Page 63 of Scarlet Vows

I frown. “Do people actually just say they’ll come back and not return?”

“Yup,” she says, writing something on the computer, the keyboard clacking. “For some, one day is a shining act of so-called selflessness. They dine on it for months. Trust me, I’ve seen it. They’re just selfish, and that cancels their desire to help. Some want to and can’t because it’s too much with work. And for some, it’s just too much. They can’t stand animals suffering.”

“In here, they have a chance,” I say.

“It’s a life, but a forever home is better.”

“Well, if I say I’ll be back, I’ll be back,” I say with a smile, my heart hurting for all the times these dogs gave their heart and trust to someone who never came back. “I like it here, and I understand them, and I just want to help make their lives better however I can.”

“It’s hard, heartbreaking work.” She sighs. “Money’simportant, and that’s hard to come by. And, when we have it, it’s not just pouring in money into one spot, but it’s supplies, making sure they have the vet bills covered, upkeep and a happy life. It all costs money.”

“The roof overhead is just one thing, huh?”

“You got it,” Ava says. “And remember heartbreaking? You’re here to help find their forever homes, help with the bonding. And it hurts when they move to a good home. Hurts worse when they don’t. And then you have to make sure that if they end up staying here, then their lives are as best as they can be.”

“You’re not scaring me off,” I say as I hold up my chin and set back my shoulders and offer my fiercest smile.

She looks me up and down and shakes her head. “Didn’t say you would be. Come on, the dogs are waiting.”

Eva opens one of the big cages, and the dogs in there come tumbling out. She plays with them, petting them, all while subtly checking them over.

“We do have vets who come through as volunteers, especially student vets, but it’d be nice to have one who worked here.”

I hate that with all the money and opportunities, I never pushed to do something worthwhile, but I’d never have been allowed. Not by my father. I was a bratva daughter, and this fake marriage would be something he’d delight in. Me matched to another bratva.

But now I can do something for myself, and maybe being a vet isn’t in my kit of things Alina can do, but I can do this. I can help. And I have to believe every small bit helps.

“You have the look on your face most of the dedicated workers get,” Eva says softly as she clips some leashes on the group of dogs and hands half of them to me.

Jane and a guy, whose name I forget, are tending to theother dogs, including Albert, who is patient and well-behaved.

They’re watching the shelter, and I guess I’m going for a walk with Eva and the members of the kennel cage.

She hands me a bag. “Flyers. We either put them up or hand them out.”

I nod, take my dogs, and open the door. The dogs start barking and pulling me out, Eva’s laughter in the air behind me. But soon, we’re walking at a fast pace, and it’s easy, handing the flyers to those who stop to pet the dogs.

When we get to the dog park, we enter the enclosed area.

We unleash the dogs, and it’s clear this is a time for our dogs, as others move out of the way.

Eva glances at me. “We come in the mornings, then after lunch, and once more in the late afternoon so everyone in the shelter gets a run. Others might have their dogs in here, but mostly, people know us and let us have the run of this section for twenty minutes, which is nice.”

“Don’t they all want to make friends?”

“It’s better one-on-one and leashed, just in case there’s a behavior issue, either in our dogs or in someone else’s, that surprises us. Usually it’s an aggressive bark. People know their dogs. But sometimes we don’t know ours as well as we think. We can’t. Some of their stories are hidden from us.

“There’s a difference knowing a dog came from the streets or an abusive household and knowing exactly what happened.”

I nod, watching two of our dogs wrestle, and when I glance at Eva, her eyes are locked on them, a whistle in her hand.

“Do you have an animal behaviorist?”

She laughs. “There are times I can barely cover rent and essentials for our four-legged friends. I work hard getting donations, but they only go so far. I’d love to have a team. Adedicated vet, a clinic for the poorer people to bring their pets to without the options of going bankrupt or euthanasia.” She cuts her eyes to me a moment. “Am I scaring you off yet?”

“Not at all.” I move forward to pet a dog that rushes up to me. “To be honest, I might be one of the selfish ones. Being at the shelter makes me feel more relaxed and comfortable than I have for a long time.”

“Everyone has reasons.”