Читать книгу Heart's Refuge - Cheryl Harper - Страница 13

CHAPTER FIVE

WAKING UP AT the same time she used to fall into bed had been a shock, but Sarah might be getting the hang of it. Instead of dealing with wolf whistles and offers to buy her a drink, she worked to clean up the pens, but grateful, goofy dogs were their own reward.

Coffee would be better.

Especially since this meeting with Will Barnes was going to require all her focus. “I’ll help you with the meds as soon as I get back, okay?”

“No worries, boss,” Shelly said. “You’ve already done so much. And now you look like a corporate raider. There’s no way you can fail in heels like that.”

Sarah checked her black heels, one of the three pairs she’d refused to sell on consignment. They made her legs lethal. And the dark suit had stayed in her closet on the understanding that there would be occasions when she’d need to impress rich men with her business aptitude.

She’d never seriously planned to get the aptitude.

That might have been a better place to start.

“We’ll work with what we’ve got.” Sarah stacked her neat pile of file folders with the few estimates she’d gathered and her ragged notepad. No matter how many times she rewrote her figures, consciously doing her best to use her best penmanship, she still had a difficult time reading her own writing. “You don’t happen to have a laptop, do you, Shelly?”

A nice spreadsheet would have been the perfect accessory.

“No, sorry,” Shelly said. “Martin took his when he moved out.”

“That’s fine. Maybe...” She wanted to say she’d buy one. That was the Hillman thing to do. Go out. Swipe the card. Simple.

But the cards were overloaded and overdue.

“There’s always the library,” Shelly said helpfully. “We could take your notes in, work something up. I know they’ve got people who will help. We could go before we let the dogs out this afternoon.”

Tempted to hand everything to Shelly, Sarah studied her coworker’s hopeful face.

Shelly was excited about a field trip to the library to work on the computer.

With Sarah.

Why was that flattering?

She’d been surrounded by people who were excited to be with her...in the VIP section of the hottest club or enjoying Sunday brunch where a Hillman credit card covered the tab.

Shelly needed to get out more.

For that matter, so did Sarah. These shoes pinched her toes like the worst torture device and they were at least two inches shorter than her dancing shoes.

“Shelly, you’re the best. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Sarah studied the scribbled writing on her pad to avoid eye contact. “But this is a job I should do myself.”

Shelly’s grin faded, but before she could smooth things over, Sarah added, “Instead, I think this afternoon we should...” What did women bond over other than shopping and lunch?

“Talk. We should definitely talk.” Sarah nodded confidently and watched Shelly process her weirdness. “Meanwhile, keep your fingers crossed.” She straightened her shoulders. “Bub, keep an eye on the place.”

He woofed and then meandered into her office to jump onto the couch.

“Les is coming in this morning. Anything you need me to pass along?” Shelly tugged the bottom of her shirt and then fussed with the gray hair at her temples. “He wants my opinion on paint colors. He’s repainting his house.”

Les, the retired vet who went above and beyond for Paws for Love... Was Shelly into him? The mention of his name certainly brought color to Shelly’s cheeks.