CHAPTER 54
Nina drove up to the gates of the animal shelter slowly, trying to calm her nerves. Her breathing was uneven, her heart beating faster than usual. And there was that strange, indefinable flutter she felt every time she thought about him.
She pulled up next to a familiar car. Lynn, dressed in a tracksuit, was leaning against the hood, chatting with her father and showing him something on her phone.
He stood beside her, hands in his pockets, a smile on his face, nothing like the one he wore at the hospital.
This one was softer. More… human. Relaxed, even.
Nina exhaled sharply and tightened her grip on the steering wheel, forcing herself not to panic. They’d already noticed her. Lynn lifted her head; Jasper shot a quick glance in her direction. Nina took a deep breath and turned off the engine.
The night before, her security team had helped her load the trunk with several oversized bags of pet food, toys, and bedding. She’d clearly gone overboard: nervous, unable to stop herself while filling carts at the store. Now she had no idea how she was going to unload all of it.
She got out of the car, took a couple of steadying breaths, and adjusted her hair. Gravel crunched under her shoes.
Jasper approached first—calm, confident. Dressed simply: a T-shirt, athletic pants, white sneakers. The severity of his usual presence seemed to have melted away, and for some reason, Nina found herself liking that. As if he felt less… dangerous.
“Hey,” he said shortly. She popped the trunk, and he peered inside. “Did you decide to feed the entire shelter?”
Nina pressed her lips together, feeling heat rise to her cheeks.
“I just… couldn’t stop myself,” she admitted quietly, lowering her gaze. “I wanted there to be enough for everyone.”
Lynn walked over too, hesitating slightly. She looked at Nina, then nodded, lips tightening as if attempting a smile.
“Hi,” she said. Her voice sounded strained, but Nina chose not to dwell on it. This was her chance—to get to know her daughter, to try to build something real.
She glanced toward the shelter and noticed a young woman stepping out through the gate. She wore a green T-shirt with the shelter’s logo, her hair pulled into a high ponytail. Freckles dusted her face, and her smile was so bright it seemed to light up the entire place.
And that smile was directed straight at Jasper.
“Hi, Jasper!” the woman called, hurrying toward him. “I didn’t expect to see you today. I’m so glad you came!”
Jasper smiled back, pulled his hands from his pockets, and dipped his head slightly, clearly happy to see her.
Something inside Nina shifted abruptly. The pleasant anticipation turned into a sharp, prickling jealousy.
Ridiculous.
Lynn seemed to notice the girl’s overly warm attention to her father too, but she didn’t react—just moved toward the open trunk.
“You brought a lot,” Lynn said, peering inside. “Looks like the dogs are going to live like royalty.”
Nina smiled despite herself, though her pulse still throbbed at her temples. Jasper stepped away from them, continuing his conversation with the girl. Her laughter rang a little too loudly—like she was trying to impress him.
And for some reason, that irritated Nina far more than it should have.
Jasper stepped back, gestured for Nina to come closer.
“Nina, this is Veronica, the shelter director,” he said, turning slightly toward the red-haired woman whose smile was still stretched wide. “Veronica, this is Nina. She’s with us today.”
Nina stepped forward and forced a smile, even though jealousy still churned in her chest. Veronica met her gaze—sharp, appraising. Her eyes swept over Nina’s face, then the car, and Nina caught the subtle tightening of her lips.
The politeness was there.
But the displeasure was unmistakable.
Nina greeted her and extended her hand.
Veronica’s gaze lingered on Nina’s fingers for a second longer than necessary. Then she shook her hand—but released it almost immediately, as if the touch had burned.
“Likewise,” she said, pulling the hair tie from her ponytail and shaking her head so the red strands fell in a soft wave. “I didn’t expect Jasper to bring guests today.”
Nina caught the way Veronica’s eyes flicked—briefly but pointedly—toward her car before returning to her face.
Like a reminder: You don’t belong here.
Like Nina had stepped onto someone else’s territory.
Jasper either didn’t notice or chose not to.
“I’ll grab a cart and unload everything,” he said. “In the meantime, why don’t you show Nina around? Maybe she’ll leave today with a kitten or a dog. We’ve got plenty of good-looking ones.”
Nina hesitated for a moment, caught off guard. She shot a quick glance at Veronica—who instantly lifted her chin, clearly offended. Lynn stood nearby, zipping up her jacket, then nodded at Nina, silently inviting her to follow.
“Here,” Nina said, pulling the keys from her pocket and handing them to Jasper. “Lock it afterward, okay?”
He nodded and took them. Their fingers brushed for just a second—and a faint jolt ran up Nina’s arm. Her breath hitched. Jasper looked… unreadable. Then he abruptly stepped back, putting space between them.
Veronica drew a deep breath, shot Nina a displeased look, and turned toward the gate.
“Come on,” she said curtly. “I’ll show you the animals.”
Nina followed automatically, Lynn walking beside her. A mischievous smile appeared on Lynn’s face, and Nina felt the tension ease just a little.
After they’d moved a few steps away from the car, Lynn leaned in close to Nina, lowering her voice so only she could hear.
“That Veronica,” Lynn whispered, squinting and glancing over her shoulder, “has a thing for my dad. And I really don’t like her. Can you believe she tricked him into going on a date with her?”
Nina turned sharply, her eyebrows shooting up.
“What?” she breathed, feeling something tight and painful twist inside her. A date? Jasper? With Veronica?
Lynn shot her a sly look, lips curling into a small smirk. It felt almost conspiratorial—like gossip shared between friends.
“So if you don’t want her stealing him from you,” Lynn added quietly, “don’t freeze up. Do something.”
Nina couldn’t hide her shock.
The way Lynn said it—casually, almost encouragingly—sounded like permission.
As if Nina had the right to fight for him.
As if Lynn wouldn’t mind having her close.
Lynn noticed her stunned expression, let out a brief, quiet laugh, and tugged at her jacket like she didn’t quite know what to do with her hands.
“What?” she said with a small shrug. “Honestly, better you than her.”
Veronica walked ahead, cheerfully talking about the shelter. Nina and Lynn followed, trying to keep up.
“This is our section with adult dogs,” Veronica explained, stopping by the first row of kennels.
“Many of them came to us in terrible condition, but thanks to Jasper, we were able to treat them—and even find homes for a lot of them. He’s done so much for us.
Honestly, without him, we never would’ve managed. ”
Lynn snorted behind Nina, and Nina barely managed to suppress a smile. She immediately understood, Lynn had noticed it too. The way Veronica practically worshipped Jasper. Nina simply nodded, pretending to be genuinely impressed.
“This handsome guy here,” Veronica continued, stepping closer to a kennel where a large mixed-breed dog with intelligent brown eyes peeked through the bars, “Jasper helped get him back on his feet after a spinal injury. Now he runs again.”
Nina cast a quick glance at Lynn. Lynn rolled her eyes with dramatic exhaustion. Nina bit her lip to keep from laughing.
“And these little ones,” Veronica bent over a kennel with three puppies who eagerly stretched toward her hand, squealing with excitement, “are here thanks to Jasper too. He found them last winter, nearly frozen, and brought them in himself.”
Lynn rolled her eyes again and snorted. Veronica didn’t notice, continuing her monologue about Jasper’s great deeds and how close they supposedly were.
“…And when my sister ended up in the hospital, he was the one who treated her.”
Jasper, Jasper, Jasper. It felt like if Veronica could, she would have already put up a statue of him in the middle of the shelter.
Lynn grew visibly more irritated, fists clenched, and Nina sensed that she was just as tired of this performance as she was.
They exchanged another quick look, and Nina finally lost it, she rolled her eyes and covered her mouth slightly to hide her reaction.
“You look so alike,” Veronica suddenly said, turning to Nina with unexpected interest. “Are you related to Jasper and Lynn?”
The question caught Nina off guard. She sucked in air too sharply and coughed, trying to recover from the sudden wave of nerves. Veronica watched her expectantly. Lynn narrowed her eyes, a sly smile creeping onto her face.
“Yes,” Nina managed, cheeks heating. “Something like that.”
Veronica visibly relaxed. Nina noticed her shoulders drop, her gaze soften, and she let out a small breath—as if she’d just eliminated a potential rival.
“Oh, of course,” Veronica nodded, smiling broadly. “I thought so right away. Probably a cousin, right?”
Nina opened her mouth to answer, but Lynn beat her to it.
She lifted her chin, eyes glinting mischievously, and said with unmistakable sarcasm:
“Nina’s my mom. We were recently reunited.”
Silence fell.
Veronica froze. Her eyes widened dramatically, and the smile slid off her face as if someone had pulled an invisible string. She blinked several times, clearly struggling to process what she’d just heard.
“Your… mother?” she repeated, her voice sounding like she’d just been punched in the stomach. “But… Jasper and you… She’s way too young to be your mother…”
Lynn smirked, shot Nina a quick glance, then looked back at Veronica, clearly enjoying herself.
“Yes. My mother,” she said again. “She looks great, doesn’t she? Well, my dad isn’t exactly old either. They had me young.”
For a moment, Nina stared at Lynn in mild disbelief. She realized Lynn was using her as a shield—against Veronica, against her interest in Jasper.
And somehow… it didn’t hurt.
On the contrary, it felt oddly sweet.
A small, instinctive act of protection. Her way of saying she didn’t want anyone else stepping into that space beside her father.
It didn’t mean Lynn had fully accepted her yet—but it was a step forward. And Nina was ready for steps like that.
Even if, sometimes, they came wrapped in strange little games like this one.