“Okay.”
“We need to put this in a trust, and you need to think about what you want to happen with it should the worst happen.”
“You mean if I die?”
“Yes, that would be the worst. We could also set up a separate charitable donations trust. That would be for money you’d want to donate to causes … like the zoo one year, or a school.”
I smiled big. “I’d like that a lot. There’s this anteater at the zoo who could use a new exhibit. I’d love to fund that.”
Mr. Chandler raised his eyebrows. “An anteater?”
“She’s the best. Plus, there are other exhibits the zookeepers would love to bring to Santa Ana. Like spiders. Lots of spiders.”
“You like spiders?” he asked.
“No, spiders are icky, but some people really like them.” Seth. He liked them.
“Okay. Then let’s get paperwork together.”
A big burden seemed to lift off my shoulders as I signed papers that allocated my money in the perfect ways for me and my future.
When I stood to leave, I said, “Oh, do you have a roll of pennies I could buy? They come in fifty, right?”
Mr. Chandler gave me a quizzical look. “I don’t have cash back here, but the teller out front will.”
“Okay.” I had a plan, and it needed to work.
But before I could carry out my plan, I had one more person to see: my brother.
I knocked on his door and he answered.
“Hey,” I said.
Beau stepped aside to let me in. More work had been done in his house and it was coming together beautifully.
“Did you come to collect your thirty thousand? Because I don’t have it.”
“I know. And no, I came to tell you that you don’t have to pay me back.”
He closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath of relief.
“But that’s it. I can’t bail you out anymore.”
“I know.”
“No, really. I’m leaving for college. I’m going to Stanford. I won’t be here to bail you out.”
He sank down onto the couch. “Got it.”
“But like you said, you could sell this place if you’re in trouble. Or get a roommate or two?”
“Yeah.”
“You will, right, Beau? You’ll be fine.”
“You worry too much.”
“I don’t think you worry enough.”
He stood and put his arm around me. “You’re my baby sister. Why don’t you stick to being that. Not my mom or my loan officer.”
“I can do that.”
He smirked. “I don’t know that you can, but we’ll both work on our weaknesses.”
“Deal.” I looked up at the skylight above us. “Your house really is cool. Maybe I’ll have to crash here when I come back to visit.”
“I charge rent.”
I slapped his arm and he laughed.
I clutched my roll of pennies as I pulled into the zoo parking lot. I was fifteen minutes early to work. I scanned the parking spots, hoping that Seth hadn’t arrived yet. If he had, my job would be a lot harder.
I didn’t see his car. What if he didn’t arrive at all?
If he didn’t, I’d find another way. I was going to fight for him. That’s who I was. When I put my mind to something, I gave it my all. I’d been doing that for everyone else in my life lately, but not for myself.
Carol was standing alone by the café and I was happy for that. I needed her to help me in.
“Hey,” I said.
“Maddie,” she said. “I missed you on Saturday.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t give you notice.”
“It’s okay.” She scanned her clipboard.
“Has Seth checked in yet?” I asked.
She smiled at me. “No. He wasn’t here Saturday either.”
“He wasn’t?”
“No. Is he coming today?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I hope so.” I bit my lip. “Can you do me a favor?”
“I can try.”
“Can you put me with Seth today in the Farm?”
She laughed. “Now you’re going to make the requests?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s usually Seth. Can you assign me with Maddie? Is Maddie here yet? For the last six months that’s all I’ve been hearing.”
“For the last six months?” Tingles spread down my body, causing the hair on my arms to stand up. “Really?”
“Yes, really. That boy has a big crush on you.”
“Me too. I mean, I have one on him, too.”
“The zoo, making love connections.” Carol laughed. “Yes, I’ll put you in the Farm with Seth today. You actually need to work, though.”
“I always work.”
She wrote my name down. “I know you do.”
“And … will you not tell him that I’m here? I want it to be a surprise.”
She shook her head. “Young love. Yes, I will keep your secret. You better hurry before he shows up.”
I looked over my shoulder, worried she’d seen him, but there was nobody. “Thank you!”
I tore open the roll of pennies as I headed toward the path. Every fifteen steps or so, I placed one coin, heads up, on the ground. I didn’t do them in a straight line, but at various spots along the trail—some off to the right, some in the center, some to the left. It was possible he wouldn’t see them or notice them right away, but he’d have to notice at least a few. There were fifty of them.
Then I waited, inside the barn, on a stool, by the true-to-real-sized fake cow. It was an educational cow that had signage all around it telling the kids about itself. “You think this will work?” I asked her.
She had nothing to say in response.
The last five pennies were inside the barn and I could see them glinting in the light shining in from the open doors. I hoped they were my lucky pennies today. Or that Seth considered them lucky when this all played out. I was getting more and more nervous by the second.
The barn smelled like manure and I gave a side eye to the pigs. Perhaps this wasn’t the best place for this.
I checked my phone. It was too late to change location. He should be arriving any minute now. If he came today. “Please, come today, Seth,” I whispered. I didn’t want to wait another minute.
And I didn’t have to.
Seth appeared, looking at the ground, obviously following my trail. My heart immediately raced to life at seeing him. He bent down and picked up the next penny. I could tell he had a handful by the way his hand was positioned.
I stepped out of the alcove and into view.
His head whipped up. “You scared me,” he said.
“I’m sorry.”
He held up his hand. “Did you do this?”
“I wanted you to have the best day ever.”
“If it’s better than last week, I’d be happy.”
My nervous heart seemed to drop with that statement. “I’m so sorry. I ruined a perfect night. I was awful. It wasn’t about you. So many things had been happening to me, and I had just found out people were using me, and I took it out on you. This whole thing is new for me and I haven’t handled it well. And I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“So you trust me now?” He looked hopeful or maybe skeptical, I couldn’t tell.
I closed my eyes. “I think I always trusted you. I didn’t trust myself.”
“What changed?”
“Well, I lay down, emptied my mind, and relaxed each muscle until it felt like I’d melt into the floor. Then I let it all go. All the expectations, all the worry, all the things other people want for me but I didn’t want. And I figured out what I thought. I was staring at a certain lucky penny when I did this. That might’ve influenced me a bit.”
He shook his head. “You have a really good memory. I think those are the exact words I used.”
“I know. It’s freakish. I’m sorry.”
“No, not freakish. Just you.”
“Thanks?”
“So what did you figure out, Madeleine?”