Heart's Refuge (Lucky Numbers)

by Cheryl Harper

  All three of them gathered at the long counter in the lobby while Bub meandered in from the office. He settled hopefully on Sarah’s foot.

  “Burgers. Sodas.” Les pointed. “I hope that’s okay.”

  If rich Sarah Hillman had ever imagined that one day she’d view a hot hamburger as one of life’s true delights, she would have been convinced the future was one of horror.

  But this Sarah shifted her weight back and forth as Shelly handed out the food.

  “You guys, I don’t know what to say.” Sarah clutched her hamburger. “I should be the one buying food and drinks for you. There’s no way to repay what you’ve done for the shelter or for me, but this...” She waved the hamburger but didn’t let it go. “This is kindness and generosity on top of hard work.”

  How easy it was to say “thank you” when she meant it so sincerely.

  Lately, she was getting good practice.

  “These aren’t quite as good as the burgers from the little hole-in-the-wall place outside Austin, but they’ll do. That’s where we’re heading tomorrow.” Les winked at Shelly, who glanced at Sarah out of the corner of her eye.

  Sarah took that as a warning not to make a big deal out of their second date. In a weirdly chipper voice, Sarah said, “These are from Sue Lynn’s, so they’ll hit the spot.”

  Shelly cleared her throat. “It’s a burger, Sarah. We’ve all got to eat.”

  Les took a big bite and then said, “Gonna have a shadow, kid from the high school, for a month or so. Thought he’d get a handle on the day-to-day operations today. Then he can assist with any simple procedures. That okay?” Les chewed and tilted his head to the side.

  Suddenly the fatigue caught up to Sarah. She eased back against the counter. Hot coffee, hot food, laughter and now a new volunteer. It was a lot to handle with ragged emotions, too little sleep and too much worry.

  She blinked rapidly and tried to sniff quietly.

  Then Les put down his burger and took two steps back, his hands raised in alarm. “Whoa.”

  Sarah wiped one finger under her eye. “Sorry.” She swallowed hard. “That’s just...awesome. See if you can find more. We’ll have shadows running all over the place. Okay?”

  Les rolled his shoulders and glanced at Shelly again.

  “She was up all night, clearing out the office.” She patted Sarah’s hand and that comforting touch was enough to make the tears well up again.

  “I should change.” Sarah ran a hand down her ponytail. “Big investors mean big guns, right? Should I go with the heels?”

  Shelly wrinkled her nose. “Only if you want them to think you don’t do much around here.” She winked at Les and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. In a flash, Sarah went from overwhelmingly grateful to a little jealous. “No one could do real work in those shoes.”

  Facing off against Rebecca, Stephanie, Jen and Will without her designer labels and killer footwear would be scary.

  “I’ll change and toss these clothes in the washer so they’ll be ready for tomorrow,” she said. Win or lose, maintaining the appearance of wealthy Sarah Hillman would keep her emotions under control.

  Given the tears she’d already embarrassed herself with, control mattered.

  But before she could skirt Shelly with her mildly disapproving grimace and Les, who would have been happy to be elbow-deep in anything other than emotions, the door to the shelter opened.

  Will, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans instead of his oxford and shiny wing tips, stepped over the threshold. “I’m early,” he said, checking and rechecking his watch. “Thought I’d see if you had any last-minute questions.” Chloe followed him in, waved one hand and immediately headed for the cat room. Will shoved both hands in his pockets and surveyed the lobby as if it were brand-new. Was he nervous, too?

  Shelly and Les followed Chloe down the hall, leaving the two of them alone.

  “So, do you? Need help?” After all he’d done for her already, he’d come early to offer his expertise. He really was too good. “Chloe’s been up since dawn, watching the hands on the clock.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “We should talk about adoption procedures. After.”

  Sarah had to clear her throat. “Really? What brought this on?”

  “I thought she’d forget. Then this morning she showed me a blinged-out cat carrier and said I could take the money I’d spend on a tablet and get her a cat.” He sighed. “She’s been complaining of mistreatment all summer because she has no tablet. And now she wants a cat enough to give that up.”

  “Are you sure she won’t go back to the tablet after she gets her cat?” The lump in her throat made it hard to talk. This guy was wrapped around his daughter’s finger. Why did that make him even more attractive?

  “With Chloe? I’d almost bet money that she will change her tune once the cat’s moved in.” He shrugged. “But it doesn’t matter. I love her. I’m happy to give her both if I can.”

  Instead of shoving aside the loose ends of her emotions, she watched Will kneel to give Bub a hearty scratching. Her dog rolled over on his back, both hind legs twitching in ecstatic pleasure.

  And the odd, strangled gasp that escaped her was the last straw. “I need a minute.”

  She skirted Bub, ignored Will’s frown and stepped inside the office to rest her back against the door. “Nerves. That’s all this is. Get a grip.”

  All her life, she’d pretended she was bulletproof. Now was not the day to show her soft underbelly. “Business. Keep it business, Sarah.”

  While she concentrated on breathing evenly, she tried to decipher the low voices outside the door. No doubt Shelly was explaining that fatigue was the issue again.

  And it was.

  Along with the bone-deep certainty that, if this didn’t work, she had no more fight left in her.

  “Let me in, Sarah.” Will’s voice startled her, and his solid thumps on the door indicated his patience was as thin as her control.

  Sarah stiffened her shoulders and stepped away from the door. At this point, she had to go all in, leave nothing in her pocket. Either she’d run the table, get exactly what she needed, or she’d walk away with no regrets over playing it safe.

  That would have to be good enough.

  She closed her tired eyes and took a deep breath. Then she pulled the door open and made a grand gesture. “Please, come in. You won’t recognize the place.”

  * * *

  AFTER HE WALKED into the office, Will studied her face. Bub was a warm weight against his leg. If Sarah was crying, he was going to do something stupid.

  Even more stupid than showing up early to make sure she had everything she needed and pick up a cat.

  He wasn’t sure what that would be.

  But in three minutes or less, she’d managed to chase away the tears.

  Impressive.

  “We have some time, so I’ll give you the adoption contract to look over. Now I even know where they are.” Sarah yanked open a creaky drawer, walked her fingers over the files and pulled out a sheet of paper.

  Will couldn’t help thinking she fit perfectly in the run-down shelter. As if she’d always been there or she was an extension of the place.

  Except she was bright and shiny, like her vision of the future of Paws for Love. He wanted to squeeze her tight, tell her she’d done an awesome job and eliminate whatever it was that had kept her up too late. Sarah Hillman was beautiful, even fresh-faced and doing hard work, but more important, she was strong.

  “Did you work all night long?” To fight the urge to touch her, smooth her ponytail back over her shoulder, he propped his hands on his hips and turned slowly to see how much bigger the office appeared without the file stacks creating a fire hazard. Her fancy suitcase seemed like modern art because everything in the room was old, worn down, held together by tape and dust, but she’d done the best she could with what she had.

  For the rest, she’d need some cash, a bucket of paint and an office furniture budget.

  “Almost all night,
but it was worth it.” She rubbed her eyes and then shook her head. “I should at least put on makeup. I always look like a ghost without mascara.”

  Will almost argued.

  Without mascara and bright red lips, Sarah Hillman was girl-next-door sweetheart material. If one knocked men out of their shoes with sex appeal, the other brought out the urge to tease and flirt and go for old-fashioned chivalry.

  Neither one was safe.

  Eyes on the contract, Barnes.

  Will picked up the piece of paper and studied the short list of terms he’d have to agree to for adoption. “Are you at all worried that neither Chloe nor I have ever had a cat? We might need some training.”

  “Cats like Jelly are pretty easy. Food, water, litter box, attention.” Sarah shifted her shoulders tiredly. “She’ll take care of the rest. We’ll send you home with a few days’ worth of dry food and a list of the vaccinations she’s had and when she’s due for boosters. You can even borrow a carrier.”

  Will took out his checkbook, scribbled out a check and slid it across the cleared desktop. “I had a bad feeling the first day I walked in. I should have been less worried about you and more worried about losing my home to a cat.”

  Sarah pinched the check and waved it in the air. “True. Very, very true. They get you when you least expect it. I’ve already promised all the money you’re going to pay me to free Bub from these circumstances.” She sighed. “Last thing I needed was a big, hairy dog riding shotgun in the convertible.” She leaned across the desk and offered him her hand. “But I still think it will be the most satisfying check I’ve ever written. I hope you can say the same.”

  Will wrapped his hand around hers, braced for the immediate warmth that spread from her to him or vice versa. He wasn’t sure which way the heat was flowing, but it was there.

  And it could be a problem.

  “We’ll settle up after this meeting.” Will reluctantly let go of her hand. “Then we’ll all be ready to celebrate.” If Rebecca, Stephanie and Jen were able to say no to Sarah Hillman, he’d have his doubts he knew them at all. She loved this place and she was giving Bub a real home. What monster would be able to deny her anything?

  Obviously, not him.

  Will realized that Big Bobby Hillman had likely felt the same—Sarah’s father never said no to his only daughter—and a brief shot of sympathy flashed through him. Then he considered his own daughter and her influence.

  Someday, Chloe would be as powerful as Sarah Hillman.

  He really needed to make sure she used that power for good instead of evil.

  Sarah tugged the sleeves of her shirt. “I was thinking about changing into something more impressive in honor of my guests, but—”

  “But we’re already here and none of us are impressed by haute couture, Hillman.” Jen stood in front of Rebecca and Stephanie. Whatever she planned to say next was muffled.

  By Rebecca’s hand.

  Chloe giggled from her spot behind Jen.

  “What she means to say is we know you have a lot of work to do, so it’s fine with us if you want to go as you are.” Stephanie smiled at Will over his sister’s shoulder. “Worked like a charm. We told her we were going out for lunch first, then we gave her directions here.”

  “You let her drive?” Will shook his head. If she had her own keys, Jen would be a flight risk.

  “She insisted. She loves that new car.” Rebecca sighed. “I told her to go for something smaller, but the sedan became an SUV. Used. Can you even believe it?”

  Jen’s eyes met his and they both nodded. “Knowing her mother, yes. Brenda always says used cars are the best. The SUV should hold its value, too.”

  “Now the only problem is that we promised her pie.” Stephanie sighed. “She’s going to be unruly without pie.”

  Rebecca guided Jen into the office and pushed her down on the couch. “I will make you all the pie you want. Just be good.”

  “I like pie, too.” Chloe eased down beside Jen and peeked up at her.

  “Of course you do. Pie rules.” Jen gave her a fist bump. Will watched his daughter light up and knew that Jen, even if she was tough, would have lots of students who loved her. Kids would work hard to earn her respect.

  Bub climbed up on the couch and sat on the armrest, two feet braced against Jen’s leg. Before Will could shoo Bub down or Sarah could...do whatever she’d started across the room to do, Jen wrapped her arm around Bub’s neck. “You’re a good dog, aren’t you? You’d never trick me with promises of sweet dessert. You’re my only real friend...”

  She glanced at Sarah and raised her eyebrow.

  “Bub. His name is Bub.” Sarah pointed at the chairs crammed in opposite her desk. “If you’d like, you can all have a seat. I’ll ask Shelly to let Bub outside to make room.”

  “Nope. My biggest ally is staying.” Jen wrapped two fingers around Bub’s collar and tugged him down across her lap. “There. We’re comfortable now. Let’s get this started.”

  She made small motions with her hands and Bub rolled over to offer her his stomach.

  Will would have laughed at Sarah’s dumbfounded expression, but she’d already had a long day. They should get the meeting moving.

  “Rebecca, Stephanie, have a seat.” Will motioned to the chairs in front of the desk. Sarah handed out a slim report that Will recognized...because he’d searched through the trash to get a sneak peek. He’d had his doubts she’d stick around, and he’d never even imagined that she’d put together such a concise but well-researched plan.

  “I’m not sure where to start. It would be best to talk about what’s critical instead of what’s just...needed.” Sarah’s words stumbled to a halt and she licked her lips. “As you can see, I’ve broken this up into three groups. Now, next and eventually.”

  Will watched Rebecca and Stephanie trade confused looks. Jen shook her head slightly as she ran a finger down the columns.

  “Let me start over.” Sarah pressed both hands on the desk. “I’m blowing this. Nerves.”

  The urge to take over was nearly impossible to stifle. He could sum up this request in five minutes.

  But his sister’s speaking glance helped him to fall back. Jen had said she needed to do some things for herself.

  Will relaxed against the wall. Sarah could do this.

  She had insisted on this opportunity. Sarah needed to make it on her own.

  The only real question was why Jen wasn’t shouting from her seat on the couch about Sarah wasting their time. One glance made it clear why. The paper report was discarded and Jen was staring deeply into Bub’s eyes.

  Bub. The secret weapon. Sarah might do better to shut up and wait for her dog to conquer the entire room.

  “You know, I’ve decided that when I have a lot of things tumbling through my head, I sometimes think better on my feet.” Stephanie stood up. “Let’s take a tour first. Then we’ll understand these numbers better.”

  Sarah jumped up from her ragged chair, a smile on her face.

  And Will wished he’d thought of that.

  “Great idea. You guys come with me.” Sarah was out the door before Rebecca and Chloe followed.

  Jen seemed a little disgruntled at having to get up.

  “Are you coming?” He offered her his hand and then yanked it back as Bub ran a large pink tongue over the back.

  “I guess.”

  Will almost asked her how often her students used the same disgusted tone, but he wasn’t sure he’d built up enough goodwill yet.

  “Is that a suitcase in the corner?” Chloe pointed and then stepped closer to the desk.

  “Yes, I think Sarah’s sleeping here.”

  Jen slowly turned to scan the office. “Weird. No way I would’ve ever guessed that.” Then she smoothed her hair. “You could’ve given me fair warning Horrible Hillman was going to hit me up for an investment. That’s low, Will. And now I don’t even have any pie.”

  “She deserves a fair shot,” he said. “Take a look at what sh
e’s managed. Then do what you want.”

  Jen spun on one heel and marched out of the room to rejoin the others.

  Will trailed behind the group as Sarah did her best sales routine in an impossibly perky volume that in no way matched her earlier fatigue or teary eyes.

  Everyone had a mask. Hers was nearly flawless.

  The only problem was that the longer the tour and the quieter her audience, the more brittle Sarah became. One wrong word could break the whole situation into dangerous shards.

  “Why don’t you introduce us to the volunteers.” Will interrupted her spiel about how much food the shelter went through in a year and pointed at a man and woman who were removing stitches in the exam room.

  Sarah stepped into the room as the dog jumped up, newly stitch free, and sat perfectly while he waited for his treat. “Uh, sure. I can do that. Les is a retired vet who provides a great deal of medical support on a day-to-day basis. He’ll be bringing students through on a mentorship program. I’m hoping some may convert to volunteers after the shadowing is over. We also work with the clinic in town for spaying, neutering and treatment. Shelly here is...” Sarah had to clear her throat. “She keeps the doors open. Has since before I started spending time here.”

  Shelly blushed and waved her hand as if Sarah was exaggerating.

  He was happy to see that, whether or not she had much experience in running a business, Sarah knew enough to give recognition of solid contribution.

  “And this is Meatloaf.” Shelly ran her hand over the dog’s head and dodged his kisses. “He was surrendered after his family moved away. He’s desperate for another human to love.” Shelly bent to press a kiss on Meatloaf’s head. “Also, he might like a new name but that’s for his family to decide.”

  Immediately, the tension in the room eased. Sarah relaxed and the tour resumed. Chloe had disappeared earlier but when they visited the cat room, she waved, a black cat perched on her shoulder. They inspected the play yard, the outside kennels—used for holding new dogs for observation—and ended up in the large, scrupulously organized storage room.

  “Is that a knife sticking out of the washing machine?” Jen asked.