Heart's Refuge (Lucky Numbers)

by Cheryl Harper

  “Is she late because she’s not early?” Sarah’s lips quirked up.

  “Well, my last assistant beat me to work every day.” He held both hands out. “I have high expectations.”

  Sarah blinked and he wondered if she realized he was referring to her.

  “Got a job interview yourself?” He watched her shift from side to side. The heels were nice, but he’d gotten used to seeing her in jeans and dog hair.

  “Making the rounds. I’m not qualified for the suit jobs, but it’s the only other option.” She tapped her pen on the note she’d made. “Jen will expect some progress, so I better see what I can do.”

  Sarah would work hard at whatever job she landed. She deserved a shot at the one she wanted.

  Will nodded. “After you get your computer you could draft a résumé and throw your hat in the ring—apply to become the new manager of the shelter.”

  “What about business experience? I don’t have it.” She held up her hand to tick off points. “Previous shelter work, professional grant writing or organized fund-raising experience. Nope. And if the board was going to make allowances for any candidates, I would be at the bottom of a lengthy list.” Her jaw tensed. “It’s the same list I’ll face for every job in Holly Heights, but someone will hire me. Maybe I’ll threaten them with my howling dog. I know that works.”

  “Maybe you should try somewhere else, a town closer to Austin.” Will leaned against the desk. That would be best for her, breathing room from this town and her former friends.

  “If I have to, I will.” She waved her note. “But I realized last night, in the middle of the night, that Paws for Love has made all the difference in my life. Fighting for it proved to me that I can do hard things. And even if I have to face off against petty thieves or angry owners, I will. Those animals depend on me. I’ll find a job here because I can’t lose the thing that’s going to make me who I want to be.”

  In the early-morning sunlight, she was fierce and determined.

  And so beautiful it was nearly impossible not to step closer, to pull her nearer.

  This was what had been missing from his day.

  Then he noticed the dark shadows under her eyes and her words clicked. “Thieves? Angry owners? Did someone try to break in last night? Why didn’t you call me?”

  She opened her mouth and then closed it as if she was changing her mind about what she wanted to say.

  “Maybe someone tried. Or I’m crazy. There was a car in the parking lot. I couldn’t sleep, making lists in my head and trying to ignore Bub’s snoring and the way his feet press into my calves.” She waved her hand. “Never mind about that. I don’t think anyone got out of the car. By the time I got brave enough to check, the parking lot was empty.”

  Will wasn’t sure what he planned to say but the door opened and a professionally dressed, petite woman stepped in. She was startled to be walking into a conversation, so she glanced over her shoulder as if she intended to wait on the sidewalk.

  “You must be Alice. I’m Will Barnes. If you’ll go on into my office and have a seat, I’ll be right there.” He and Sarah stood there, hands clasped awkwardly in front of them, until the woman disappeared inside his office.

  He turned back to Sarah, but a violent sneeze coming from his office caused him to pause.

  Sarah wrinkled her nose. “Do you have more interviews scheduled today?”

  Alice’s second sneeze followed a minute later. Unless she wanted to invest in allergy medication and a lot of it, she wasn’t the right match.

  The urge to make a funny face just to hear Sarah laugh was hard to fight. They both needed a laugh.

  “Yeah. But listen,” Will said as he walked over to hold the door for Sarah, “if you see lights in the parking lot, don’t wait. Call the sheriff. And if you won’t do that, call me. I’m close.” Or Les or Shelly. He should definitely add them to the list of options, but he didn’t. “And don’t open the door.”

  “I appreciate the concern.” She smoothed the wrinkles out of his tie and he couldn’t keep his eyes off her hand. This time, she wasn’t trying to distract him. She wanted to touch him. He understood the urge even as he glanced through the window to make sure no one was watching. “And I’ll call you if it happens again.” Sarah stepped out into the sunshine. “Good luck with the interviews.”

  She waved and let the door close. Will scrubbed his hands over his face.

  Sarah didn’t need him to ride to the rescue late at night. The police could do that. She didn’t really need advice on the right computer or the right job. So why was he giving it?

  Because she’d asked.

  This time, instead of taking over or interceding, he’d answered.

  Almost as if they were friends.

  Or more than friends.

  Except one of them was a brave woman doing her best in a difficult situation and the other was dodging gossip like a coward.

  Was he falling for Horrible Hillman?

  At this point, could he stop the fall?

  The violent sneeze from his office was a welcome prod. If he didn’t get through his first interview quickly, Alice’s eyes would be swollen shut before she made it out of there. At least it wouldn’t take long. If she was no friend of Jelly’s, she was not the right person for the job.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “THOUGHT I MIGHT catch you here,” Luke Hollister said with a wink. He was leaning against the brick wall under the awning of the business next door. “I was going to check in with Will Barnes, make sure you weren’t a chip off the old block.”

  It had been a while, but Sarah pulled off a credible sneer. Sometimes being a mean girl was a good thing. Even though Hollister couldn’t touch her—she hadn’t done anything wrong—he never tired of the threats. She surveyed the deserted sidewalk. “Hollister.”

  He towered over her, but the ice in her stare was effective. “I stopped in to get some advice from Will. I don’t work for him anymore. Now that I’ve raised funding for Paws for Love, I’m full-speed ahead on getting the shelter back up and running.” She quirked one corner of her lips. “If you have a donation, I’ll happily write you a receipt.”

  For some reason, she was fearless in pressing for money. Should she come back on Saturday with a folding chair and a donation box?

  Or...an adorable dog available for adoption. She studied the businesses on either side of the street to try to assess weekend traffic. Monthly pet adoption days in the right place could do a lot to increase adoptions and drive traffic to the shelter.

  Her lack of attention didn’t sit well with Hollister. His ugly frown indicated he’d said something she missed. “You were saying...”

  This was her cue to cross her arms and tap one perfectly manicured fingernail on her fine suit sleeve.

  But her manicure was long gone. Tapping her finger would only call attention to that fact.

  “Heard anything from your father lately?” Hollister pulled a card out of his wallet.

  Sarah snatched it from his fingers and balled it up. “Harassing me at my condo, then the place I’m working, now in the middle of the sidewalk. I guess it’s not much of a stretch to lurk outside the shelter in the middle of the night, is it?” If it was him with the headlights, she could be twice as angry the next time it happened and half as afraid.

  “Middle of the night? Don’t get ahead of yourself, princess. I drove down from Austin this morning.” He jangled the change in one pocket. “Got a lot of traffic out there?”

  As much as she hated Hollister, she believed he was telling the truth. What if her father was closer than she thought?

  “Not enough to concern you.” Sarah dropped his card on the sidewalk. Panicking in front of the detective would be terrible.

  “Finding your daddy is at the top of my to-do list.” Hollister pointed at her. “You hear from him, you call.” He took two slow steps back toward his car and Sarah had a split second to decide what she was going to do with the wrong number.

 
It seemed as if the police were the only ones who could bring her father back.

  If she believed Bobby Hillman was innocent, she might try for patience.

  But her certainty had faded along with the idea that leaving Holly Heights would be worth any trouble, even hiding from the police with her father. Right now, all she wanted was to know her father was all right. She needed some breathing room from Hollister and the people of Holly Heights.

  So she pulled out her cell. “I have had a couple of wrong numbers. No message. It’s a number I don’t recognize.” She rattled off the phone number and tried to gauge Hollister’s reaction. Did he already have the information because he was monitoring her phone or was he surprised at her cooperation? No expression showed on his face. “You’re welcome.” He was still watching her when she sighed and marched away.

  Fatigue weighed her down immediately. None of her problems had solutions. Hollister wouldn’t go away until he found her father. No one in town would hire her until Hollister found her father. Probably. Maybe.

  “Do what you can right now. Put the rest away until later.” Sarah rolled her shoulders. Giving up was impossible. “Attractive, but impossible.”

  And Brenda Barnes was staring at her through the diner window. Of course.

  Sue Lynn’s was on her list of possible employers, so her dilemma was even tougher.

  “You can do this.” Sarah smoothed the loose hank of hair behind her ear and walked quickly to the door.

  The cheerful jangle of bells ratcheted her nerves up a notch.

  “Table, booth or counter.” Brenda’s expressionless face spoke loud and clear.

  “None. I was, uh, hoping...” Sarah turned slowly to see the place was nearly empty. “Is Sue Lynn around?”

  Brenda slapped the menus she was holding onto the hostess station. “Nope. Could I take a message?”

  “I could wait?” The question in her voice irritated Sarah. She wanted to be confident.

  “Table, booth or counter?” Brenda asked slowly.

  “Counter. Could I get some coffee, please?” She almost asked for a glass of water. That would be less expensive than coffee, but it would also be pretty transparent. She was too broke to buy a real meal. Coffee was a compromise.

  Without a word, Brenda put a cup and saucer in front of her and poured. Then she slid the creamer and sugar closer. Marching as far away as she could get, she picked up her dish towel and started to scrub the shiny counter.

  Sarah sipped her coffee and wondered what family dinners between Jen and Brenda must be like. Were all the meat loaves shaped like her head with a bloody ooze of ketchup for effect?

  Her stomach growled in response and Sarah did a quick tally of how long it had been since she’d had actual meat of any shape, form or fashion. Then she remembered the hamburger Les had brought. It had been lost in the excitement of a big day.

  Vegetarian by accident. How sad.

  “Can I get you some eggs?” Brenda held her notepad in front of her like a shield.

  “Not unless you have a get-one-free, get-one-free special today.” Sarah rolled her eyes. “Not in the budget.”

  Brenda whistled loud and long. “A Hillman. Using that word. And not like a curse. All the years I served your father his two eggs, sunny-side up, he was a big spender. Terrible tipper, though.” Brenda nodded. “Everybody knows you can tell a lot about a person by the tip he leaves.”

  “It’s pretty easy to pinch pennies when you have no other choice.” Sarah pulled out her wallet. “I should have checked to make sure I have coffee money before I even ordered that.”

  Having to borrow money from Will to pay her tab to his stepmother would be a serious embarrassment. Sarah had no doubt he’d loan her the cash, which said a lot about his generosity.

  Or her lack of shame where he was involved.

  One or the other.

  “But I have it. Not to worry.” Brenda had turned away to put an order in the window. Clearly, she wasn’t worried. At all. Sending the sheriff after Sarah if she decided to drink and dash would be the easiest thing in the world.

  When Brenda turned around with eggs and toast and slid the plate in front of her, Sarah raised both hands. “I don’t have that much cash.”

  “It’s on me.” Brenda leaned a hip against the counter and waited. As if this was a test and she was curious to see whether Sarah would pass.

  She reluctantly picked up a fork and scooped up the first bite.

  Then all bets were off.

  When Brenda raised her eyebrows at how quickly she was eating, Sarah decided to concentrate on the food. Any judgment Brenda might make would dim the joy.

  Her stomach grumbled happily when she finally set her fork down on the empty plate. “So good. Real food. Someday, that’s all I’m going to eat. No peanut butter. Ever.”

  “Good plan.” Brenda swiped the plate and dumped it under the counter. “Don’t want you to scrape all the white off the china.”

  Since absolutely nothing could be as embarrassing as burying her face in scrambled eggs like Bub with his dog food, Sarah asked, “Is Sue Lynn hiring? I need a part-time job.”

  “Seriously? It’s like that?” Brenda’s doubt was loud and clear.

  “Yeah. It’s like that. I’ve sold everything I can and now I’ve got to find rent money fast.” Sarah sighed. “Not a lot of opportunity for a girl with an art degree and no practical experience outside working for the most hated man in town.”

  Brenda twisted the towel in both hands. “You should have heard the way Jenny talked about that dog, the shelter, everything she was going to do to make sure it runs like clockwork.”

  Sarah didn’t know what to say to the change in subject. Her relief that Jen had been impressed with Paws for Love was a nice boost.

  “And the houses she’s looking at? She’s lost sight of the number of bathrooms in the quest for a safe, fenced yard.” Brenda chuckled. “Dog crazy. She always had a touch of it. Sort of makes me wonder how many dogs she’ll end up with, you know? Then there’s Will, covered in cat hair. You must be some kind of magician, coaxing out these hidden dreams people have forgotten they had.”

  “I hope so. There are so many animals in this world that deserve to find their people.” Sarah tipped her chin up. “I’ll come back in an hour.” That should be long enough to get to the printer and back, even with a stop or two to ask about any job openings.

  Brenda reached under the counter. “The only time there’s a rush is lunch hour, and few people want to work three or four hours a day, right in the middle. Sue Lynn and I usually end up splitting the shifts, but...” She slid an application across the counter. “Go ahead, fill this out. I’ll make sure she gets it.”

  Sarah sat down and concentrated so hard on legible writing that she could feel the crease forming between her eyebrows.

  “Don’t try to set the thing on fire with your mind.” Brenda poured her another cup of coffee. “Put down the years you went to school. All that creative work experience won’t fool Sue Lynn.”

  Instead of explaining that she was only trying to do her best, Sarah nodded and added a note across the section for previous work experience. A shift from eleven to three would be perfect, and if Brenda was right, that might be exactly what Sue Lynn needed.

  “Thanks for the help, Brenda.” She slid the application back across the counter and watched Brenda pick it up.

  “I haven’t done anything. Not really.” Brenda pursed her lips and then shook her head. “But I’ve been preaching second chances to Jen for long enough that I have to take some of my own advice. She and her stepbrother are making good on this do-over. You could, too.”

  “Next meal’s on me, Brenda. It’s the least I can do.” Sarah picked up her phone and walked slowly out of the diner. Then she realized it wasn’t all she could do.

  She stuck her head back in and Brenda turned away from the office door.

  “Thank you. For the meal, the application, listening to what I had to say.”
Sarah bit her lip. “I’m sorry I wasn’t better to Jen and Will when I was a kid, but you should know that they’re both pretty awesome.” Sarah waved awkwardly. “That’s it. You should be proud of the people they’ve become. Generous. Smart...” Then, before Brenda could say a thing, she turned on her heel and made a quick getaway. All the emotions that had been blindsiding her lately were so annoying. For years, she’d shown people what they expected to see. Now her ooey-gooey center was oozing through the cracks in her armor.

  If her father had somehow appeared right in front of her on the sidewalk, she’d give him a piece of her mind. All this mess he’d left behind, and still the good people of Holly Heights were picking her up. They deserved better from him. They always had.

  If she ever had a chance, she’d return all this kindness to the people of Holly Heights.

  First, she had to put a roof over her head.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  SARAH WAS ALREADY five minutes late for her third shift at Sue Lynn’s when she locked the front door of Paws for Love. “Starting a new job four days before the open house that will change everything? Worst planning ever.” She immediately dropped her key ring and cursed under her breath as she searched for it in the predawn light. “My regular shift will be better. Lunch will be better. Lunch will be better.” She’d been repeating that for days, ever since she’d bungled her way through her first breakfast shift with Brenda.

  Something shifted under her new, cheap running shoe, making her curse again.

  “What is...” She bent down to snatch up her keys and then tried to tug the envelope out from under her foot. It finally slipped free and Sarah ran to the car, tossed everything inside and sped through the deserted streets to make up two of her five minutes.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she said as Brenda let her into the brightly lit diner. “Car trouble.” Little white lies had always been her first line of defense. When Brenda made the “continue” hand motion, waiting for the truth, Sarah sighed. “My car can’t break the sound barrier yet, so it was entirely too slow to make up the five minutes I was late before I left the shelter.”