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I grin, glad to see some of her old spirit returned. “Sounds good.”
She returns my smile, leaving me feeling lighter as she gets up and makes her way to the kitchen. Thank God we finally had a real conversation and cleared the air. That’s at least one person I can say I’m on the same page with.
Still have to get there with Connor, though.
My phone dings and I pick it up, reading a text from the interior designer I hired for Connor’s apartment.
I stick my head out of my room, calling to Mom, “Can we do brunch tomorrow? I need to run to work.”
Where before she might have made a comment about me leaving yet again, this time she merely replies, “Of course, baby.”
I change out of my pajamas and into a new sundress I made over the winter that I haven’t had a chance to wear, the blue and white floral pattern lifting my mood even more, and grab my purse before heading out the door and toward the subway station a few minutes away.
I showed Hannah the apartment above Connor’s office earlier in the week while he was at a meeting, but she wants to look at the space one more time before she makes her final selections for new furniture. She was great about helping me find a company to move all of Mr. Bishop’s old stuff into storage, but with all the other things happening with Connor lately, I keep forgetting to tell him.
As I’m heading down the steps to the station, though, my phone dings again. Crap. She wants to meet half an hour later now. I debate for a second about whether to turn around, then decide to just head into the city. I can kill thirty minutes easily catching up on work.
Except, I end up getting off the subway at a stop nowhere near Bishop Tower, my mind not examining too closely where I’m going until I’m in front of New Beginnings, Serena’s animal shelter. Sure, I’ve imagined coming here before. Fantasized about stopping in and pretending to look for a pet, striking up a conversation with Serena that somehow leads to us becoming best friends. That was all in my head, though. I didn’t believe I’d actually ever meet her.
But now I have. I don’t have to pretend. Well, about the pet part, at least.
A bell rings over the door as I enter, and a woman with a friendly smile greets me as I approach her desk.
I flounder for how to respond for a moment, knowing I have absolutely no reason to be here. “Hi, is Serena here today?” It’s all I can think to say.
“Yeah, she’s just in the back. Want me to get her for you?”
“That’d be great, thanks.”
I cross my arms over my chest, hiding my shaking hands as I wait for her. It was one thing to meet with her to take her measurements for her dress. She invited me then. But this…
“Hey, Emma. Is everything okay with the dress?”
My eyes unfocus from where they were staring at the ground, and I smile at her. “Yeah, it’s coming along great. I created a pattern for it this morning, actually. I, um, I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by. You made the place sound so amazing that first day we met, I had to check it out.”
“Oh.” She returns my smile and I breathe a sigh of relief. “Do you have time for a tour? I love to show it off when I can.”
“Yeah, of course.” Wow, I didn’t even have to ask.
She motions for me to follow her to a door along the far wall, excited barks greeting us as we enter a kennel area. “You all be quiet,” she says good-naturedly, holding the back of her hand out for the closest dog to lick through the cage.
She shows me around the facility, and after my own share of puppy kisses, the knot of nerves in my stomach dissipates as we laugh at the antics of Snowball, a fluffy white mutt who revels in being the center of attention. She lets us in his cage, and I bend down to give him a belly rub.
“Your shelter is amazing,” I tell Serena. “I always picture one of those sad ASPCA commercials when I think of places like this. You know, with the Sarah McLachlan song? But this is nothing like that.”
“Oh my God, no.” She laughs, not taking offense at my statement. “I don’t want some depressing place that guilts you into adopting. People should be happy when they come here. My mission is to provide a loving environment and rehabilitate the animals as best we can so they’ll find their forever home.”
I stroke Snowball’s soft fur, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. “It was called something different originally, right?”
“Yeah. I changed it about a month ago. My dad withdrew funding, so it didn’t really make sense to have his name on it anymore.”
So I guess I’m not the only one he’s cutting off. “But you’re okay now? Like, you don’t have to shut the place down or anything?”
“We had a big fundraiser recently, so we’re set for the next year, and I applied for a bunch of grants too. Plus, since Archer took over keeping track of all the finances, it’s so much more organized.”
A loud gurgling sound comes from her, and Snowball sits up from his lounging position, ears going alert as he stares at Serena raptly.
She laughs, clutching at her stomach. “It’s past my lunch time, isn’t it?”