“Claire, if I touch your office wall, I’ll put a hole in it!”
Claire couldn’t argue there.
“Look,” said Mia.“If it was up to me, I’d still sell the place and start fresh.But if that’s not an option, then I think theHandymenappearance is your only hope of saving this place.They’ll help you fix all the things that are falling apart around here, so you can invest in the business.And think of the exposure!You might get some new donors out of this.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but I don’t want a TV crew swanning in here, changing everything around.”Her eyes stung.“It’s all I have left of him.”
“Oh, sweetie, don’t you see?I think they might just be able to help you keep a piece of Arthur alive.”
Claire grabbed a tissue from the desk and blew her nose to pre-empt any errant tears.She blinked a few times and once again dismissed her emotions.
“Well?”asked Mia.“Should I call them back and tell them you’re interested?”
Claire got up and walked around to the other side of the room.On the office windowsill, there was a framed photo of her and Arthur, hugging each other outside the sanctuary entrance, her long dark hair meshed with his unruly blond locks.They’d been such opposites, and not just in looks.He’d been a flower child inside and out, never concerned about money, ready with a hug for everyone.Claire had always been more reserved, more suspicious of people and their agendas.Arthur had tried desperately to get her to ‘loosen up’.She’d adored him for his sense of adventure and gaiety, and she missed his belly laughs.
When was the last time she’d laughed?A really good, from-the-gut laugh.She couldn’t remember.
She touched his face in the photo, admiring the faint lines around his blue eyes.
She wouldn’t let his dream die, even if it meant she had to put up with the invasion of a TV crew.
Claire set the frame back on the windowsill.“TellHandymenI’m ready when they are.”
Chapter Three
“Hey, Nick,” teased Michael, as they drove toward Haven Cat Sanctuary, “you sure you’re up to date on your tetanus shots?”
Nick glowered.“No cat jokes.”
“I’m only partly joking.I am being serious about the tetanus shot, though.You don’t exactly have a great track record with the kitties.”
“Don’t I know it?”
“You can always bow out of this gig.”
“Nah, I can handle it.As long as the cats stay in their territory, I’ll stay in mine.”
Memories crowded Nick as they drove farther into the country.He’d sort of forgotten about his trouble with cats.It had been so long since he’d encountered one.Most of his buddies had dogs.
Michael was right.For some strange reason, cats had never warmed to Nick, not even when he was a kid.There had been several failed attempts to adopt cats when they were little, but their parents had always had to rehome the animals.Whereas cats always showered love and attention all over Michael and Eli, Nick had been less than comfortable around the creatures.He’d been bitten and scratched a few times.Even now, when he saw one, his childhood instinct to flee kicked in.Sad, but true.
And now, he was on his way to help restore a fricking cat sanctuary.
God help him.
At least these cats would be in kennels, or so Lacey had assured him.
They turned onto yet another country road, but it wasn’t long before they came to a long driveway.The sign out front had seen better days.It didn’t look as if it had been painted in years.Nick could still make out the name, though.“Haven Cat Sanctuary…more than just a shelter.Established 1980.”
It was clear that the sanctuary had some history and a place in the community.Lacey had given them the details, but seeing it now, Nick could tell how important it was to the owners.
Owner, rather.There was only one owner.Claire Brewer, a young widow who had married into her husband’s family business, only to lose him afterward.Although she apparently had a battalion of volunteers on hand, she was struggling with the upkeep.When her sister had applied toHandymen, her email had said this might be Claire’s last chance to save the sanctuary.Loving the pet angle, and knowing it would bring good ratings, Lacey had moved heaven and earth to schedule their new guests.
Michael parked the pickup in the lot to the left of the main building.Nick got out and looked around.The sanctuary itself was a sizable building, but needed a lot of love.Even a quick glance confirmed that the windows needed replacing, the gutters were sagging and the siding was in disrepair.
In the back of the large property, across a field, there was a gorgeous Victorian farmhouse.As a lover of old architecture, Nick hoped they might get a look inside it as well.
Eli, Lacey and the rest of the crew arrived in short order, and they all parked their vehicles.Eli got out of his truck and hurried over.“Uh, Nick.I let it slip to a couple of people that you’re nervous around cats.If anyone gives you grief, send them to me.”
