“Whichcouple of people, Eli?”
“Louie and Rex.Sorry, little brother.”
Right on cue, the two camera men bounded over.Louie forced his jovial face into a mask of severity and clapped Nick on his shoulder.“Nick, buddy, I want you to know I would never make fun of you for being afraid of cats.That being said, I hear there’s a mean tortoiseshell asking for you.”
The two men choked back their laughter.
“Ha ha,” said Nick.“It’s okay.Get it all out of your system now.I know it’s ridiculous.But when they find my remains in the kennels next week, nibbled by a hundred little mouths, you’ll all be sorry.”
Nick didn’t really mind a bit of gentle razzing.The crew members were tight and they understood when not to push someone.Besides, he could see the hilarity in a grown man being squeamish around a bunch of adorable furballs.He’d allow Louie and Rex this one laugh.He knew they had his back.God only knew, when the shit had hit the fan with Kristy, the crew had been nothing but supportive, and continued to be.
When the sanctuary door opened, all thoughts of Kristy fizzled.
A group of about five people emerged, most of them wearing identical T-shirts that identified them as volunteers.
Leading them was the most beautiful woman Nick had ever seen.He had to remind himself to not let his jaw hang open.
Whoa.Was this Claire Brewer?
Even though he’d known she was young, he’d still formed a different image of her in his head—one that looked a lot like an older Jane Goodall, for some reason.
Nick had always been confident, but now he moved behind Eli’s shoulder.After having had a few uncomfortable exchanges with complete strangers, he’d grown wary of meeting new people.
Claire walked over to greet Lacey first, and from his vantage point, Nick was able to check her out in greater detail.She was petite—shorter than Lacey, maybe about five-four, but she held herself high.Her black hair was tied up in a bun, framing a heart-shaped face.She had gorgeous eyes, big and dark, and strong eyebrows.Her full lips were painted a soft pink.
Entirely kissable.
Claire wore a T-shirt, rubber boots and tight jeans, which highlighted her curvy figure.
Those hips.Nick could forget his own name around those hips.
But what made him break into a smile was the slogan on her T-shirt—Small, but mighty.
He liked her already.
“Claire,” said Lacey, bringing her over, “I know you already met Michael when he came for the initial meeting.Let me introduce you to the rest of our team.”
Nick’s heartbeat sped up.He waited for someone from the sanctuary group to point and laugh, but it didn’t happen.
Thank Christ.
However, as Claire spoke with Michael and Eli, her gaze darted toward Nick a couple of times.
Was that vile hashtag forming on her lips?Was she already making a judgment about him?
He didn’t think so.There didn’t seem to be any cruel amusement in her eyes.
Even still, his palms began to sweat.Hastily, he wiped them on his jeans.
“And this is Nick, our decking expert,” said Lacey.“He’s got plans to incorporate something special in the back yard.Isn’t that right, Nick?”
Nick stepped out from behind Eli.For some reason, his tongue grew three sizes in his mouth.He cleared his throat.“Excuse me.That’s right.Nice to meet you, Claire.”
The sanctuary owner’s cheeks reddened.Nerves, probably.“Nice to meet you, too.”She addressed the group.“Thank you all for coming.When my sister applied to get us on your show, I had no idea what to expect.I mean, I watch the show.Of course, I watch.I just wasn’t sure how everything would unfold.”She grimaced.“Anyway, we appreciate you being here.Iappreciate you being here.”Her gaze flew back to Nick again, then she muttered something.
Nick wasn’t the only tongue-tied one, it seemed.
Lacey took over.“In a few weeks, everyone, Claire is going to be holding an open house.The idea is to adopt out as many cats as possible and find them forever homes.Our goal here is to get the sanctuary ready for that event so it looks better than it ever has.Does that sound good, Claire?”
