poop really stinks.”
“She gags when she has to change a baby’s stinky diaper,” Baye said cheerfully. The odor apparently didn’t affect her.
“Oddly enough, I cannot tolerate perfumes, but manure does not bother me,” Teague said.
“That is odd.” Libby’s words were muffled by the shirt still covering her mouth. She signed the contract quickly, handed it to Baye to sign, and then held out a folded paper to Teague. “This is the rescue center’s banking information for an electronic transfer.”
“I’ll move the money over tonight,” she said.
“Thank you.” Libby stood. “Ready, Baye?”
“I was about to offer you coffee on the terrace,” Teague said. Connie had helped her make a step-by-step list of how to entertain her guests. They would review the contract, eat the snacks, visit the animals, then have coffee last. Introducing Libby to the animals before reviewing the contract had agitated her at first, but she did see the logic of it, and having Baye’s arm linked in hers as they walked to the barn had instantly settled her frustration.
