Page 47 of Pugs & Kisses

“I understand. This event is lovely. I wish my baby was still here to enjoy it, but she recently joined her brother on the other side of the rainbow bridge.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Evie said. “I’ve been there. I think we all have. It’s one of the hardest parts of being a pet owner. You know they can’t live forever, so you enjoy them while they’re here and just keep a place in your heart for them once they’re gone.”

“Well, I want to do more than just keep a place in my heart for my sweet girl,” the woman said. “I was told the animal rescue that tonight’s gala is supporting is in need of a new home.”

“Um, yes, it is,” Evie said.

The woman smiled. “I own a warehouse in Irish Channel. You know where that is, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Evie said. The neighborhood, known for its rich Irish heritage, was only a few miles downriver from where they were now.

“Well, my building has been sitting there unused since the last tenant vacated it during the COVID shutdown. I would like to donate it to the rescue on behalf of my Pinky,” she said. “If the rescue can be renamed in her honor.”

Evie’s mouth dropped open. Did she just hear what she thought she heard?

“Um, Ms.—”

“Cane. Evelina Cane,” she said.

“Evelina!” Evie perked up. “That’s my name.”

The woman’s face brightened. “I wondered if that Evie stood for something else. Well, Dr. Evelina, I will have my people call your people on Monday.” She leaned forward and, in a softer voice, said, “My people is just my son, Ryan. He handles my finances. I told him what I wanted to do.”

“And he’s okay with it?”

Mrs. Cane looked at Evie as if she had just hurled the nastiest insult known to man at her. “It is my building and my money, dear. He doesn’t have a say in how I spend it; his job is to invest it so that it continues to grow.” She tapped Evie on the arm. “We’ll be in touch.”

Evie was too shocked to move. She could barely breathe.

Excitement, disbelief, and the suspicious feeling that she was in the middle of a dream and would soon wake up rolled around in her head.

She needed to find Ashanti and Ridley! She had to tell them what had just happened. She needed to call Bry—

Her excitement deflated, along with her shoulders.

Dammit!

She wanted to enjoy this. She deserved to enjoy it. She’d worked hard to save The Sanctuary.

But she had not done it alone. Celebrating without the man who’d been by her side through most of this fight just didn’t feel right.

“Ma’am?”

Evie turned to find one of the servers holding a folded piece of paper.

“This is for you,” the server said.

“What is it?” Evie asked, taking the note.

He hunched his shoulder. “I was told to give it to the woman in green.”

She flipped it open and read it.

Go to the table of Duchess Delights and find the one that isn’t like the others.

“What the—” Evie said. She gave Waffles’s leash a tug. “Come on, boy.”

She walked over to the table covered with treats Ashanti had persuaded Fido Foods, the company that bought her doggy treat business for millions, to donate to the gala.

There were three designs: a Mardi Gras king cake, the Muses of Comedy and Drama masks that were usually displayed everywhere during carnival season, and a purple, gold, and green king’s crown.

Evie shuffled the treats around, searching for one that was different.

She noticed a speck of red peeking through two of the masks.

She moved one to the side and saw the heart-shaped cookie.

A curious smile curved up the side of her mouth as she picked up the cookie and turned it over.

You can ride me up and down St. Charles Avenue all day long, but tonight you can find me in the basket of toys.

Evie laughed. She knew exactly what this clue was referring to. She’d bought all the plushies from Southern Paws Pet Boutique. The one resembling the iconic St. Charles Streetcar was her favorite.

She looked around, trying to spot Ashanti and Ridley. Those two had to be the ones behind this. They’d both told her she was stressing too much about the gala and needed to unwind.

As she approached the huge wicker basket brimming with plush toys, another woman swooped in and picked up the streetcar.

“Uh, wait!” Evie called. “I think that’s for me. Can you turn it over and tell me if there’s a note?”

The woman turned it over, and sure enough, there was a yellow note attached.

“Do you mind?” Evie held out her hand. “I promise I’ll find you once I’m done with this”—whatever this was—“and you can have the streetcar.”

“Take it.” She handed Evie the plushy. “I was trying to decide between the streetcar and the Cafe du Monde beignet mix anyway. You just made my choice easier.”

Evie read the note on the back of the streetcar.

There are hundreds just like me all over the city. We’re tall, and stately, and the birds love us. The people do too. Step outside and you’ll find me.

Definitely the oak trees. There were literally hundreds sprinkled throughout New Orleans.

This was perfect timing. She’d been meaning to make the rounds outside to see how things were going.

She tugged on Waffles’s leash and started for the exit that would lead to the grounds.

There were nearly as many people out here as there were inside.

Once this week’s forecast confirmed there would be good weather, they had set up tables and chairs all around the lawn, along with a dance floor.

A deejay—yet another one of Ridley’s contacts—handled the outside entertainment.

Evie peered around the various trees, looking for her next clue.

She froze as she caught sight of a figure standing underneath a huge oak tree. He was cast in shadow by the tree’s arching branches, but she would recognize him anywhere.

The adorable papillon at his feet was a dead giveaway.

He wore the same tux he’d worn to her parents’ party, and it looked just as amazing on him right now as it had that night. Evie steeled herself against the onslaught of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. She could do this. Whether she could do it without causing a scene was another matter.

You can.

She walked the final few yards, stopping when she was still three feet away. The moment Waffles was within cuddling distance of Bella, he began to prance around her.

Evie held up the streetcar plushy.

Bryson hunched his shoulders. “You never got to hold your scavenger hunt.”

Evie fought against the wave of tenderness that washed over her. Her heart pounded against the walls of her chest, but just because her body reacted in this frustratingly predictable way didn’t mean her head had to.

She stooped down and gave Bella a scratch behind the ears, giving herself the chance to get her emotions under control. When she stood up again, she had to look away to avoid Bryson’s eyes. The torment she’d glimpsed in them made her feel bad for him, and she wasn’t ready to feel bad for him.

He gestured to the grounds. “This looks amazing, Ev.”

“Thank you,” she said. “It wasn’t just me. I had a lot of help.”

“I talked to Thad in the parking lot. He said you’ve raised no less than a hundred grand tonight.”

“I’m sure it’ll be more than that once we’re all done.

” She hesitated for only a second before deciding to tell him about the conversation she’d just had with Evelina Cane.

She couldn’t hold it in any longer. “But that’s not the best news of the night.

We may have another location for The Sanctuary.

I was approached by a woman who wants to donate a building she owns in honor of the dog she just lost.”

“Mrs. Cane,” Bryson said.

Evie’s head jerked back. “How…?”

“I was supposed to perform surgery on her Yorkie, but it would have been too risky. Mrs. Cane was devastated, of course, but she was a trouper. She held Pinky in her arms through the entire euthanasia. She mentioned that she wanted to do something to honor Pinky’s life, and that’s when I told her about The Sanctuary. ”

Evie’s jaw went slack, her eyes growing wider with disbelief as Bryson continued.

“I thought maybe she would give a nice donation,” Bryson said with a shrug of his broad shoulders. “But when I told her about the issue with the building, she said she would look into doing something more meaningful. Something that could keep Pinky’s memory alive forever.”

Evie put a hand up to her throat. She could scarcely believe what she was hearing.

“Bryson—”

“Ev, I’m sorry,” he said in an aching whisper. His voice had grown instantly hoarse with emotion. Remorse and regret saturated his earnest gaze as his eyes locked in on her.

He took a step forward.

“I am so sorry for the things I said to you. They were awful and they were untrue. You have to know that Cameron had nothing to do with what has grown between us since I came back home. I never cared about seeking any type of revenge against him, and I… I don’t know why I said those things, Ev.

” He ran a hand down his face. “Actually, I do know why.”

Evie had to clear her throat before asking in the most indifferent voice she could muster, “Why?”

“It’s because I still struggle with my own insecurities,” Bryson answered. “It doesn’t matter how many speeches I give, or awards I receive, it never feels like enough. Cameron knows that, and he preyed upon my lack of self-confidence that day outside the restaurant.”

“Cameron did that,” Evie said. “So why did you say such awful things to me ?”

He looked up at her, his eyes teeming with guilt. “You were an easy target.”

Evie bit her trembling lower lip. She cursed the emotions trying to take hold of her, but a lifetime of feeling as if she didn’t measure up to the rest of her family wouldn’t allow her to close the door on the empathy welling within her chest.

“I know it’s asking a lot for you to forgive me,” Bryson said. “But I hope you can, Evie. I promise to never hurt you again. All I’m asking for is one more chance to prove that I’m worthy of your love.”

Evie’s heart hammered against her chest as the longing she’d tried to stanch since she last saw him rushed over her.

She felt several tears roll down her cheeks as she closed the distance between them.

“Is this yes?” Bryson whispered.

She couldn’t speak. The most she could manage was a nod.

Evie felt him shudder against her. Bryson captured her jaw between his palms and brushed at her tears with his thumbs. He pressed the gentlest, sweetest kisses to the spots he’d just wiped.

“I am so sorry,” he said again.

He moved to her lips, skimming them with his, then leaned his forehead against hers.

“I swear, if it takes the rest of my lifetime, I will make this up to you.”

“I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life making anything up to me, Bryson.” She took his hands in hers, the leashes they both held rubbing her palm. “I want you to spend the rest of your life loving me. That would be enough.”

“You’ve owned my heart for nearly a decade already, Evie.” He brought their clasped hands to his lips and kissed the backs of her fingers. “It’s yours. Forever.”