“I know, honey.” Violet came around the bed to stand next to Jackson’s chair. “I know. Ajax?”
“See, the thing is…” Ajax hesitated. “I think I found the place I want to live. I want to buy my own house there so you can come visit me.”
“You what?” His father’s jaw dropped. “A house?”
“What about the condo in LA?” Violet asked. “Does this have something to do with Dmytro? Because—”
“It’s got nothing to do with him.” Well, maybe Dmytro could be part of his plan. He didn’t know yet. “I want to find a place somewhere along the central coast. I want to buy a beach house where I can put down roots.”
“A beach house.” Visibly surprised, Violet let Jackson draw her onto his lap. “Any place on the beach will cost a bundle, honey. You want to live close to LA? Or up north?”
“I just need a cottage or even a bungalow. I was thinking of looking for an older place in a small town in the middle of the state? Something I can fix up. There’s this town… Santo Ignacio. Have you ever heard of it? It’s north of Santa Barbara.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why buy a place so far away from all your friends?”
“I don’t want to burst your bubble, Mom, but I don’t havefriends.”
“But why buy so far away from LA?” asked Jackson. “We thought you enjoyed living in the city.”
“Why buy a ranch in Idaho you only get to visit a few times a year?” he asked. “Because I want to. Because I can.”
Jackson considered this. “Fair enough. You’ll continue to… er… work remotely, then?”
“I’ll podcast remotely and continue making videos. But not as Ajax Freedom. I killed him on that boat, and I wouldn’t bring him back for anything.”
“He won’t be missed.” Violet shuddered. “My God. People thought I raised such a little pisher. I wanted to come out to your place and wring your neck.”
“You should have.”
“And give you the satisfaction?”
“You’re right. As bids for attention go, that one sucked.” He thought of something else he wanted. “You think Grandpa would want to live with me for a while?”
“He’d love that, sweetheart.” Violet slid a glance Jackson’s way. “But honey, he doesn’t get around well anymore.”
“He needs a caregiver,” Jackson added. “A local doctor he trusts and some active nutritional intervention. You’d have to have an accessible house, plus, he’s pretty sour about healthy habits. It’s one of the reasons Serena lives in. Are you sure you’d want to take on the responsibility?”
“I can do those things, you know. I’m not a totally worthless—”
“Ajax,” his father said sternly.
“I thought about Grandpa all the time we were on the run.” He couldn’t look at them. “I miss him so much. If he wants to come, I want him with me. Not just to help out but because we’re family and I miss him.”
“Of course, son. Just ask him,” said Jackson. “I’ll bet he’d be thrilled to get away from snow this winter.”
Ajax nodded. “And as soon as you get that vacation time blocked off, I’ll have room for you too.”
“In your bungalow?” Violet’s awkward response was predictable. “That’s not exactly—”
“That is a terrific idea, isn’t it, Violet? Let’s visit Ajax for a change. He can keep the phones from ringing.” Jackson glanced at him meaningfully. “Can’t you, son?”
“I can make certain you have no connectivity whatsoever.” Ajax’s heart burst with happiness. “You said you wanted a visit, right Mom?”
“Of course I did. That’s settled. I’ll let you know when we can come.” As usual, his mom warmed up once she made things her idea in the first place. “If you find a place, we could help you paint and fix it up.”
Ajax didn’t hide his surprise. “You can do grunt work?”
“You know I wasn’t born a doctor, right?” Jackson patted him. “I’ve patched a few walls in my day.”
