9. Heather
9
Heather
T here was something so soothing about the gentle, steady lapping of water against a sandy shore.
So why wasn’t I soothed? The post-workday walk on the beach was supposed to relax me.
It hadn’t.
I was so wound up after the day spent driving back and forth to Drew’s farm, and the encounter with David, I knew I couldn’t stay inside the condo when I got back late that afternoon.
Even being outdoors on the deck with its million-dollar view hadn’t done it for me, which is what led to my walk on the beach.
To be able to go out the door and be on the sand after just a short walk was amazing. I still hadn’t wrapped my head around the fact some people lived like this everyday and that I had the privilege for a whole month.
That I couldn’t appreciate it right now because of one annoying, opinionated, know-it-all got me even more agitated.
Finally, I gave up on the idea of relaxing. I turned my back on the breathtaking view and headed toward the condo.
Restless, I was itching to go somewhere. Do something. Which was odd since usually I was good at doing nothing.
One long holiday weekend recently I hadn’t left the sofa except to eat and use the bathroom. I’d binged season after season of Lucifer for four days straight.
Today, I couldn’t sit still long enough to even log into my streaming account.
I’d already changed out of my work clothes, so I grabbed my cell and my bag and, after arming the alarm, headed back out the door.
Behind the wheel, I found myself driving to the shelter. I suddenly felt the need to pet a puppy. Maybe it would settle me down. Take my mind off David Strickland and his wrong opinions.
Also take my mind off that T-shirt he was wearing.
Did the man buy shirts two sizes too small? Because it had certainly been tight. So tight I could see his nipples the whole time I was there—not that I was looking.
I walked into the shelter and almost directly into Anna.
“Hey. Back for a visit?” she asked.
“I am. I’m craving some puppy time.”
She laughed. “ That I can give you. Kittens too, if you’re interested.”
“Definitely.” I nodded.
She leaned close, conspiratorially. “It’s kind of why I’m still here and haven’t headed home yet. There’s a new litter in back. Seven days old and so cute.”
“Do you actually go home? I was starting to think you’re just here like all the time.” I’d seen her at the shelter on a weekend morning, and now on a weekday evening.
“Pretty much. My law office is right next door so it’s easy to pop over between clients. In fact, I had a visit from our mutual friend this afternoon at my office.”
“Who’s that? Trixie?” I asked, laughing.
“No. Trixie is waiting impatiently at home for me with her daddy. I was talking about David Strickland.”
That name coming from out of the blue from Anna struck me as odd. “Oh, really?”
She nodded. “Yeah. He told me you’d been out to see Rowdy twice already.”
“I have. I wanted to make sure he settled in okay.” And that David hadn’t shipped him off to be processed.
But even as I answered her, my mind spun. Anna hadn’t said it, but it was apparent to me she was the lawyer Drew was having look over the contract. And no doubt David had been behind that choice.
“Rowdy looks very happy at Drew Bowman’s farm,” I continued, dropping the name and watching for a reaction.
She nodded. “He seemed really nice.”
Bingo! She’d just confirmed my guess. Drew had been here too. Dragged here, no doubt, by his buddy David.
Inwardly, I seethed.
That . . . that . . . I wouldn’t let myself think the nasty word I had chosen for David and his suspicious mind.
If he had sunk this deal— My cell buzzed with a text.
“Excuse me,” I said to Anna and quickly glanced at the display.
LUCY: Drew signed! Shoot for the sizzle reel is a go for tomorrow.
I let out a breath. He’d signed in spite of David trying to talk him out of it. And I had a feeling I could thank Anna for that. She must have convinced him there were no evil intentions hidden in the contract.
I owed her. Big time.
Lowering the cell, I said, “So, I was wondering if I could start volunteering around here. Maybe a couple of times a week?”
“We’d love that. Let me introduce you to Emily. She coordinates the volunteer schedules.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Anna led me past the counter and I caught sight of the paper brochures. They looked like they’d been run on a copy machine. I grabbed one on my way by and cringed at the Comic Sans font. Then had to hold in my groan when I noticed a typo.
“Anna?”
She turned. “Yes?”
“Would you mind if I took a crack at redesigning your brochure? It’s kind of what I do for a living. Not graphic design, per se, but marketing.”
She let out a breathy laugh. “I would love that. It’s something I’ve been meaning to tackle but . . .”
“Not enough hours in the day?” I suggested.
“More like not a creative bone in my body.” She smiled. “Anything you did we’d be so grateful for.”
“And I’d be more than happy to do it. I can definitely help you with your publicity.”
“Let me run back and grab Emily for you. She can give you a tour and introduce you to the other volunteers.”
“Perfect. Thank you.”
As she disappeared into a back hallway, I folded and tucked the paper brochure into my back pocket.
Now that worrying about David sinking our show idea was off my plate, I could work on getting him and his darn pecs out of my head by burying myself in brochure layouts tonight on my laptop.
Perfect. Clear head. Clear goal. Just how I liked it. I was happy . . . then another text came through my cell.
I expected it to be Lucy again, following up. I wasn’t expecting to see David Strickland’s name appear on my screen.
DAVID: Drew signed your contract so you can stop hating me now.
Eyes narrowed, I typed a reply.
HEATHER: Don’t worry. I have more reasons.
A row of laughing emojis was his reply. And just like that, he’d managed to wipe out the Zen state I’d achieved.
The man didn’t understand what a show could do for him. If he agreed to be part of the production, and if it got picked up and became a hit, Strickland Feed would get huge amounts of free promo. It was a lot of ifs but the investment in time would be well worth it for the payout.
But no, David Strickland was too stubborn to admit my idea was a good one.
Dang it. Where were those puppies for me to pet?
I wandered to the bulletin board as I waited. Pinned up on the cork board were all sorts of flyers, some printed, some handwritten. All showing more animals in need of homes, both young and old. And Anna had said the shelter was already at full capacity.
The wheels in my mind began to turn.
They needed to get the word out. I knew they had a basic website. It was how I’d found them in the first place. But I hadn’t looked if they had a social media presence.
Cat and dog pictures were like gold on Instapost. If they didn’t have an account yet I was going to set one up for them. More than that, I was going to make sure it was filled with heartwarming posts and stories, even if I had to come and take the pictures and videos myself.
That would get people in here to adopt these animals.
And they needed a hashtag so visitors would post their visits to the shelter and spread the word for them.
And maybe an event. Like an adopt-a-thon.
The more I thought, the more the ideas bombarded me.
We had shows shooting right now. The crossovers and tie-ins would be amazing.
Celebrity endorsements promoting not just shelter adoption but also spaying and neutering. Posts on social. Episodes shot at the shelter.
With the sizzle reel for the chicken farm show a go, now was the time to approach Joanne with my ideas, while she still remembered who the heck I was.
Clay and Tasha on Hot House already had a rescue dog. What if they attended the adopt-a-thon and we shot it for a future episode? The cranky retired SEAL always turned into a big old softy around his dog. The female viewers would love seeing Clay at the shelter.
Gabrielle Lee from Trash to Treasure made a pet bed out of an old tire and posted about it on her blog just last week. We could shoot her presenting one to a family adopting a new pet at the shelter. Or maybe her and her hottie husband Zach wanted to adopt a pet.
This season of Cold Feet was still shooting. To give that show more of a point than just having hot people prance around half naked, they usually had the cast playing silly games. What if the bridesmaids and groomsmen had like a puppy race, or something using dogs provided by the shelter?
I was so keyed up by the time Anna returned with the woman I was supposed to meet, I could barely stand still.
When Anna introduced me to Emily I said, “Do you think we could sit somewhere and talk. I have some ideas I really want to run by you.”
Ha! I’d show David exactly what our silly little shows could do. And I’d enjoy every minute of it too.