Page 131 of Men or Paws

My smile turned into a laugh.

Marcello joined in, pointing at it. “She wanted to brighten up your life with a lavender shirt! That is classic.”

I unfolded the polo and held it against my body.

Surprisingly, I liked it. A lot.

“I think it’s violet, actually,” I said.

He scoffed. “No way. It’s closer to thistle or maybe plum.”

“Look how exciting my life is,” I said. “We’re discussing shades of purple.”

Marcello crossed his arms. “What’s more surprising is that you’re still here after what Beth wrote on that card. If you don’t do something soon, you may lose her forever.”

He was right.

What she wrote on that card touched me deeply.

“But it needs to be big, whatever you’re going to do,” Marcello said. “It’s got to be over the top to show her how much she means to you.”

There was still one big issue that needed to be addressed.

“What about Spielberg and Italy?” I said. “I want Beth, but that doesn’t mean I want to throw away the movie deal. And I still want to do the sitcom, of course.”

“Who says you can’t have it all? You’re the biggest freakin’ movie star in the world. Even someone like Spielberg has to listen to you. Tell him your requirements. I guarantee you he’s going to listen.”

Just then my phone rang.

I eyed the caller ID, then glanced at Marcello. “What a coincidence—It’s Josh.”

“That’s no coincidence.” He threw his palms in the air. “That’s a sign. Answer it!”

I tapped the green button on my phone. “Hey, Josh. Sorry, I’ve been meaning to get back to you.”

“No worries—I’m not calling about that,” he said. “It’s Beth.”

My heart just about jumped through my ribs. “What’s wrong? Is she okay?”

“Physically, yes,” Josh said. “Mentally, not so much. She’s having a difficult day today. Well, she’s had a rough week, actually, but today especially is not going well since the charity event she’s involved in is a complete disaster.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“I don’t know everything, but I guess they had to switch venues at the last minute, for some reason. They weren’t able to get the word out to everyone and some of the media outlets were still promoting the old location. People showed up, there was nobody there. Talk about a disaster. The bottom line is that the attendance sucks, they’re not raising any funds, and nobody is showing up to adopt the animals. And to top it off, Beth’s dog treats are not getting the exposure she was hoping for since there’s hardly anybody there.”

“That’s terrible,” I said.

“Tell me about it,” Josh said. “Anyway, I wish I could help, but I’m in Seattle on my comedy tour. Holly can’t help either since she’s here with me. I don’t know if there is something you can do, but Beth could really use your support right now, even if it means you going down there with a few friends. I’m calling everyone I know in Southern California to try to get as many people over there, so if you can help spread the word, I’d appreciate it. It’s an all-day event, so there are still almost six hours left.”

“Say no more,” I said. “I’m on it.”

“Thank you—I’ll text you the address,” he said. “I feel bad asking you since you and Beth are not on the best terms now.”

“Don’t you worry,” I said. “I’m going to fix that too.”

“I was hoping you were going to say that,” Josh said.

We said our goodbyes, and I ended the call.