“Day job.” I offered a smile. “But happy to visit.”
Ulysses pulled out his phone. “May I take a photograph?”
“Of me and the dog?” I blinked.
“Oh, that’s a great idea!” Selah flapped her hands. “I suggested we do a calendar with all the hunky guys in town, but with how long printing takes, most of the rescues would be, well, rescued, before the thing ever reached the public. But if you could put the photo in this week’s paper, maybe Walter can find his forever home.” She was all grins.
I eyed Ulysses.
He was all grins. More of the lascivious kind, though. “For Walter,” he crooned.
I managed not to roll my eyes. Barely. What I did do, though, was sit cross-legged and pull Walter into my lap. “This is your moment, Buddy. All smiles.”
He licked my chin.
Selah laughed.
Even Ulysses chuckled. “Got that.”
“Thank you.” Selah gestured toward the kennels. “There are plenty more. Oh, maybe you could featurean animal a week?”
“That would be a lot of work for him, Selah.” I rose, all the while holding Walter in my arms. “I’m certain he’s got better things to do with his time.”
“Than ensuring animals find forever homes?” Ulysses held my gaze. “If so, I can’t think what.”
Damn.
Selah gestured toward the kennels. “I can show you Poppin. She’s a sweetheart.”
“I can certainly take a picture of her as well.”
Ulysses offered what I thought was a genuine smile. With him, though, sometimes differentiating between sincerity and nicety was a challenge. His demeanor could flip from grumpy to happy so quickly.
Unlike me. What one saw was what one got. I was happy with my life and wanted other people to be as well. With the exception of—
“Finn’s not the only regular volunteer. We have a bunch of them. We rely on donations as well, obviously. We have four staff members, including me. Charging an adoption fee helps keep the place running, but we do have a benefactor who will cover the fee in cases of hardship.” Selah opened the door back to the administrative area.
“But if a person can’t afford the fee, how can they afford all the things that come with pet ownership? Food, vet bills, vaccinations…” Ulysses followed her while I veered off so I could return Walter to his kennel.
I sat with the little guy and let him lick my face repeatedly. Being here hadn’t dulled his spirits and, if it were in my power, I’d bring him home and give him the perfect life. Alas, life didn’t work like that. I gave him final scritches and secured the gate. Rubbing my concrete-numbed ass, I eyed the cat building and decided I’d see them next weekend. Rescuing a cat was a possibility—but I really liked my freedom. To go wherever I wanted whenever I wanted. To be able tojust lock the cabin and go without worrying about a pet.You do good work here. No one can ask for more.Maybe…but I did.
In the office, I handed the keys back to Selah. “I might come in tomorrow as well. I didn’t get to see the cats.”
“You know you’re always welcome. Meyer’s working tomorrow, and he’ll be happy to see you.” She beamed.
“How did it go with the, uh, reporter?”
“He’s going to come back another day to take a picture of Poppin. I’ll try to sneak Thelma in as well.” Her shrug caught me off guard.
“What?”
“I’m just thinking Thelma will probably be gone by the time he comes back.”
“Oh, you have a lead?”
She nodded. “I think I know someone. We’ll see.”
“Thelma is truly wonderful. She deserves the best.” They all did, of course, but I felt a special kinship with our new arrival. She really needed tons of love. “All right, have a good evening.”
