Ruby turned off the water and reached for a towel, wrapping the shivering dog in it and holding her close to her chest. The worst part about this job was wanting to take every dog she got attached to home with her.
She carried the dog over to a table and rubbed most of the water from her coat before turning on the dryer. She ran her hands over the matted fur and crooned reassuring words to her while the warm air took care of the rest of the drying process. Something about this little one tugged at her heartstrings more than most.
Was it the big pools of sadness she saw swimming in her eyes? Or was it the timid nature that came with many of the dumped animals? Ruby couldn’t be sure. “You poor baby. You look as nervous as I feel right now.” She continued to talk to the little dog while she groomed her. “We’ve reached our target for adoptions, little one. Yep, you heard that right. Sixty animals and we’re over that. I’m still terrified this is all a dream and we’re going to get hit with a lease we can’t afford.” She fluffed up the dogs ears. “So I feel your fear, baby girl. I’m scared myself.”
The poodle licked her hand and lifted her chin to the warm air. Slowly she stopped trembling and inched her way closer to Ruby, glancing at her every now and then as if gauging her reaction.
This little girl had character. You could see it on her face despite the mess she was in. “You know what? I think I know the perfect person for you.” She grinned, and tickled the dog’s ears. “Let’s get you prettied up and settled and I’ll give Graham a call. Get him over to see you once you’ve settled in and lost some of your fear.”
By the time Ruby had clipped the poodle the previous owner had named Petal, it was well past lunchtime. She walked into the office and poured herself a cup of coffee, calling out to Carly. “Do you want coffee?”
“Got one, thanks anyway.” The clacking of the keyboard came from Carly’s office. She was trying to update her spreadsheets for Graham and this was the first chance she’d had since he’d offered them the property.
Ruby sat at her own desk and picked up the phone, dialing Graham’s number. “Hi, Graham. It’s Ruby.”
“Ruby, hello. How are you all settling in?”
“Fabulously. I’m very surprised nothing has gone wrong. Everything is going along like clockwork.”
“Pleased to hear it. How many animals have you managed to adopt out so far? No pressure, just curious.”
“Um, sixty-three and I still have appointments over the next few days.”
“Fantastic. I knew you could do it. When I get the figures from Carly, I’ll show them to the board and draw up that free lease agreement.”
Her shoulders slumped and relief washed over her hearing those words. Even though she’d been keeping tab of the numbers, Ruby needed to hear it was going to be done officially. Now she could relax. She cleared her throat before talking.
“Listen, the reason I was calling is to chat about that other dog you were thinking of adopting. We got some new dogs yesterday from a kill shelter outside the city and one in particular stands out to me. She’s a toy poodle, about two years old and has such a sweet nature. She was terrified when she came in but now she knows I’m not out to hurt her, she seems really, I don’t know, trusting I guess.”
“And you’d like me to come and look at her?”
“Your call but knowing Bubbles personality and how well she suited you, I thought Petal might fit your family and you did mention getting another dog. No pressure obviously, but I wanted to let you know.”
“I understand. How about I talk with Laura tonight and see how she feels. We’ve discussed it before but I want to make sure she’s ready to go ahead.”
“Of course. She wouldn’t be going up for adoption just yet. Most dogs take at least three days to settle into a new environment and another couple of weeks to understand that we’re not going to hurt them before they begin to trust us and relax. But this little lady seems ready to give her trust already so I have high hopes for her fitting into a new home without too many issues and I feel she’ll make a great playmate for Bubbles.”
“I appreciate the call. I’ll talk to Laura and get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Thanks, Graham.” She disconnected and sat back hoping that it would work out. Funny how she could sort out unwanted pets and their future but not her own miserable love life.
Chapter 14
Ruby waited for her identification to be checked at the front door of the Seascapes building. She’d known this was Simon and Tyler’s office but she’d never been inside before. From the outside it was very plain although classy and elegant at the same time. Inside, there was dark charcoal carpet and dark leather furniture with mirrored walls behind the sleek dark timber reception desk. Nothing pretentious or too modern. It fitted in with the old world charm of the small town she loved.
The security guard handed her back her identification. “Thank you, ma’am. Mr. Benson said for you to go right up. Can I help you with that?” He pointed to the padded chiller bag
