d, her patience fraying. "I

ste Randall. But she needed him to

ra's fingers off her hand

art. The girl looked up, her eyes pleading. She reached into the

furiously an

T

it he

s mask of indifference slipping

to me," Ivy

pocket and pulled out a checkb

ch?" he

ked. "Ex

to write. "For an hour. Until she falls asleep. My n

out and held it towa

looked at his face. He thought s

was a sharp, i

ale, Mr. Randa

ed his h

she said, her voice softening as she

sed. "You h

es

go of Ivy's hand and trudged toward the velvet sofa

door. She put her

ooked

dy turned back to his phone. The little girl

ion in the early days,

d under h

he sat down on the edge, avoid

pered to Ara. "But... do you

er head, he

e used to sing to Albion when the thunder scared him. Her

tar, the night

g slowed. Within minutes, her grip on

silence returned, but i

p, smoothin

He hadn't made a single ca

e," he said. It sound

logy," Ivy said qu

ked to

August

nto the hallway, her heart racing, lea