“Oh, honey, I’m sorry,” Coco cooed, even though she wasn’t taking the situation seriously. Did she not see how wet and transparent her shirt was? “Maybe next time you’ll have more fun.”
“She was having fun before that,” Veronica volunteered. “She was dancing with the guy she’s crushing on.”
“You were dancing?”
Hannah was doing her best to ignore them but it wasn’t working. Everything they said just twisted the knife in her chest. “Yes, I was dancing, call the newspapers. I’m not the freak you both think I am.”
“This guy, is he cute?” Coco asked, ignoring the outburst.
“He’s gorgeous,” Veronica answered, knowing Hannah wouldn’t. “And he’s totally into her.”
“He won’t be now,” Hannah mumbled, wondering if she could get anything right. Anything at all would have been nice.
Chapter 6
“I’m not getting out of bed, I’m going to stay here forever and be a crazy cat lady for the rest of my life,” Hannah insisted as Coco tried to pull the covers off her. She had no intention of getting out of bed and facing the world, not after the embarrassment of the previous night. No way.
“Crazy cat ladies can’t give me grandchildren one day. You are getting up,” Coco said through gritted teeth, holding onto the bedcovers. They had a tug of war, not only with the sheets but with their will too.
Within the hour, Coco was dropping Hannah off at the shelter, barely stopping to let her out. She skidded off into the distance with a screech, there was no going back now.
Cory directed her to the office where her task of the day was going to be paperwork filing. It wasn’t the most exciting of jobs but it did mean Hannah could avoid seeing Harry – if he was working that morning. If was far easier to avoid him altogether than have to speak with him. Not after she had run out of the party with a see-through shirt.
Even in the office, the sound of the dogs barking, the cats meowing, and a goat bleating could be heard through the walls. Hannah briefly wondered how noisy it must have been on Noah’s ark. Probably a lot worse than in the shelter – and there would be no way to get away from it.
Flicking through the paperwork and trying to put it into alphabetical order, one of the records caught her eye. It was Basil’s report from when he first arrived at the shelter. She pulled it out and read through.
Basil was reportedly found wandering the streets in Mapleton, across town from the shelter. The girl who dropped her off said she didn’t see anyone who owned him and didn’t want to leave him there so she immediately drove to the shelter.
The report was brief and to the point. The veterinarian on duty had given him an exam, Basil had passed with flying colors. He was thin, but it wasn’t anything to worry about unless he continued to lose weight. He was assigned a number and a cage, and he had been there ever since.
Hannah found a notepad and wrote down the woman’s name and address. She wasn’t sure what she would do with it, but she had to find out more about Basil. Perhaps the woman was the only clue she was ever going to get. She pocketed the sheet of paper.
“Hey, here you are.” Harry’s voice filled the room, scaring her half to death. She jumped, sending the paperwork scattering to the floor.
She ignored the papers for a moment and turned to face him instead, what was another embarrassment?
He was holding Basil, absentmindedly petting his head. “Cory has you doing paperwork?”
“Yeah, someone’s got to do it.” She tried to think cool thoughts, desperately trying to keep the blushing from her cheeks. She wished she had the sole superpower of controlling it.
“Look, I was trying to find you because I wanted to see how you were,” Harry started. “I’m sorry last night didn’t go exactly as planned.”
And there it was, the memory that was sure to inflame her cheeks. It was the last thing Hannah wanted to talk about. She changed the subject instead, completely ignoring him.
“I want to find Basil’s owners,” she blurted out from desperation. “I have the details of the woman who found him. I want to speak with her.”
“Great, we’ll go after our shift.”
It wasn’t what she had intended. She said it to get away from him, not spend more time making a fool of herself in his company.
“You don’t have to come with me,” she replied, trying not to look him in the eyes. They were her kryptonite.
“I want to.” He smiled, she made the mistake of noticing. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad, maybe they could just forget about the night before? Miracles happened all the time, right?
“Alrighty then.”
Harry left her to the paperwork while she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t leave the office for the rest of her shift, refusing to put herself at risk of further embarrassment.
A part of her hoped Harry would completely forget about visiting the woman. But at one o’clock exactly, his face appeared at the doorway, still locked in a grin.
“Are you ready?” He asked, leaving no room for her to back out.
Hannah nodded and they signed out of the shelter. Their modes of transport were bicycles, parked at the side of the building. They put on their helmets and started in the direction of the woman’s house.
Once Hannah relaxed a little, she found herself actually having fun with Harry. They weaved through the roads, letting the wind run through her hair. It was a cooling breeze on the otherwise hot summer day.
Harry didn’t race ahead, even though she knew he was capable of going must faster than her. Instead, he made sure to stay by her side, setting a steady pace the entire way. Whenever she looked over at him, he was doing the same to her. It made her giggle every time.
They finally reached the address – 221 Roseland Way – and knocked on the front door. Hannah prayed someone would be home and willing to talk to two kids about a dog she found three months ago.
Just when they thought nobody would answer, a woman opened the door. She eyed the pair suspiciously, hoping they weren’t selling anything.
“Hello, are you Wendy Wong?” Hannah asked, trying to be as polite as possible.
“Yes, and you are?” She stood with her arms crossed, obviously not trying to be polite to the strangers.
“My name is Hannah and this is Harry, we work at the Mapleton Animal Rescue Centre. You dropped off a dog three months ago?”
Wendy nodded. “I did.”
Harry picked up the conversation. “We were hoping you might be able to tell us some more details about where you found him?”
“We’re trying to find his owners,” Hannah added.
She hesitated before continuing. “I found him in Rochedale Street, he was just wandering about by himself. He was awfully thin and it didn’t look like anyone looked after him. So I dropped him at the shelter and they took it from there. I don’t have much else to say, really.”
“Rochedale Street?” Hannah asked, trying to place the street. It was across town like the report had said but it wasn’t a nice neighborhood. Basil didn’t seem like the kind of dog you’d keep for guard duty.
“Yeah, that’s the street,” Wendy replied. “I’ve got stuff to do, are there any more questions?”
Harry exchanged a glance with Hannah, they obviously weren’t going to get any magical information out of the woman. “That’s all, thank you for your time.”
Without saying goodbye, Wendy closed the door on them. They retreated back to their bikes, a little forlorn about not getting anywhere.
“I think we need ice cream,” Harry declared. “You up for it?”
Not believing she was about to agree, Hannah said: “Sure.”
She followed him to the nearest corner store where he emerged with two ice cream cones full of chocolate goodness. She accepted one and they sat on the sidewalk to eat them.
The silence was painful. Hannah knew what she wanted to say but wasn’t sure if she was brave enough to do it. Or that she could get through it without sounding like an idiot. She decid
ed to stay on a safe topic instead – for now.
“I think we should walk around Rochedale Street and see if anyone knows Basil.”
“I think that’s our best shot at finding his owner,” Harry agreed. “We will need to take some photos of him to show people.”
“Maybe we could make posters too so we can put them up around the place.”
His grin returned. “Yeah, it will be fun.”
The blanket of silence threatened them again. This time, Hannah was ready. “I’m sorry about running out on you last night. I had a really good time up until then.”
“I did too. I thought I might have said or done something wrong which is why you didn’t come back.” His grin was gone, instead he was staring intently at his ice cream.
She hadn’t thought he would react like that. Blaming himself? That was ridiculous, did he not realize she was out of his league? He could have had any girl at the party, she never in a million years thought he would give her another thought once she left. In her head, he had just found another girl to dance with and partied hard for the rest of the night.
“You didn’t do anything, you were perfect in fact.”
His head shot up, their eyes locked. “So why’d you leave?”
“I was embarrassed. And my shirt was see-through.” The reasons now seemed so stupid. She started laughing. “I guess I panicked.”
He placed his hand on her arm, the warmth of it burned on her skin in a wonderfully tingly way. “Next time you panic, let me know and I’ll talk you out of it. Deal?”
“Deal.”
She covered his hand with hers, wondering if this was how good things began.
Chapter 7
The wait for work the next day was practically impossible. Coco didn’t need to get Hannah out of bed, she was waiting by the front door to say goodbye.
Cycling like an Olympian, Hannah was inside the shelter with her camera before her shift was due to start. She waited for Harry, he practically followed her in.
She held up her camera. “Do you think Basil’s ready for his close up?”
“One way to find out,” he grinned in return. They took the depressed dog from his cage and placed him on the grass outside. The sun was shining on them all from a cloudless blue sky. They couldn’t have asked for better weather.
Hannah brushed Basil’s fur, trying to get it to stay down. The unruly follicles wouldn’t do as they should. “I guess his owner will recognize the bad hair day,” she shrugged, giving up. Just like the dog himself, his hair refused to do as it was told.
“Smile, Basil,” Harry commanded. He held up a treat, hoping it would inspire the dog to follow directions. He should have known better.
“He’s a typical model, huh?” Hannah giggled. “He won’t eat, he won’t do as he’s told, and he looks sad.”
“I’m surprised he got out of bed for less than ten thousand dollars.”
Despite the unwilling model, together they managed to snap enough decent photos of Basil to make posters. Harry carried him back inside after he refused to walk anymore.
“We’re going to find your family,” Hannah whispered, promising the dog. She was determined to come through for him, no matter what it took.
They attended to the other dogs and cats before having some time to use the computer in the small office. Checking with Cory, she was happy for them to print up posters for Basil.
Hannah sat in front of the computer and started typing, uploading Basil’s photo and making sure it stood out on the page.
She held up the finished product. “What do you think?”
Harry took it, making sure to examine it carefully. The phone number was correct, the picture was clear, and the message was in a big font. “It’s perfect.”
Hannah beamed with pride. They finished their shift and rode over to Rochedale Street – the scene of the crime. They started at the end of the street and went knocking on each door. Hannah took the left side of the street and Harry took the right. They met up at the end.
“Did you have any luck?” Harry asked, hoping for a positive answer.
He would have to wait a while longer. “Nobody recognizes him. It’s like Basil just fell from the sky. We’re never going to find his family, I’m going to let him down.”
Harry shook his head, refusing to believe it. “We just need to keep going. I know we can do this. Come on, there’s plenty more streets around here.”
He held out his hand, unwilling to take it back until she placed hers in his. She eventually did, letting herself be led down the next street.
They canvassed the houses until the sun threatened to dip below the horizon. On every light pole, they taped a poster of Basil, hoping someone would recognize him and get in touch. They were fast running out of ideas.
Harry cycled with Hannah back to her place, refusing to let her go alone in the dark. It meant it would take him twice as long to get home but he insisted anyway. The thought brought a smile to her face and her heart swelled with happiness.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Harry said, ready to depart.
“Thanks for… everything today.”
“You’re worth it. I mean, you’re welcome,” he quickly corrected himself.
She couldn’t be sure, but through the dim light Hannah thought she could see a rosy blush to his cheeks at his fumble. It only made him even more adorable.
“Get home safely.”
Harry nodded, saluted, and started peddling down the street. She stood on the front stoop, watching him until he was out of sight. She seriously wondered if she would ever be able to get the smile off her lips. Even if they hadn’t got their big breakthrough, she still had a wonderful day. And he was the sole reason for it.
She tried to hide her happiness as she entered the house, trying to avoid the twenty questions from Coco. Hannah wouldn’t have been surprised to find her watching them through the window, but thankfully she was in the living room – well away from the front door.
As she stepped into the room, she was surprised to see Veronica waiting for her. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I’ve got news,” Veronica replied excitedly.
“Come upstairs then.” Hannah looked pointedly at her mother, the one woman who didn’t know the meaning of the word boundaries.
They retreated to the privacy of Hannah’s bedroom and closed the door. “So, what’s this big news?”
Veronica bit her bottom lip, trying to draw out the excitement she felt. “Lucas asked me out. We’re going to the movies on Friday night!”
“Wow, that is news. When did this happen?” Hannah sat on the edge of her bed, completely absorbed in the story now.
“About half an hour ago. He called me out of nowhere, I don’t even know how he got my phone number.”
Veronica had a crush on Lucas since Hannah could remember. He was always the one they had to spy on at school and linger around at dances. Hannah had suspected he was a lost cause but she was happy to be proven wrong.
“How are you going to survive until Friday night?” Hannah laughed. “It’s three whole days away.”
“I know, right?” She clutched at her heart, as if it might just burst out suddenly. “When we’re a couple, we could double date with you and Harry.”
Hannah liked the sound of that – double date. But then again, they hadn’t really even been on a single date yet. “We might have to wait until Harry and I are a couple first.”
“It’s not official? I thought you really liked him.”
“I do, I’m just not sure if he’s so into it yet.”
Veronica waved her words away. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and trust me, he’s into you.”
“The way he looks at me?” Hannah had no idea what she was talking about. He only looked at her like every other person on the planet.
“Oh please, you haven’t noticed?” Veronica watched her shrug, rolling her eyes before she continued. “It’s like he’s a starving zombie and you’ve got th
e yummiest brains around. It won’t be long before he wants a taste.”
“I’m not sure-” She was interrupted by her mother as she burst through the door – without knocking.
“She means he wants to kiss you,” Coco said, matter-of-factly. “Is this the boy you went to the party for?”
“Mom, get out,” Hannah groaned. It was bad enough dealing with boys and the unfamiliar territory, let alone trying to explain it all to her mother too.
“I have a right to know who is trying to get their hands on my little baby. I want to meet this boy.”
Hannah stood and started pushing Coco towards the door, refusing to listen. “I’ll introduce you when you aren’t so crazy. If it even goes anywhere with him.”
“Oh, it will,” Coco said before having the door closed on her face. Hannah pressed her ear to the door, listening for the footsteps before believing she had gone.
Veronica gave her a look, the one she always did when Coco interfered, it said I understand. For the first time, Hannah couldn’t let her mother bring her down, she was too happy.
“I hope crazy isn’t hereditary,” she giggled. “Now, tell me everything about what Lucas said.”
Veronica did just that, it took almost an hour to describe the one minute phone call. Hannah listened intently, only interrupting when a question was needed for more information. They spent the rest of the night talking and laughing.
By the time morning came around, Hannah was running late for the shelter. She peddled her bicycle as fast as she could, trying to make up for lost time.
Harry was already there, cleaning out the cat’s litter trays. She took over holding the bag for him.
“How’s Basil doing today?” She asked, hoping he might have snapped out of his depression.
“Much the same, he didn’t eat the snack I gave him,” Harry replied sadly. “Hopefully someone will see our posters.”
“I hope so,” Hannah agreed. They made their way through each of the cages and then moved onto the dogs. It was time for their daily activities.
Unlocking the doors, Hannah watched as the dogs eagerly took off towards the sunshine. Their happiness was unbridled as their tails wagged all over the place.
Hairy Tail Collection Page 3