“Susan told me you’d be here, and the shelter is on my way home, so…”
I made a mental note to scold Susan for sharing my after-hours calendar. “And what was so important that it couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”
“We’re on a compressed schedule,” Gwen answered in between kissing Bagel’s tiny head. “I wanted to run through some quick media training ideas with you. I figured this would be the best place if you’re relaxed here in the…” she glanced at the plaque on the wall. “Hold on, theAliciaAshford Center for Puppy Health? Your mom has awingat the animal shelter?”
“I did it in memory of her.” I frowned at Gwen. “If you give enough money, you too can have a luxurious cement room in your honor.”
I was trying to downplay the extent of my gift. Truth was, the room we were in was anything but the typical austere shelter. After I’d begun volunteering, I was struck by how damn depressing the place was, especially for puppies, so I’d donated the money to build the cheerful space to aid with puppy development and adoptions. It was a cheery, bright room that was the beginning of happily ever afters for puppies and more.
“What’s the deal with all of this? Do you even have a dog?” Gwen asked as she went cross-legged on the floor and was flooded by puppies.
My jaw tightened as I shook my head. “No time.”
“Shame,” she said. “That would play great with the Rushies. Scarlet’s a major dog lover. So what’s the deal, then? Why is the great Harrison Ashford wasting time in a place with no ROI?”
I narrowed my eyes at her sarcasm as I weighed how honest I needed to be. Seeing as it was literally her job to figure out how to avoid pitfalls and present me in the best light, I figured the more she knew, the better.
With exceptions, of course.
“You might remember a few years back when I had,ahem, a run-in with a ticket-happy police officer?”
Gwen was already nodding before I finished speaking. “Right, how could I forget? It was all over social media. The pics weregold. You were getting a speeding ticket, I think? And you started freaking out at the guy? And you almost got arrested?”
“Revisionist history.” I sighed as Pancake rediscovered my blazer. “I wasn’t speeding; I made an illegal U-turn and the asshole came up on me with his sirens blaring like I was smuggling meth. People stopped to watch because it looked like a major takedown. The officer and I had a rather louddiscussion, I got dragged to court, and the judge decided it was too easy for me to pay a fine, so I was sentenced to community service.” I spread my hands and gestured around the room. “Best punishment ever.”
Gwen stared at me for a few seconds, her expression shifting from cheer to concern. “Hold on. That was like four years ago, right?”
I nodded. “A little over, yes.”
She cradled the puppy to her chest. “That was around the time when your mom passed, wasn’t it? I remember the Museum of Art did a post about her philanthropy work. And they unveiled that gorgeous portrait of her.”
I cleared my throat. “Yes, it was right around then. I was obviously not myself.”
Yeah, I was impatient and occasionally rude even on my best day, but I normally wasn’t an asshole who yelled at cops for doing their job. My grief had taken my worst qualities and heightened them until I almost couldn’t bear being in my own skin.
“I’m sorry,” Gwen said quietly. “She sounded like an incredible woman.”
“She was,” I agreed quickly, focusing on the puppy in my lap and not on thoughts of my mother. “The world is a whole lot bleaker without her in it. I try to honor her by getting away on the anniversary of her death every year.” I paused and weighed how personal to get. Something compelled me to keep going.
“That’s why I was in Aspen.”
Gwen’s eyes widened. “Oh, Harrison. I had no idea.”
“Why would you? I wasn’t about to burden you with my sob story during?—”
I cut myself off before I could admit just how special the week had been for me. What we’d had was in the past, a series of stolen moments that were in no way connected to reality.
Gwen was working through her own thoughts, absentmindedly petting the scruffy pups.
“That phone call you took…” she said, a non sequitur that I fully understood.
“My dad,” I admitted. I cradled Pancake’s face in my hands and stared into his black eyes. “Things got tense.”
“Oh, trust me. I could tell,” Gwen replied. “And I’m sorry.”
The mood in the room was edging closer to confessional, and I started to feel itchy about revealing so much of myself to her. Thankfully, the puppies were oblivious. Two of the four decided to squat at the exact same moment.
“Incoming,” Gwen yelped as she scrambled to her feet.
