Then it hits me. “What do you mean ‘who knew he had a soft sideanymore?’”
My heart is pounding in my chest. Callie knows something I don’t. I can tell. I don’t understand why Rhett has been so secretive, and it bothers me to know I can’t get past those layers but Callie can.
“Rhett hasn’t dated anyone since he moved to Roots. He’s never even shown interest. I was beginning to think he is incapable of love, but maybe he just needed the right girl to come along.”
“Whoa, I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. My relationship with Rhett is not even remotely romantic.” I shove a chunk of muffin in my mouth, trying not to think about the way he gently caressed me yesterday while I came down from my panic attack or the way he draped his arm around me while I laid my head on his chest.That’s totally platonic, right?
She gives me a knowing look. “He took you to the animal rescue on your second day in town just because he knew you love dogs. That takes planning and care. It even kind of sounds like a date to me.”
“He only did that because he wanted to apologize to me. We’d only known each other for a day and didn’t even like each other.”
“A simple ‘sorry’ would’ve been good enough, but that’s not what he did. What else have your interactions been like around Rhett? I’ll bet this isn’t the only time he did something nice for you.”
I blush as I think about the past week. He’s been making me coffee every morning. Between seeing Rhett and getting coffee, I’m suddenly a morning person. Two nights ago, he brought home a bundle of wildflowers for me to put in my room because he knows I like them. He said I should be able to make the guest room feel like my own space while I’m there.
“I’ll take that silence as all the answer I need. Tell me what else he did. I’m so intrigued!”
A little sunshiny ray of warmth lights up my chest. I haven’t had a good friend since college. I adore Anna, but we’ve drifted apart the last couple of years as life and work got in the way. I stopped making an effort. I stopped letting people in. I forgot how rewarding it can be to share your ups and downs with someone who genuinely cares. I make a mental note to call Anna tonight.
Giving Callie a shy smile, I fill her in on every little thing Rhett has done for me over the past week.
“Shut up!Okay, Olivia, you are going to have to start giving me daily updates on your relationship.”
“Nothing is going on. You better not go around telling people any of this. The last thing I need is the town to start spreading more untrue things about me.” I also don’t need things getting back to Rhett. Who knows how easily he’d get scared off?
She swallows her bite of muffin and wraps her hand gently around mine. “I promise I would never play a part in telling people about your personal life, whether it’s true or untrue. I really like you. I think we could actually be friends.”
“I’d like that.”
“Great! Let’s be friends then. We should hang out soon! Next Friday, the Callahan sisters are playing at the Long Neck. I can take you out and then you can spend the night at my place.”
“The Long Neck?”
“That’s the bar in town. It’s actually called Long Neck Bottle, but all the locals just call it the Long Neck. On Fridays, all women get half off drinks.”
“Oh, that sounds great. I’d love that.”
As if I needed another reason to like this town, now I have a new friend and plans to look forward to. I plaster on a smile for the rest of my shift despite the thought that continues to linger in my mind:I have to leave everything I’m building here in just a couple of months.
ChapterEighteen
Olivia
“Hey,Carol? My accountant brain is going crazy wondering how you’re able to keep the rescue afloat. You have so many dogs, and a lot of them have special needs…” I trail off as I scoop food into bowls for the first group of dogs to eat.
“It’s been hard the last couple years. It’s already difficult enough to care for so many dogs, but figuring out how to provide for all of them financially gets to be overwhelming. Even after several years, I haven’t effectively figured out how to navigate it. Thankfully, local businesses and people around town have made a lot of donations over the years.
“I have a social media page where I share the dogs’ journeys. When I get dogs that need medical procedures, I’m able to fundraise through social media too, but creating content is exhausting. I hate doing it, and I don’t have the time to spend on it when fifty-something dogs are depending on me to take care of them.”
“I could help with the social media. I love creating content. I already have all kinds of pictures and videos that would be great for your page.”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course! I enjoy making content, and I’d love to help you. I’ve actually sort of been working on a marketing plan since I first came to the rescue.”
“Thank you.”
As I grab a bag of food, a shaggy white dog comes charging into the room. His ribs are protruding unhealthily, and he hobbles on three legs.
