* * *
Ruby had hardly hung up her phone when it rang again. “Hello.”
“This is Graham. Sorry to bother you at home Ruby but I thought it wise to get things moving with the new premises.”
“But we haven’t met the target yet. You’ve only just told us and I’m still trying to get my head around it.” Ruby sat down and leaned her elbows on the kitchen table. There was so much to do and she was having trouble figuring out where to start.
“I have great faith in you ladies. Besides, even if you don’t meet the target, you still have the place but you’ll be paying rent. Tell you what, I’ll give you a short turnaround to meet the target. That way you can move in and then concentrate on it. How does that sound?”
“Are you sure?” It would take some of the pressure off and temptation nibbled at her.
“I’m here to help, not hinder.”
“Right, okay then.” She stroked Ziggy who nestled into her leg.
“So tell me. What do you need cage wise for the animals? There are three large sheds on site which you’ll see next week and I can email you the plans to look over so you have an idea of what’s there but we may as well start the builders now. They can come and visit you to see what you have if you like and you can walk them through it. What do you think?”
“That’s a great idea, Graham. What we have works well.”
“Good. Expect a call from my guys then.”
“Really? That quick?” Anytime she’d wanted something done she had to wait weeks for a tradesperson.
“In my business I have trades people on the payroll. My team of builders can do whatever you need. The buildings don’t need much in the way of improvement. That’s one reason I thought they’d be perfect for you.”
“What about permits?”
He laughed. “I’ll take care of that too. You ladies focus on what you want and start packing up. When it’s time to move, we’ll make sure it all goes as smoothly as we can.”
“Things are going too fast for me.” Ruby held her hand over her cheek, trying to slow her racing heart and the thought that this would all come crashing down around her ears. “Do we need to sign papers for this?”
“If you’re worried about losing control, Ruby, don’t be. I’m having papers drawn up detailing what the foundation will do for the shelter and the lease from the company. Regardless of what happens in the future, this property will always belong to the animals of Sausalito County and nobody can take it away from you.”
She breathed another sigh of relief.
“Laura and I don’t want to take over the day to day running of the business. That’s up to you girls to figure out. What we will do is supply you with the money for everyday expenses along with fundraising and special events help. If you think of anything, you only need to come and talk to us. This is our gift to the animals of San Francisco.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment it was sounding all too easy and a little shiver of apprehension tickled her spine. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to lose control. It made sense that one day someone else would step up and take her job. She got that. Life changed. But for a mere second or two, she worried that someone would pull the rug from under the shelter and all her hard work would be lost.
“Thank you for understanding. It’s been a hard road some days. Not everyone likes the idea of us being here.”
“Well, that is going to change. You haven’t seen Laura in action. When my wife gets a notion in her head to do something, there’s no stopping her. This shelter will get all the money and support it needs but you ladies are always going to be in charge. I promise you that.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
“You will and soon. Listen, I had an idea about promoting this adoption. Give Wes a call. He did such a good job at the fundraiser. He might have an idea that could help you and you guys are friends, right?”
“Yeah, we are. He adopted his dogs from us.” An idea started to gel in her mind. “Thanks, Graham. I’m really getting excited over this. Can’t wait to go and see the new premises.”
“I’ll call you in a couple of days and I’ll pick you up. I have to deal with a couple of business issues first then my time is a little bit more flexible.”
Ruby sat at the table long after she’d ended the call, her mind churning over.
The following morning Ruby arrived at work with a folder full of notes and a buzz that couldn’t be blamed on coffee. “I’ve got it.” She dumped the papers on Carly’s desk and grinned. “Wes came up with the idea last night. He’s going to star in an advertising campaign and Paul is going to film it guerilla style for us for free. We can use it on social media, wherever we can slot it in.” She blew her hair off her face and giggled. “They’ll have it to us by tomorrow.”
Carly’s mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding me?”
“Nope. He called me last night to see how the dates were going and we got talking.” She slapped her hand over her mouth. “Crap. I really need to call Simon back and apologize. He called me and I cut him short. I was so focused on what we have to do that I brushed him aside.”
Carly squinted and stared at her. “How much coffee have you had already today?”
She flicked her fingers in the air. “Probably not enough at this stage. Listen, Wes is going to be calling you. Wants
