Wagner lifts up his phone. “Say that again so I can record it.”
“How about this?” I flip him off, then quickly lower my hand when Sammy struts into the room.
“Daddy!” He flies over to Wagner and jumps into his lap, telling him all about his playdate with Tanner.
I take a much-needed moment to process all the new information I’ve recently acquired. First, finding out that Clancy’s family owned the sanctuary, and now, hearing that my brother is friends with Candice Burlington. I thought small-town life was meant to be boring and uneventful. Wrong on both counts, it seems.
Wagner is totally wrapped up in Sammy, so I decide to take off. I’ve got some investigating to do.
“I need to go,” I say.
Sammy leaps off Wagner and races over to give me a hug. How does the little dude have so much energy with literally zero caffeine? “Bye, Uncle Kick. Love you.”
I kneel beside him and wrap my arms snugly around his toasty-warm little body. “Love you, too, Sammy. Be good for your dad, okay?” I say with a wink.
“Sure I will.” He tries to wink back but only manages to scrunch up one side of his face. That one’s a work in progress.
I rise to my feet and ask Wagner, “Where would I find property records for the sanctuary?”
“Ollie would have run some checks on recent sales before you bought it.”
“What about further than just recent sales? I’m talking decades back.”
He thinks about it for a moment. “You could try the county recorder’s office. They usually hold deeds and other property ownership documents.”
“You’re actually useful for once. Thanks, Wag.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Why? You call me Mav.”
“You like that name. I don’t like mine.”
“Aw. Too bad. Bye, Wag.” I wave, flashing him a self-satisfied grin to piss him off even more.
“Can I call you Wag?” Sammy asks, peering up at his dad with a mischievous smile.
“Absolutely not.” Wagner glares at me. “Now, get back to work before you give him any more bad ideas.”
“Okay. I’m off. Later, guys.”
On the drive back to the sanctuary, my thoughts splinter down three distinct tracks.
First, I need to get to the bottom of what happened to make Clancy sell the rescue center. I’ll contact the county recorder’s office to see if they can help with that.
Then, I need to look into the possibility of reestablishing a beneficiary program to help with financing ongoing running costs. Candice mentioning the previous program ending makes me wonder if that, in part, is why previous owners struggled to make things work. It doesn’t matter how wealthy you are; no one wants to constantly be throwing money into a bottomless pit. To ensure its long-term survival, the center needs to be able to stand on its own two feet. Seeing as she’s friends with my brother, I might see if I can rope her into helping me.
My final train of thought is the most random one, inspired by Tanner giving Sammy the LEGO house they built together. On the surface, it was a cute gesture between two kids. But it’s given me an idea on how I can end whatever silly game Jackson seems intent on playing with me and prove to him, once and for all, that I really am committed to this sanctuary.
And that I’m just as serious about exploring something with him, too.
That whatever reasons he has for putting up boundaries with me aren’t needed. That if he’s been treated badly in the past, he doesn’t need to worry about me doing the same thing to him.
I want a clean slate and a fresh chance to show him I’m a decent guy. And this idea could be the ticket for doing just that. My fingers drum with anticipation against the steering wheel as I pull into the parking lot.
Jackson lives in a cabin on-site, which, once we get inspected, I suspect won’t be up to code. If Sammy got that excited about receiving a toy house, I can’t wait to see Jackson’s reaction when I build him a bigger, nicer cabin.
“So, what’s the verdict?” I ask Gavin, the code endorsement officer, once he steps out of Jackson’s cabin a week after I got my awesome idea from two four-year-olds.
