Alyssa waited for Evelyn to continue, but the CEO had become quite timid, her hand rubbing the back of her neck.
“Could?” Alyssa urged.
“Could I be his volunteer from now on? I mean officially. He spends his day with me anyway. Or maybe we could share him. You know, if I have a board meeting or something, then you could have him…but otherwise he can stay in the office with me?”
“Evelyn, that would be wonderful! Yes, yes, yes, of course you can be his volunteer.” At that moment, Alyssa knew something good was on the horizon. Whether it be for Bug or for her, she wasn’t sure, but she knew Evelyn Crawford was the key.
12
Fleas Navidad and Festive Feelings
Alyssa
Alyssa’s workweek, like all good things, had to come to an end. Not that she wanted it to—especially not with the office so full of dog hair and Christmas lights and, more importantly, the regular appearance of one Evelyn Crawford, who had a way of looking both exhausted and annoyingly flawless at the same time. Not that Alyssa was paying special attention or anything. She just…noticed things. Like how Evelyn’s laugh, when it snuck out, sounded like someone daring the universe to be less serious for once. Or the way she’d flick a pen between her knuckles whenshe was thinking, fast and rhythmic, until a good idea came and she’d set it down like a gavel.
It was Thursday, the day before the sanctuary’s big holiday fundraiser at the local Christmas market, which Crawford’s Pet Supplies was sponsoring. More dogs than ever, more holiday decorations, more people darting from desk to desk with stacks of last-minute paperwork that needed to be filed before the market officially opened. Even though the sanctuary would be closed until January, the fundraiser was crucial—it would help cover operating costs for the year ahead, and there was no better place to host it than the Christmas Market.
Alyssa had just finished wrangling a set of mismatched, enthusiastic mutts back into their respective pens—new volunteers were always so optimistic about “open office” time, until the puppies started chasing their own tails and then each other’s—and she was looking forward to her reward: sneaking up to the executive floor to check on Bug, who was presumably sprawled out on Evelyn’s couch like the world’s least productive assistant.
“Hey, Lee, can you finish up here?” Alyssa called, already halfway out the door.
Lee, who was busy retrieving a half-chewed stress ball from under the couch, gave her a thumbs up. “Are you seeing the boss lady again?” he asked, not bothering to lower his voice.
Alyssa rolled her eyes, but she didn’t slow down. The truth was, she’d seen more of Evelyn Crawford in the last month than she had her own reflection. It was not a hardship.
She took the stairs two at a time—Bug had, after all, proven himself capable of not only finding the CEO’s office but also the break room’s secret biscuit stash, and Alyssa figured any destruction would be proportional to the length of her absence. She slowed as she reached the top floor, trying not to look too eager, and peeked through the glass panel of Evelyn’s door.
There they were. Evelyn and Bug, both in identical states of intense focus: Evelyn hunched over her laptop, typing with controlled aggression, and Bug splayed at her feet, snoring like a chainsaw in sleep mode. The scene was so peaceful that Alyssa hesitated to knock, but she did anyway, then entered without waiting for an answer.
“Hi,” she said, aiming for casual and landing somewhere near “weirdly cheerful substitute teacher.”
Evelyn’s head snapped up. She blinked twice, then relaxed when she saw it was Alyssa. “Oh, thank God. I thought it was the finance team again.”
Bug lifted his head, looked at Alyssa with soulful reproach, then burrowed deeper into the rug, clearly unimpressed.
“How’s my little runaway?” Alyssa grinned, dropping to her haunches to ruffle Bug’s ears. Even though Bug was officially Evelyn’s buddy, Alyssa still liked to play on his well-earned moniker.
“He’s single-handedly responsible for at least two spreadsheets being erased today,” Evelyn replied. “Not that I’m complaining.”
It was the first time Alyssa had seen Evelyn in anything other than a suit, and even though the woman’s “casual” was still a cashmere sweater and tailored trousers, she looked…softer. Less “CEO” and more “person you’d want to share a pizza with.”
“Sorry to barge in,” Alyssa said, pushing herself upright and dusting imaginary dog hair from her jeans. “I just wanted to remind you about tomorrow night.”
Evelyn’s brows knitted. “Tomorrow night?”
“Yeah, the Four Paws fundraiser at the market.” Alyssa paused, suddenly worried she’d miscalculated. “You…are coming, right?”
“Oh, right, yes!” Evelyn’s face coloured, just a touch. “Sorry. My brain’s at capacity right now. Tomorrow night, the Christmas market, yes. I’ll be there.”
Alyssa watched as Evelyn’s lips curled up, almost like she was looking forward to it. That was new.
“Do you want to go together?” Alyssa asked, trying to sound casual.
“Together?” Evelyn said, with a hint of playful dryness.
Alyssa’s face heated for some reason. “I mean, we could just arrive together and then do our own thing. Or—”
“Alyssa. Breathe.” Evelyn’s eyes twinkled, a sure sign she was teasing. “I’d love to go together.”
