Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Michelle heaved a bag full of scented soaps and lotions into her car with a sigh.
Phew, she thought. That bag was heavier than I thought it would be. But at least I have my car this time!
She smiled, thinking of a time when she’d had her arms full of heavy bags after going shopping for The Birchwood House—something she’d been doing again that afternoon—and since she hadn’t had her car with her, she’d sat down to wait for the Coral Sands bus.
Theo Hartman, a local mechanic who had been her nemesis when they were children, had driven up and offered to drive her to the mansion.
Although she’d resisted at first, he’d been insistent, and she’d soon given in.
They’d ended up having a fun time together, and he’d even tucked a flower behind her ear before she’d gotten out of his truck.
Theo’s not horrible all the time, she thought with a chuckle as she clambered into her car. I guess he’s mellowed out now that he’s an adult.
She turned the key in the ignition, wondering where she would go next.
She’d spent the last several hours looking for bathroom goodies for all the rooms in the hotel.
She’d had the fun idea of having a scent theme for every room, and she’d run with the concept, eagerly picking out mango scents for the red-themed room, rose scents for the pink room, and lavender scents for the purple room.
She’d decided on vanilla for the yellow room, and of course mint for the mint-colored room.
It had been an involved but rewarding endeavor, and she felt excited about all of the cute soaps and lotions that she’d picked out.
She started down the road toward the mansion, but before she’d driven a block, she got an idea.
I’ll stop by the animal shelter and visit Harper, she thought with a grin. I would love to get some puppy and kitty love. That can be my reward for doing so much shopping for the hotel today.
Michelle adored animals. If they hadn’t been so busy getting the mansion ready for its grand opening, she felt she would have adopted every animal in the shelter.
Every time she visited, their wriggling furry bodies and their big eyes melted her heart past recovery.
For the time being, she knew she couldn’t bring any of them home, but she loved knowing that she could at least partially satisfy her craving for a pet by loving on the animals that were waiting for their forever homes.
She arrived at the animal shelter a few minutes later and parked out front. She could hear the sound of raucous barking coming from inside, and she smiled. She hurried up to the front door and pushed it open, excited to visit all her tiny furry besties.
“Down, Prince, down, baby, come on!” Harper, whose long dark blonde hair was as disheveled as if she’d been wrestling with a crate of ferrets, was standing in the middle of the entryway, trying to get a rambunctious shepherd mix dog to stop jumping up and trying to lick her face.
She was laughing and spluttering, looking as though she was having the time of her life despite the fact that the shepherd dog didn’t seem to be listening to a word she said.
She looked up and saw Michelle grinning.
“Oh, hey girl. This is a new addition to our little family. He’s pretty bouncy, as you can tell. ”
Prince caught sight of Michelle and made her his new target for adoration. He bounded toward her, tail wagging furiously, and started to snuffle her jeans.
“Hey, cutie,” Michelle said, crouching down and starting to pet the adorable animal. “Hi. Yes, nice to meet you. Hi.”
Prince barked happily and licked Michelle’s face.
“He’s not too much, is he?” Harper asked, laughing and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Just let me know if I need to intervene.”
“Oh no, I’m happy as a clam,” Michelle said, meaning it sincerely. “I’m always thrilled to get doggy kisses.”
She spent a couple of minutes scratching the excited pup behind the ears while Harper went to get a harness collar to put Prince into.
“Here we go,” Harper said, starting to slip the harness around the wriggling dog. “This is comfortable for him but it makes it a lot easier for me to lead him where I need him to go. He’s still basically a puppy, so he’s got all this energy.”
“I can see that.” Michelle laughed. “I’ll see you later, buddy,” she said, standing up as Harper led Prince over to the dog run.
“Have fun out there,” Harper said, unclasping the leash and letting Prince bound into the enclosed outdoor area, which contained a variety of dog toys and fun obstacles for the animals to run over or underneath.
“I’ll see you later.” She closed the door, laughing.
“Phew! That should help get some of his energy out.”
“He’s a cutie,” Michelle said, using the back of her hand to wipe some of the dog slobber off her face. She didn’t really mind, and she considered it to be more than a fair price to pay for the joy of getting to cuddle a furry friend. “I hope he finds a home soon.”
“Agreed—well, I hope they all do.” Harper leaned against the wall, smiling. “Selfishly, I want them all to stay here with me forever, but if I run out of room in the shelter, I can’t bring in more babies who need to be adopted.” She smiled. “What brings you in today?”
“I was in the area doing some shopping for the hotel,” Michelle said. “Now that I’m done, I decided that I deserve some kitten cuddles as a reward for completing a productive shopping trip.”
Harper clapped her hands together. “Have I got a surprise for you! We just got in a litter of kittens. They’re orange tabbies and they’re absolutely darling.”
Michelle squealed with excitement. “Oh my gosh, I’d love to see them.”
“Come on,” Harper said, opening the door to her office. “I’ve got them in here for now, until we can clean out a cage big enough for all of them. Look at these little babies!”
“No way.” Michelle was on her knees in an instant, peering down inside the little fenced-in area, where a litter of precious orange kittens were tumbling about or sleeping angelically. “I just want to kiss all of them—and hold them up against my face so I can feel their little tummies breathing.”
Harper laughed. “I know what you mean. Babies are always cute, but there’s something about kittens that just makes me want to squeal.”
“Can I pick them up?” Michelle asked, ready to start begging if the answer wasn’t “yes.”
“Please do,” Harper said. “The sooner we get them used to people, the better.”
“Thank goodness,” Michelle said with a laugh, scooping up one of the playful-looking kittens into her hands and holding her gently. “Hi, sweetheart. Look at your perfect little nose! These really are beautiful cats. I mean, I love all cats but these little guys really are particularly cute.”
“I agree.” Harper smiled, picking one of the kittens up and setting it on her lap.
“Their mom was especially beautiful and they inherited her genes, obviously. She’s been adopted already, along with the runt of the litter.
It always makes me happy when a momma cat gets adopted along with one or more of her kittens.
” Harper reached in her pocket for her phone and began to tap on the screen with one hand, keeping her other hand on the rambunctious orange ball of fluff she was holding.
“Let me show you a picture of her. I posted it on the shelter’s Facebook page the first day she got here—and she was adopted less than twenty-four hours later. We love it when things work—”
Harper stopped speaking and a cloud passed over her face. Her thumb hovered over the screen of her phone as she stared down at it.
“Harper?” Michelle asked, feeling worried. She stopped petting the kittens, her eyes on the other woman’s face. “What’s wrong?”
Harper startled a little, as if Michelle had snapped her out of a reverie. She forced a smile and shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
“Are you sure? You seem upset. I mean, I don’t want to pressure you if you don’t want to talk about it, but I’m also here for you if you do want to share.”
Harper gave Michelle a grateful smile and then shook her head.
“I can share a little, I guess. It’s not my favorite story.
Let’s just say I thought I was over my ex-boyfriend, but—well, I hate social media.
Actually seeing pictures of him dating somebody new always hurts a little more than just hearing about it, you know?
I think I’m over him and then I see his face and I feel like my heart got punched. ”
Michelle’s heart went out to Harper, and she reached out and touched the other woman’s shoulder. “It’s your ex-boyfriend’s loss. If he was stupid enough to let you go, he’s not somebody you want around forever. Even nice guys are annoying enough as it is.”
Harper laughed. “I like the way you think. And I’m sure you’re right.
He definitely wasn’t the best partner.” She smiled.
“We’ll just go back to thinking about cats.
I always love that subject.” She clicked on her phone screen a few more times and soon located the picture of the mother cat.
“Here! Look at her. Those big, beautiful eyes and her gorgeous coat. And I love her sassy little mouth.”
Michelle cooed appreciatively. “She’s a stunner, that’s for sure. I’m not surprised at all that she got adopted so fast.”
Michelle and Harper played with the kittens for a few more minutes, chatting about lighthearted things and enjoying the antics of the tiny furballs. Finally, Michelle glanced at the clock on the wall and stood up with a reluctant sigh.
“I’d better get going, I guess. Thanks for letting me visit these little darlings.”
“Oh, no problem. Thanks for helping them get adjusted to human cuddles.”
Michelle headed toward the front door, and Harper came with her. Michelle was just about to grab the door handle when the door started to open. Startled, she squeaked and jumped back. A second later she froze when she saw who was on the other side of the door.
“You!” she cried.