He decided to come right out with it. She was going to find out sooner or later.
“The succession went through,” he said.
Her entire body seemed to deflate. “Nooooo. On a Saturday? How?”
“The judge signed the papers yesterday afternoon. Odessa called me. She has a friend at the courthouse who has been keeping tabs on the succession as it made its way through the system.”
“Shit,” Evie said. “I was still riding high from the money we made earlier at the carnival, but what good will eight thousand dollars do now?”
“It’s a good first step toward a down payment on another building, or the first few months’ rent if that’s the route we have to go,” Bryson said. “We still have options, remember?”
“But are those options realistic?”
“Hey, where’s this coming from?” Bryson wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “I’m the one who was ready to give up on The Sanctuary. You’re the one who convinced me we still had a chance to save it. Don’t give up on me now.”
She blew out a weary breath, but then nodded.
“Okay,” she said. “I’m going to start searching property sites as soon as I get Waffles settled inside.”
“Why don’t you wait until tomorrow to do that.” Bryson looked at his watch. “I know it’s kinda late, but I spotted something on the ride here that I think will cheer you up. Are you hungry?”
Her forehead creased. “I had pizza at Ridley’s, but I can use a bite,” she said, her voice a mix of caution and curiosity.
“Good. Let’s go.”
They piled into his Jeep, and a few minutes later, Bryson pulled into the parking lot near Poydras Avenue. There were three food trucks lining the outer perimeter. He parked and pointed to the yellow and red one.
“Does that look familiar to you?”
Evie gasped. “Is that Sally’s? When did they get a food truck? The restaurant has been closed since the pandemic.”
“I guess they found something that works for them. I would assume a food truck has less overhead,” Bryson said. “I just hope they still have that hot roast beef po’boy they used to sell.”
The food truck did indeed have the same menu from their days as the brick-and-mortar sandwich shop he and Eviefrequented back when they volunteered at The Sanctuary. Bryson opened the tailgate on the Jeep and he and Evie sat inside, their legs dangling from the trunk as they ate their sandwiches. He broke off a piece of the crusty French bread and held it out to Bella.
“Will you question my dog parenting skills if I give this to her?”
“No.” Evie shook her head. “I will question your sanity for sharing this delicious sandwich. You can give Waffles a piece, too, because I’m not giving up any of mine.”
He laughed as he broke off another piece and slipped it to her dog.
“I had a feeling this would cheer you up,” he said.
“Eh, it’s more like eating my feelings,” Evie said. “I’m trying not to show it, but I’m scared, Bryson. Lucas Shepard can show up tomorrow demanding we shut down The Sanctuary.”
“That’s a possibility. But it’s been a possibility for a while.” He shrugged. “What can you do?”
“But Ineededthis!” Evie said. “I know it’s selfish, and I know it should be about the animals, butIneeded this. I wanted to do something big, something significant. I needed to prove to my mother that I’m more than your run-of-the-mill veterinarian. Hell, I wanted to prove it to myself!”
“Ev, why are you buying into this bullshit? There’s nothing run-of-the-mill about you or the work you do as a vet.”
“Says the hotshot surgeon.”
“No, you don’t get to do that. I have my role as a surgeon, but you have a role too. Do I have to remind you about the skill it takes to examine an animal you’ve never encountered before and issue a diagnosis? You’ve already done the hard part by the time the patients get to me.”
“I know, I know,” Evie said. “Sorry for taking that cheap shot, especially after you bought me a sandwich.”
“A good sandwich,” he reminder her.
