“Okay,” Jessica said. She nodded once. “Okay.”
“Excellent,” Anna said with a clap of her hands. “This is going to be so awesome.”
David seemed to share Anna’s excitement, and he stood. “Really great stuff, Sydney. I’m looking forward to this.” He held out his hand. “Sorry to bolt, but I’ve got a million things going on that relate to the telethon.”
“Completely understood,” Sydney said with a smile. “Go.” She turned to Anna, who was still grinning, and Jessica, who was gathering her things, eyes on the table. “He’s great. I like him.”
Anna nodded in agreement, then stepped close to Sydney. She closed a warm hand over Sydney’s arm and her voice changed. It wasn’t any quieter, but the tone was undeniably…familiar. “Hey, we’ve got half an hour before our coffee date. Should we just go now?” She arched an eyebrow at Sydney, who looked over her head long enough to see Jessica yank her own gaze away, give a half-hearted wave, and scurry out of the room like it was on fire.
“Yeah,” Sydney said absently, watching Jessica’s retreating form out the doorway. “Why not?”
*
Starbucks wasn’t terribly busy at this time of morning, though Sydney knew from experience that it would pick up steadily over the next forty-five minutes. Anna insisted on buying her coffee and the second she set it in front of Sydney, her stomach churned, telling her she’d had more than enough caffeine for a while. Still, not one to forget her manners, she made a show of taking a sip.
Their table was small and had two chairs, but Anna proceeded to slide hers around so she sat closer to Sydney. And also in the aisle, forcing people to sidle around her as they went by. Sydney immediately began to calculate how long she had to stay to fulfill the politeness requirement. Settling on thirty minutes, she surreptitiously glanced at her watch and did the math in her head.
“So,” Anna said, that perpetually wide smile plastered on her face. “This is nice.”
“It is.”
“Maybe not quite as nice as the last time we were alone together, but…” She waggled her eyebrows in a way that made Sydney swallow a grimace. “Maybe we can do that again.”
“Maybe.” God, why did she say that? The last thing in the world Sydney wanted to do was make out with Anna. That being said, the second to the last thing in the world Sydney wanted to do was piss off Anna. Or anybody at Junebug Farms, for that matter, as her job pretty much depended upon getting along with them; it was much too late to assign somebody else. Brad would kill her. And possibly fire her. So she smiled a smile that she could tell by feel didn’t reach her eyes. Luckily, Anna didn’t know her well enough to see that it was fake.
“And so?” Anna said, then took a sip of her latte. “How are you liking it here so far?”
“It’s fine. It’ll do for now.” Sydney saw her strategy and grabbed at it.
“For now?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m not staying.”
Anna’s face fell. Almost literally. The corners of her mouth that had been lifted since she walked in the door, slid downward. Her eyes drooped a bit, as did her shoulders. “Why not?”
Sydney tipped her head back and forth a bit, measuring her words. “It’s a bit…small for my liking.”
“Really?”
“Mm hmm. I want something bigger. With more action.”
“I see.” Anna gazed out a nearby window and it was as if Sydney had shut down her entire line of conversation, like she needed to search her brain for a new one. Then she looked down at her coffee and her expression was so sad, Sydney felt awful.
“But, I mean, I’m here for a while, I guess.” Oh my God, shut up. You have an out. Take it! She watched in near horror as Anna visibly cheered up.
“Silver lining,” she said. “For me, at least.”
Sydney smiled that artificial smile and lifted her cup to her lips.
*
What the hell is the matter with me?
It was a thought Jessica couldn’t shake. She had a million things to do, two more meetings, and about a dozen phone calls to make, but she couldn’t seem to get out of her own head. Instead of being a productive member of the shelter, she sat in her desk chair with it faced away from the desk and gazed pensively out the window watching the comings and goings in the parking lot, trying not to think about her humiliating behavior at the meeting.
A knock on her door snagged her attention, thank God, and she slowly spun around to face Catherine Gardner, dressed to the nines as usual in a black pantsuit and an ivory shell under the jacket. Her heels clicked on the floor as she crossed the room, and she looked every bit the sleek, professional businesswoman.
“Hey, I have a new donor I’d like to discuss—” She squinted when she saw Jessica’s face, then sat, set down the paper she held, and cocked her head. “What’s the matter with you?” Her question was gentle, but Jessica chuckled bitterly at how it mirrored her own.
Jessica sighed loudly. “I honestly have no freaking idea.”
“Well, that’s ominous.” Catherine folded her hands on the desk and made her listening face. “Talk to me.”
Another sigh. “I’m frustrated. With myself.” Jessica took a deep breath, then told Catherine about the meeting, all of it, how Sydney was laying out her ideas and Jessica pouted over them. “It’s true that I am uncomfortable with all these changes she’s proposing, but…I acted like a teenager. All sullen and moody.” She shook her head, covered her eyes with a hand. “I embarrassed myself. And the others. David gave me an odd look when he left; he knew something was up.” She let out a loud groan and when she uncovered her eyes, Catherine was grinning at her. “Stop it.”
“You stop it,” Catherine countered, the grin staying put. “You’re fine.”
“I was not fine,” Jessica told her. “I was ridiculous.”
“I didn’t say you weren’t ridiculous.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Catherine chuckled. “How long have I known you?”
Jessica shook her head. “That math is too complicated for me. A long time. Let’s just say that.”
“Fair enough. I’ve known you a long time. Probably longer than anybody else here. Yes?”
Jessica nodded.
“I’ve seen you in and out of relationships. I’ve seen you when you like somebody. I’ve seen you when you don’t like somebody. And I’ve seen you in this position you’re in right now.”
“Which is?”
“When you have a little crush.” Catherine held up a hand, her forefinger and thumb scant millimeters apart.
Jessica gasped. “I do not have a crush.”
“Oh, but you do, my friend. You do. Remember Stephanie Knight?”
Jessica thought back to the volunteer they’d had several years ago. Tall, dark hair, deep brown eyes, and a voice as deep and rich as melted chocolate. Jessica had gone all stuttery any time she was around the poor woman, unable to complete a sentence, dropping things, being a general embarrassment to herself. Stephanie never seemed to notice, but Catherine had. “She was soooo pretty…”
“She was. And you had a huge crush on her. Similar behavior from you.” Catherine continued to grin. “I think the one you have on Sydney is smaller, though. You haven’t spilled anything on her yet, have you?”
“No,” Jessica said with indignation, not liking this subject at all. “I don’t even really like her. Okay, that’s a lie. I kind of do. But I don’t think she cares for me one way or the other. I’m certainly not giving her any reason to.”
“Doesn’t matter. You can still crush on somebody you don’t like. It just makes it a little more…interesting. I mean, you could do worse, you know? Sydney’s stunning. God. I might have a crush on her. I know Emily does.” At Jessica’s raised brows, she explained, “We watch her on the news.”
“She’s having coffee with Anna right now,” Jessica blurted.
Catherine blinked at her. “Ah.”
“Yeah.” Jessica grimaced, something Catherine se
emed to find amusing.
“I see. So…you have a bit of a jealous crush.”
Jessica dropped her head to her desk and groaned some more.
Catherine laughed. “Stop that, you big drama queen.”
Jessica felt a small smile tug at her mouth as she lifted her head.
Catherine leaned forward, closed a hand over Jessica’s. “It’s fine, Jess. You’re fine. It’s no big deal. Why are you letting it bother you? Accept it for what it is and relax. Laugh it off. You’re a professional. You’re in charge. You got this.”
Jessica nodded, taking the words in, rolling them around, trying them on. She was a professional and she was in charge. She hadn’t gotten this far in life by hiding in her office when something bugged or confused her. She was better than this worry. Being ridiculous was a choice she’d made at the meeting this morning, but she didn’t have to make it again. Apparently, she just needed to hear the right words. She met Catherine’s gaze and gave her a grateful smile. “You’re right.”
“Yeah, that’s not uncommon. Besides, if she’s having coffee with Anna, we know her taste is kind of…questionable.”
“True, though to be fair, Anna did kind of put her on the spot by asking her in front of people.”
“Oh, that’s tricky.”
“Right? So there’s a possibility that Sydney only said yes to be polite.”
“Therefore, maybe she does not have questionable taste.” Catherine tapped a finger against her lips. “This gets more and more interesting as we go.”
“Ha ha.” Taking a deep breath and feeling oddly better, Jessica sat up straighter. “Okay. Moving on. Talk to me about this new donor.”
So she had a little crush on a TV personality. So what? It was fine. It was unusual for her, but nothing she couldn’t handle.
Right?
CHAPTER TEN
The next week was insanely chaotic for Sydney, so much so that when she actually remembered to eat, she had to stop and congratulate herself. Connor had done a fantastic job setting up interviews with various volunteers and adopters. On Thursday afternoon, she found herself standing on the front stoop of a cute little bungalow in a suburb of the city, Jeff standing behind her with his camera and equipment. Connor was working on a few other things, so she was on her own here. Finger on the doorbell, she pushed, and the door was pulled open almost immediately.
“Hi there!” The woman who answered the door was about thirty-five, blonde, petite. Her smile was wide, creating two deep dimples in her cheeks that made her seem even more cheerful—which didn’t seem possible to Sydney, as she was obviously one of those perpetually happy people you either loved or hated. Or both. “You’re the TV people.”
“We are. You spoke to my producer, Connor Baskin? I’m Sydney Taylor and this is my cameraman, Jeff Leiber.” She held out her hand.
“Sherry Dugan. It’s so great to meet you. Come in! Come in!” She pumped Sydney’s hand like she was hoping for water, then stood aside so they could enter the house, the giant smile never slipping.
Sydney went inside, through the small foyer as Sherry led her to the right and into a modest but tastefully decorated living room. “Will this work?” she asked, her face telling Sydney that she might be a little bit self-conscious about her house.
Making a show of looking around, turning in a slow circle, Sydney smiled. “It will be perfect.”
Sherry Dugan visibly relaxed. “Oh, good.” She gestured to the cheerful floral couch of blues and corals. “Have a seat. I’ll get Maddie and Rex.”
“What do you think?” Jeff asked Sydney as he waved a hand at a corner of the room. “From here? And we can move that chair there around to here.” He used a finger to indicate a solid blue wingback chair that nicely complemented the colors of the couch. “Set it up so you’re face to face and then I can do two angles.”
“Perfect,” Sydney replied, scanning her tablet containing the questions and talking points she wanted to touch on when conversing with Sherry and her daughter.
A moment later, Sydney heard Sherry say, “Okay. In here, honey.” She set her tablet on the coffee table and turned to take in the sight.
Maddie Dugan was thirteen years old, but didn’t look any older than nine or ten. She was petite and blonde like her mother, but her blue eyes held wisdom far beyond her age, most likely due to the empty space from her knee down where the remainder of her left leg once was. Her hair was short, but hip instead of boyish, and she tossed her head to get it out of her eyes as she maneuvered into the room using a metal crutches, its band around her very thin upper arm. Limping next to her was a brindled, barrel-chested dog with sweet brown eyes, three legs, and nothing but love for her. Sydney could see it immediately, the adoration the dog had for the girl, the way he stood close to her hip and periodically gazed up at her to check in.
“So, this is my daughter, Maddie,” Sherry said. “Maddie, this is Sydney Taylor. She’s going to be interviewing us.”
Maddie stuck out her hand and Sydney shook it. “It’s nice to meet you, Maddie.”
Maddie pressed her lips together in what probably passed for a smile in the world of thirteen-year-olds. “Same here,” she said quietly.
“And this is Rex, I assume?” Sydney said, gesturing to the dog. “May I?” She waited for Maddie’s permission before squatting down to meet the dog’s gaze. “Well, hi there, Rex. It’s nice to meet you as well.” Rex eyed her for a beat before apparently deciding she was okay and swiping his warm tongue across her chin. Sydney laughed. “I guess I’m approved.” She stood up and clasped her hands together. “Okay. I thought you two could sit on the couch. And Rex can maybe sit at your feet between you? Is it okay if we move this table?”
Sherry nodded and she and Jeff slid the rectangular coffee table out of the way. When the family was seated on the couch, Sydney took a seat in the wingback chair, crossed her legs, and scrolled on her tablet, giving Jeff time to get things set. After a few moments, she looked up at the trio, smiling at how they made a picture-perfect portrait. Two blondes, both in jeans, Sherry in a light blue blouse and Maddie in a black One Direction T-shirt, Rex sitting handsomely on the floor between Sherry’s shin and Maddie’s good leg.
“What grade are you in, Maddie?” Sydney asked.
“Eighth.”
“Not for much longer, though, huh?”
“One week and three days.”
Sydney laughed. “But who’s counting, right?”
“I am. I’m counting.” Maddie gave her first genuine smile, and Sydney knew she was beginning to loosen up.
“I get that. Totally. Okay, so tell me two things: your favorite subject and the subject you’re best at.”
“A two-part question, huh? Tricky.” Maddie squinched up her face and made a show of thinking. “Well, I’m pretty good at math, but I really like Global.”
“Yeah? Like history and stuff?”
“History, yeah, but also, like people. Like, different cultures and stuff.”
“So, you like people.”
Maddie nodded, looked to her mother for approval. Sherry nodded and smiled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up in some kind of social work,” she said, obviously proud of her daughter.
“And you like animals, too, yes?” Sydney asked.
Maddie’s nod was enthusiastic. “I have two hamsters, a goldfish, two cats, and Rex.”
“I have goldfish, too,” Sydney said, by way of finding common ground.
“What are their names?” Maddie asked.
“Marge and Homer.”
The girl’s laugh was a shock, a barked guffaw that surprised Sydney and had everybody in the room laughing in response. Even Jeff was trying to stifle himself.
Sydney waited for things to calm down a bit before asking, “Tell me how you got Rex.”
Maddie looked to Sherry, who grinned and said, “Go ahead. You tell it.”
With a nod and what seemed like a moment to get her bearings, Maddie began to talk. “Well, it
was a few months after my accident and I wasn’t doing great. In my head. You know?”
“You were depressed?”
A quick nod. “Yeah. I kinda got stuck thinking about all the things I couldn’t do anymore. I was mad all the time. I started seeing Dr. Jean—”
“Her therapist,” Sherry supplied quietly. Sydney nodded her understanding.
“And she thought maybe a dog would help me. Give me something to focus on and take care of. Give me something else to think of besides my missing leg. So I talked with Mom and Dad. We just had the cats at the time. And we decided to go see what they had at Junebug Farms.”
“We were just going to look,” Sherry clarified with a half-grin.
“Famous last words,” Sydney said. “And then what happened?”
“Well.” Maddie looked at the ceiling, obviously trying to arrange her thoughts. “I wasn’t really that big on the idea. I was still feeling sorry for myself and I was just mad all the time.”
“Understandable,” Sydney said, unable to imagine that kind of loss for a kid.
“We were in that part of the building where all the dogs are. And it was so loud. They were barking and whining and there were two other kids there with their parents and they just stared at me on my crutches.” Maddie stopped and swallowed. Then she took a breath and went on. “And I told my mom I wanted to go home.” Sherry was nodding, watching her daughter tell the story, her own emotion clearly written on her face. Sydney hoped Jeff was getting it. “So we turned to walk toward the door and Ms. Barstow was coming toward us.”
“Jessica Barstow, the head of Junebug Farms?”
Maddie nodded. “She was walking Rex on a leash and I noticed right away that he moved kind of funny.”
“And what did you think about that?” Sydney asked.
“I felt bad for him. Like, right away. I know what it’s like to walk funny.”
Sydney smiled, liking this kid so much already. “Then what happened?”
“It was kind of weird,” Maddie said, her voice filled with uncertainty. Again, she looked up at her mom and again, her mom gave her a nod. “It was like he saw me and wanted to come to me. He started to pull at the leash, so Ms. Barstow had no choice but to follow him. He’s a lot stronger than he looks. And that’s when I saw that one of his back legs was missing. And when he got to me, he sniffed my stump. Then he sat down right in front of me and just looked up at me, all calm and handsome.” During the story, her hand had moved to rest on Rex’s big black and brown head and she stroked him absently as she spoke. “And I just knew. Isn’t that weird? I always thought people who said stuff like that were just dumb. ‘I just knew.’ But now I get it. Because, I just knew. Rex was supposed to be mine. We were supposed to find each other.” She bent forward and kissed the top of his head, then looked up at Sydney with smiling eyes.
Dare to Stay (Puppy Love Romances Book 3) Page 10