The place needed help, big time.
They ended the tour in her office, where Lacey confirmed what would be done and in what order.
Claire sat at her desk, and was quiet as Lacey spoke, absorbing it all.
“So,” said Lacey, “if there’s anything else on your wish list, now’s the time to tell us.”
Claire shook her head, a slight frown on her face.
Lacey reached across the desk and patted her hand.“I know.It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?Most of our guests react the same way at first.”
“I just don’t know how to thank you all.It’s been…challenging.”She pasted on a smile.
Nick snuck a glance at the framed photo on the windowsill, the one of Claire and a good-looking blond man.Her husband, he guessed.
They’d been happy, really happy.Anyone could see it.
And anyone could see she’d been putting a good face on things at the sanctuary.He might not know much about Claire, but Nick assumed she was a hard worker and had likely worked herself ragged trying to keep the place afloat.It was probably down to her that Haven still existed at all.
“We’re here to help,” said Michael.“We know this will be a disruption, for the staff and the cats, but our team is good at this.We’ll move quickly but we won’t cut any corners.”
“I appreciate it,” said Claire.“Luckily, my volunteers know how to distract cats.”
“And we won’t do anything you don’t want us to do,” said Eli.“This is all about your vision.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“All right.”Lacey stood and rubbed her hands together.“I’d like to get some footage of the volunteers going about their daily business.”
“Awesome.I’ll hook you up with David.He’s been here the longest,” said Claire.“And, frankly, I think he’d love a few closeups.”
They all headed back outside.Lacey wanted to get some before segments done, so she sent Michael and Eli to get their makeup done first.As Lacey talked to David, Claire hung back near the entrance.Her sigh reached Nick’s ears.She stretched out her arms and took a few deep breaths.
“Are you okay?”Nick asked.
“Yeah.”
“You sure?”
“I’m fine, just nervous.I’ve never been on TV before,” she admitted.
She was quiet for a few moments.Nick got the sense this wasn’t a case of TV-related nerves.Rather than bombarding her with questions, he kept his mouth shut and let her lead the conversation.
“Um,” said Claire.“Lacey said something about changing the paint color in the reception area.I’m kind of fond of the beige that’s there right now.Maybe we could color match it?”
“We could, but I’d recommend changing it.That shade of beige doesn’t exactly scream modern.”
“Hmm.And I know she wants to replace the eighties furniture, but maybe we could keep a few pieces?You know, for a retro vibe.”
Battered, old furnishings in a newly constructed reception area?It would make the place look unfinished.
When Nick had read Claire’s bio, one detail had stood out.She had a BFA in photography, so she probably had a good eye for detail.She would understand they were there to improve the place.Why was she being resistant to change?
Maybe this wasn’t about furniture and paint colors at all.
Maybe this had more to do with the blond guy in the photo.
It wasn’t Nick’s place to surmise.
