Chapter 11
Quinn
Reaching for the colorful flier as it lands in the printer tray, my eyes rake over the colorful paper before pulling it against my chest with a sense of pride. These turned out great. If I can get all of my ducks in a row, no pun intended, this festival could be a huge success.
Walking back to my desk, I struggle to focus on the tickets I designed to adopt a duck. Instead, I drop my face into my hands. There’s no denying it. I’m too distracted. My smile has been wiped out by the continued memory of the look on Jason’s face when Ian walked into the Riverside café. It’s clear he hasn’t been able to forgive and forget. But that’s between the two of them. There’s not a lot I can do about it.
Attempting to get back on track, I run my hand down my face, blow out a frustrated breath, and refocus on the task at hand. I’m hoping the event is so popular we have thousands of rubber duckies floating down the May River. Biting the end of my nail, I consider how fantastic this would look on the news and social media. I jot down contacting the paper and a few contacts to get as much publicity for the town as possible once photos are available.
Gosh, this could be the start of a yearly event. The beginning of holiday festivities in Magnolia Point with merchants selling their wares at the Winter Village and the annual tree lighting, then culminating with Bathtub Party Day and the ducks racing down the May. I smile brightly, knowing I have a long way to go to get to that point. Yet you can’t make your dreams happen if you can’t visualize them, right?
Gathering up the fliers and tickets, I decide to drop them off at the local print shop on my way to visit the shelter. I need to review the photoshoot with Corbin, the shelter manager. It probably wouldn’t do to have a dog with a poor disposition paired up with, well, Baxter, for example. I’m tempted to growl at that egotistical blowhard most days. It might be more temptation that one of those mutts can handle.
* * *
An hour later, I’ve made it to the shelter and enjoying some one-on-one time with a few of the dogs, cats, and rabbits up for adoption. According to Corbin, several of them are older, while others have been abused, left with only three legs or a missing eye. Yet, none of them are unhealthy. The shelter has taken good care of them, but the fear is that they could be euthanized if they remain unadopted.
The very thought of it makes me want to cry. There has to be a way to give these sweet things a home. “You just want someone to love you, right?” I ask the overweight basset hound as I rub behind his long, floppy, brown and white ear.
It dawns on me I’ve practically isolated myself from the male population. It’s only a dry spell I muse stroking the pup’s soft hair. My career needs to be my main focus right now. I haven’t completely given up on dating, but the relationships I had with men during college were subpar at best. Sure, there could be some truth to Callie’s teasing that it’s hard for any guy to stand a chance when compared to a teen girl’s infatuation.
An enchantment I made larger than life.
My crush was fueled by my brief wide-eyed teenaged interactions with Jason. That and an imagination worthy of a Christmas Hallmark movie. None of it was rooted in reality. For all I know he could’ve been a lackluster boyfriend, and that’s why Corinne set her sights on Ian. But deep down, I don’t believe that. Yet now that my brother has destroyed their relationship and probably any chance of Jason trusting anyone again, I need to keep my irrational fantasy tightly locked away.
Reaching in to cuddle an overweight rabbit named George, my mind flicks back to bumping into Jason at the café recently. How angry his expression became when he noticed our family walking in the door.
Will that ever go away?
“Oh, Joy would love you, George.” My sweet niece, who has a smile for everyone she meets, loves animals. I think she’d enjoy the feel of the bunny’s downy fur against her skin.
My niece is the only good thing to come out of that awful time. I knew all along that Ian making a move for his best friend’s girl would come back to bite him. Karma is a cruel bedfellow. How do men get so entranced by a pretty smile, Barbie hair, and big boobs?
Yet for all of his mistakes, Ian’s a great dad. It’s infuriating how that awful woman walked away from her daughter, only to drag the divorce on and on, purely to drain my brother of every red cent. Wish I could get a front seat to Karma’s plans for Corinne.
Between my dad raising the two of us as a single father, and now Ian, it made it even more important that I do well in school. I made the decision to pursue a degree in marketing from one of the best colleges in the area so I could start a business and make a life for myself. This girl is not going to let any man leave her high and dry.
I return George to his temporary home, and move a few crates over to find a one-eyed Schnauzer named Henrietta. Unlocking the cage, I carefully place my hand inside for her to sniff and wait patiently for her to creep closer. Cupping the face of the sweet hound with a little white beard, I pet the gray dog gently until she inches closer. Her plight makes me so sad.
We’re all just one step away from being rejected for all eternity, right? I’ll never make it through this charity event without adopting one of these guys.
“Hey, you make some new friends?” I jump, startled by Corbin’s voice, grateful I hadn’t been holding Henrietta when he walked in. “Oh, I’m sorry, Quinn. Here you go, bringing some much-needed love to these guys, and I practically give you a heart attack.”
I laugh. “It’s so quiet. I guess it speaks to how little interaction they receive that they don’t even bark when a stranger is here.”
Corbin’s solemn face reflects the truth in my statement. “It’s a really great thing you’re doing with this fundraiser, Quinn.” He comes closer, giving Henrietta a scratch behind her ear. “Hey, are you free tonight? I’d love to take you to dinner to thank you for everything you’re doing. It might give us more time to go over your plans. I didn’t expect to get so tied up with the vet this afternoon.”
“Oh, it’s okay, Corbin. It’s not like I had an appointment. Yeah, dinner would be great,” I answer, closing Henrietta’s crate. Corbin’s an attractive man in his mid-twenties. But, as is usually the case, there’s about as much spark with him as a match in the rain. But I’ve never gotten an unprofessional vibe from him. This feels strictly like a business dinner. He could be dating someone for all I know.
Besides, I’m holding out for a healthy relationship where there’s unparalleled chemistry. With a partner who respects me. I’m only twenty-two. I just need to let go of any thought that could be Jason Bristow.
But I can still look, right?