“Help yourself,” I offered with a weak smile. “I know who left them, so they’re safe.”
“Is it your birthday?” Sarah asked hesitantly.
“Nah, that was two months ago,” Harry chimed in, reaching down to grab the box of toaster pastries. “This looks more like a boyfriend that screwed up.”
Well, he was closer than Sarah, anyway.
“Just a regular friend who was kind of a jerk,” I said lightly, scooping up as much of the other stuff as I could. “You two mind helping me clear it up? It’s blocking the wheelchair ramp.”
Between the three of us, we had everything but the pop-tarts loaded into my office in no time, but Sarah was still watching me with a puzzled expression while Harry ambled out to the barns to begin the daily feeding.
“You okay?” I asked finally when her brow didn’t seem to be relaxing at all.
“You’re sure it’s not a stalker?” she asked hesitantly.
“Definitely not,” I assured her. “My roommate was trying to get my attention on the camera earlier and I was still mad, so I ignored him and turned the monitor off. I’m positive that’s why he did this.”
“Oh, okay,” she murmured, relaxing slightly. “Where do you want me to start today?”
“Scott’s got the large animals,” I said, checking the schedule on the wall, “and Katey is coming in at noon, so she can handle the reptiles.” I grinned at the shiver that Sarah couldn’t hide. “Harry is covering all of the domestic pets. Jack is scheduled to come this afternoon to evaluate the baby raccoons but no one has fed them yet. Are you up to giving them their bottles?”
Sarah’s face split into a wide grin. “Yes, please!”
“Perfect. The formula is already prepared, so you just need to shake and warm it. Do you know where all the supplies are?”
“I sure do,” she sing-songed as she nearly skipped down the hall.
“Hey, Sarah?”
She froze and looked over her shoulder at me.
“Can you give Mapaussem a can of cat food, also?” The old female possum had been hit by a car several months before and even though her joey had been able to be released into the wild, it looked like Mapaussem as she was known would be a lifer.
“You got it,” she said cheerfully, continuing on down the hall in her quest for all things fuzzy.
Once she turned the corner and I was alone again, I studied the pile of bribes with a scowl, unsure if it was more insulting to be handed off like an old belt or that Dane expected to be able to bribe me to forgive him.
Grumbling under my breath, I grabbed a black garbage bag from the supply closet and began to bag the crap up, deciding to call my therapist for his opinion during my lunch break. And if the little stuffed bear was inadvertently left sitting on the corner of my desk, that was hardly anyone else’s business.
ChapterFourteen
Dane
Bouncing around in front of the security cameras had been a stupid idea. Not only because there was sure to be a video I’d never live down, but also because I’d stressed my bad leg and had to make an emergency appointment with the acupuncture clinic.
Luckily, it was Thursday and I was only scheduled for two classes at the youth center which Trey was more than happy to cover for me, banking an owed favor for later. With the rest of the day free after my treatment, I put off the muscle relaxer calling my name and instead stopped at the home improvement store on the way back to the condo. Only when I’d repaired -and reinforced- the door I’d broken the night before did I finally down the pills and let them drag me into oblivion.
When I woke up, the house was still silent but somehow I knew Shelly was home. After dragging myself out of bed, I scowled as I strapped on my much-hated knee brace and limped my way to the kitchen for a drink to wash away the medicine’s cottonmouth aftereffect. I stopped in the doorway when I saw the apology gifts I’d left outside the animal shelter for Shelly neatly stacked on the table beside a condensation-covered water bottle and a note.
Dane,
Thank you for fixing my door. I’m sorry for overreacting last night. The bribes weren’t necessary.
Mitchel
One of my favorite things about Shelly was the way he took joy in receiving even the smallest gifts, truly appreciating the thought behind them. Rejecting my peace offering -or viewing them as bribes- didn’t bode well. Neither did signing the note with his full name. I was the only one to call him Shelly, but he usually went by Mitch.
Afraid my leg might lock up if I sat down, I downed the bottle of gloriously cold water standing by the table and then went in search of my Omega. I found him in his bedroom sitting at the small dressing table he used as a desk, engrossed in a Zoom call with a man I vaguely recognized as a local real estate broker.
