Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
A few days later, Raven again found herself standing beside Betty outside in the oppressive July heat, waiting for the care transit van to take her friend to her next appointment.
“Thank you,” she said, reflecting on how their relationship had evolved from colleague to—dare she believe it?—friend. “I appreciate your support in the board meeting.” She waved toward the pub where they’d just had their meeting.
“It’s not necessary to thank me,” said Betty. “The plan is solid and, though I may have overstepped by asking you to include him, I think it’s been a good call to get Lance involved. I haven’t seen him this excited about a project since he was a kid.”
“He does seem excited, but what about the bookstore? I hope it’s not too much for him to take on both.”
“Oh, he loves the bookstore, though it’s different from any other business he’s had. Managing a store that’s been around for decades, with an established clientele, is different from the thrill he gets starting something from scratch.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” said Raven. “I think I might be the opposite. I don’t mind some new problems to solve, but I like the comfortable routine of looking after the cats.”
“This will be a good partnership for you, then,” said Betty, looking up to catch her eye just as they spotted the van coming toward them from the other end of the street.
Raven tilted her head in question.
“Remember what I said last time we met. Let him take the lead on the expansion project and focus your time and energy running the center, managing the volunteers, and supporting the board with the fundraising activities. Give him the space he needs.”
“Don’t worry, I remember. I’ll do the best I can.” Though the idea caused Raven to have flashbacks to other times in her life, when relinquishing control hadn’t worked out so well.
“I’m glad we understand each other,” said Betty, smiling up at Raven before turning to greet the attendant who was climbing out of the van. “Hello, you’re right on time.”
While the attendant loaded Betty onto the van, she turned to say, “I’ll see you soon, Raven.”
Raven gave a little wave, feeling as though Betty had reprimanded and hugged her at the same time.
She gazed after the van as it drove up the street, then walked the few short blocks to the bookstore to give Lance the news.
“It’s a go?” he asked, as she walked through the open door of the store. She glanced around the shop and noted a few shoppers sitting in chairs or browsing the shelves, all within reach of the nearest ceiling or floor fan.
“It is,” she said, watching his face light up. “Where’s Rhett?”
“I put him and the other cats in my flat. I have AC there.”
“I’m sure they’ll appreciate it,” said Raven, standing beside a nearby fan to cool down. The small exertion of walking in the afternoon heat had left her with the stickiness of perspiration.
“When should we start planning?” asked Lance, barely able to contain his excitement. Betty was right. He relished a new venture.
“The board would like you to take the lead on the building project, and we’ll need to form a fundraising team.
” She reached into her pocket and handed him a business card.
“Your aunt said to pass this along to you. It’s the card for the architect who designed the rescue center expansion down-island.
He’s semi-retired and looking to do some pro bono work. ”
“Wow, that’s generous.” He took the card from her and read it. “I’ve also been talking to Curtis and a couple others. With the help of the Men’s Shack and the college carpentry program, I think we can do a lot of the work with volunteers and with apprentices who need their hours.”
“That would keep the costs down,” she agreed.
“But first, I need to make a preliminary plan. Do you have time to meet with me and Curtis tomorrow for lunch? I’d like him involved, since he has the carpentry background.”
Raven nodded. Curtis Woodrow, the coordinator of the local Men’s Shack, would be a great addition to the team.
“Stellar,” said Lance.
“Stellar?”
“A word I picked up from one of Pinky’s kids,” he said, referring to the children who came for the Bookworm’s story hours and reading club programs. “I think it works.”
“Yes, I suppose it does.”
“Zoey phoned to say she’s made updates to the website.
She’s sent you a link to the page, which can go live as soon as we decide how much we need to raise.
It’s a virtual thermometer of sorts—but in this case she says we can measure our progress in cats.
One cat for each thousand or ten thousand we raise, depending upon how much we need.
Something about raising funds for a basket of cats. ”
“I’ll look when I get home,” she said. “I’m going out to do a home visit on the Tumble Twins first. I want to make sure they’re getting along well in their new situation.”
“Have you heard more from Wren?” he asked. His face filled with concern and then, when he saw her expression, wariness. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m trying to be patient. Waiting for her to reach out, you know?”
“Well, you could send her a note. Ask her how the weather is out there or something. Let her know you’re thinking of her. I started doing that with Chelsea, and she texts me more often now.”
“Thanks, I’ll try that,” she said, pleased to hear that Lance’s youngest daughter was conversing more often with him. He missed his daughters a lot, and his divorce had been hardest on Chelsea. “I just wanted to give you the news of the meeting. I should go and do the home visit now.”
“Okay,” he said, watching her closely.
“See you tomorrow?” she asked.
He bent down to kiss her. “Unless you want to stay in town tonight?”
She shook her head, though she was tempted. “I would, but I gave Mal and Daisy the week off, so I’ve left the place with students and volunteers. It’s straight home for me.”
“What you need is more staff.”
“Maybe once we get some more funds raised.”
“I’ll build your new staff into the budget, so it’s in the plan from the start.”
“Good thinking. We should get the board to approve the operating budget early so we don’t have to ask for more later.” She reached up and hugged him again. Lance was practical, which was one of the things she most appreciated about him.
Some people say they care, and others take action to show it. Enough wages for another staff person would mean more time for her to oversee things and maybe even do something else with her days.
Like try a new hobby, or travel out to visit Wren in her new home.
She drove to the other end of town to look in on the Tumble Twins who, today, were apparently at the pottery studio.
“Hello,” said Simon. Raven had arrived just in time to pass students filing out the door on their way to the gym. “We’re just finishing up here. Give me a moment.”
He turned to say goodbye to the students and to make sure their creations were safely set on a nearby rack to dry. His daughter, Sally, and Sarah’s daughter Riley, were helping—Sally washed down a large table with a sponge while Riley dried and put the tools away in their respective drawers.
“I’ve never been in here,” said Raven, walking over to the rack to view what the children had created that day. “These are great.”
“We’re doing hand-building in this class, and the kids are creative. We have a lot of stencils and other tools they can use to make their plates. Tomorrow we’ll be building cups.”
“Then they paint them?”
“Once these dry and they trim them—remove any excess clay—I’ll fire them in the kiln. The next day they’ll glaze and try different types of underglazes, and then we fire them again.”
“So you teach half a day?”
“Each class is about half a day. This group is off to spend the other half of their day in the gym down the hall. Then the gym group will come in here.”
“Sounds like a great camp experience,” said Raven. “And the kittens?” She looked around the room, which was absent of any four-legged creatures.
“Dot and Dash are in the back.” He turned to Riley and Sally. “Why don’t you two take Raven to see the kittens while I finish up in here?”
The girls pulled off their smocks and led Raven through a door to a hallway.
“That’s where the kilns are,” said Riley, pointing to a closed door as they passed it.
She pushed open a door to a large storage room lined with shelves and supplies.
A playpen stood in the middle of the room with a large net draped over the top to prevent any escapes.
The kittens stopped in mid-tumble when the trio walked in.
They stood together, staring at the intruders.
“It looks like they’re having fun,” said Raven.
“Yes,” said Sally. “But now it’s time for them to have some water and to, you know…” She pointed to a litter box and water dish in the corner.
“Right,” said Raven. “And what time do they eat?”
“In the morning before we go to camp we give them some food, and at dinner time,” said Riley. “We time it. That way they both have the same routine, and when they come to one of our houses, they don’t have to change.”
“We also give them some kibble for snacks,” Sally added, earning a nod from Riley. “Because they’re little and they need to eat more often than a grown cat.”
“Impressive,” said Raven. “And how do they get along when they’re separated?”
“Well,” Sally said gravely, “Dot took longer to get used to being alone. She whined for a couple of days. But now she knows me and…” She looked around the corner before speaking further. “Don’t tell Daddy, but she sometimes sleeps on my bed with me.”
“I see,” said Raven, biting back a smile. “And Dash?”
“He’s pretty good. We play a lot at night and then he gets tired and wants to sleep most of the time.”
“Thank you for telling me about their care,” said Raven. “I’ll let them drink their water and do their business, and I’ll go talk to your dad.” She left the pair reaching into the playpen and walked back to talk to Simon.