Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Audrey looked around the animal shelter, her chest full of emotion.
She was surrounded by chatting guests, squealing children, barking dogs, and purring cats.
Christmas music was playing on a boombox in the corner, and the air smelled deliciously of cookies, hot cocoa, popcorn, and nachos.
Everyone in the room seemed excited, and the place was packed.
I know I came here just to support Harper, Audrey thought, but I’m having a wonderful time. This is such a thrilling event. I hope that all these animals get adopted.
She watched as an old dog with one missing leg lay down in the lap of a teenager who looked like she was about to cry. The girl stroked the dog’s ears, and Audrey had a feeling it was going to end up being the perfect Christmas for both of them.
“Look at all these adorable fur babies,” she said, linking arms with her daughter as they strolled around the room, sipping their cups of cocoa. “Aren’t they all darling?”
“Whoa there, hold your horses.” Michelle laughed. “We’re here to support Harper, remember? We’re not here to bring home a furry bundle of chaos. Oh, look, there’s Harper. Let’s go be supportive.”
Audrey chuckled as Michelle steered her across the room toward Harper, who was talking to a family of four. Both of the children were holding cats in their arms, and Audrey got the sense that both the kids and the cats were determined to keep it that way.
“Hey, guys!” Harper said, once she’d stepped away from her conversation with the family. She hurried over to them. “They’re going to adopt Bernie and Boots. Isn’t that awesome? It’s always trickier to get a bonded pair adopted, but we did it.”
Harper’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes were shining. Audrey thought to herself with a smile that her friend had never looked happier.
“That’s awesome,” Michelle said. “I’ve got a soft spot for Boots especially.” She looked over at Boots with a warm smile, watching the cat purr in the arms of the little boy who was cuddling him.
“Hey, we’ve got more cats you can cuddle,” Harper said, and the slyness in her voice was unmistakable. “Come on over here and give Pancake some love. He’s just sitting in his crate all by himself.”
Audrey and Michelle followed dutifully. Michelle looked wary, but Audrey felt nothing but excitement.
She was starting to forget all the reasons why she’d told herself they shouldn’t adopt a pet.
She was feeling an intense yearning to bring home a furry companion who would want to be cuddled and would follow her around the house.
There was something so genuinely sweet about all of the animals there, even the shy ones.
Animals are amazing, really, she thought. I think they draw instincts of love and protection out of people in the same way our children do. We’re meant to have them in our lives, whether we adopt them or just interact with them sometimes.
She knew, however, that her desire to adopt was getting stronger by the second.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Harper said cheerfully as soon as Michelle had started to pet Pancake, who was a fluffy orange cat with a grumpy-looking face.
“Hi, sweetie,” Michelle said, stroking the top of Pancake’s head. “Who’s a good little guy?”
Pancake proved that his grumpy expression was all an act by purring loudly a few seconds later.
“Michelle,” Audrey said slowly, her tone immediately wheedling.
“Absolutely not,” Michelle said firmly. “You know how busy we are with the hotel right now. We’re going to be insanely busy this whole month. Now is absolutely not the time to be thinking about adopting a pet.”
Audrey sighed. Pancake swished his tail, purring louder.
“There he is!”
An elderly couple walked up to Pancake’s cage, and the woman clasped her hands together, staring at Pancake with wide eyes.
“Isn’t he absolutely perfect? He reminds me of Mr. Jeffries.”
The old man peered at Pancake’s information sign and grunted. “I like him,” he said.
Michelle and Audrey shared a grin and stepped away from Pancake’s cage.
Well, at least he’s being adopted, even if we aren’t getting him, Audrey thought. But I’m in trouble. This itch to adopt a pet is getting stronger all the time.
The next animal they spent some time with was a teenage Doberman Pinscher named Molly, who was an angel and just wanted to cuddle.
“Don’t even think about it, Mom,” Michelle said with a laugh. “Don’t even make eye contact with me. I adore her but she’d scare the heck out of half our guests.”
“She’d scare any burglars away too,” Audrey wheedled.
“Absolutely not.”
Sighing, Audrey stood up and looked around the room again. She was starting to feel as sneaky as Harper, and she found herself wondering what pet in the shelter might be cute enough to melt even Michelle’s resolve.
“Hey!” she said, noticing something golden and fluffy wriggling on the other side of the room. “Let’s go over there.”
“Uh oh,” Michelle said, but she allowed herself to be led over to the fenced-in area that Audrey was taking her to.
“Look,” Audrey said, unable to keep the squeal of glee out of her voice. “A puppy!” She glanced at the sign that was hanging over the side of the little indoor fence. “A goldendoodle.”
“Hey, you,” Michelle said, kneeling down and holding her hand out to the puppy, who immediately started to lick it with boundless enthusiasm. “Aren’t you a sweetie pie. Are you in here all by yourself?”
“Looks like the rest of the litter got adopted already,” Audrey said, looking at the sign again and seeing that there had been seven puppies. “There’s only this one left.”
She was just about to give Michelle the “Please?” look when she saw Harper hurrying over to them with an eager expression.
Perfect, Audrey thought with a chuckle. Backup.
“Hey, isn’t she darling?” Harper said. “She’s the last one left of that litter. What a cutie.”
The puppy, who had been rolling around on the floor, paused and cocked her head at Harper, her brown eyes gleaming with intelligence.
“She’s so fluffy,” Michelle said, laughing uncontrollably. “What a cute little face.”
Audrey grinned, noticing with glee that Michelle was starting to melt.
“And she’s allergy-friendly,” Harper pointed out. “Poodle mixes don’t shed as much fur or dander. That would be perfect for The Birchwood House.”
Michelle wrinkled her nose, obviously trying to fight the urge to adopt the dog, and Audrey and Harper exchanged a grin. Audrey could tell that Harper already knew she wanted to adopt the puppy, and her friend’s delight was obvious.
Out of the corner of her eye, Audrey caught sight of Theo wandering through the crowd.
“Hey!” she said, waving him over. “Theo!”
He looked up and smiled awkwardly, then started to come toward them. Michelle looked up, noticed him, froze, and then went back to petting the puppy intently.
“Are you going to adopt a pet, Theo?” Audrey said, as soon as he reached them.
“You should!” She was completely swept up in the thrill of believing that everyone should have an animal.
She was envisioning every single animal in the shelter getting adopted that day, and she wanted it to happen so much that her heart ached a little.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Theo said, sticking his hands in his pockets and shrugging.
“I don’t really have the time for a pet, you know?
” His eyes were fixed over Audrey’s shoulder, and she hid a grin when she realized that he was staring at Michelle as she played with the puppy.
Audrey glanced at her daughter and saw that she was pretending not to notice that Theo was there as she played with the rambunctious girl puppy.
“Well, that’s what we said too.” Audrey laughed. “But I’m pretty sure Michelle is falling for this goldendoodle puppy.” She winked.
Michelle looked up, her expression one of protest, but the second she looked at Theo it shifted into something else. An odd look flickered in her eyes for a moment, and then she shook her head. “I can appreciate this puppy without taking her home. Hi, Theo.”
“Hi.” He shook his head, chuckling. “It doesn’t surprise me that you wouldn’t want anyone, not even a cute little puppy, disrupting your strict organization style.”
Audrey recognized a flash of a challenge in her daughter’s eyes. Michelle sat up straighter, making eye contact with Theo.
“Look, you don’t know me as well as you think you do,” she said primly.
“Even though I have the willpower to look at a puppy without adopting it, it’s not my plan to exercise that willpower in this instance.
I can avoid the temptation to take an animal home if I feel that I need to, but this puppy is an exception. ”
Audrey let out a squeal, and Harper clasped her hands together.
“You mean it, Michelle?” Audrey gushed, her whole core filling with a bubbling feeling of joy. “We can adopt her?”
“Why are you acting like I’m the head of our household?” Michelle laughed. “I do want her.” She smiled down at the wriggling puppy adoringly.
“Because you’re the only one who was able to keep her head on her shoulders in all this.” Audrey laughed. “I’m a blob without any willpower at the moment. I’d take them all home if I could.”
“You know,” Harper said, her tone sly again.
“Absolutely not,” Michelle said firmly.
Theo grinned and shrugged. “Well, enjoy your new golden bundle of joy.” He sauntered away, and Audrey noticed Michelle watching him with an odd expression on her face.
“Let me get the adoption papers for you,” Harper said. “I can skip the interview part because I know you and I’m more than positive that you’re going to give this little girl a great home.”
“We are,” Audrey said, feeling as though she was on cloud nine.
“You’re going to live in a mansion,” she said, bending down and kissing the puppy on the top of her head.
“We’re going to spoil you, and give you cuddles, and you’re going to get wonderful pets from all kinds of fun people all the time. ”
Harper huffed a laugh and sashayed off to get the paperwork that Audrey and Michelle needed to sign.
“What got into you?” Audrey asked Michelle with a grin. “All of a sudden you do want us to get a dog? Is this one really just that cute that she melted all your defenses?”
Michelle laughed. “I mean, she is unreasonably adorable, but I changed my mind because—” She let out a sound that was partly a huff of frustration and partly another laugh.
“Well, I just couldn’t let Theo be right.
Yes, I care about being organized and things being orderly, but I can have fun too.
Besides, she really is a little angel. I think she’s going to make our guests really happy.
Ideally, we would have waited at least a couple of months, but I couldn’t bear the thought of her being the last one of her litter left here. ”
“I agree.” Audrey picked the puppy up and held her wriggling body in her arms. “She’s ours now. Merry Christmas, little one. You get a new family as a present, and we get you. How about that?”
Michelle laughed and scratched the puppy behind the ears.
Well, I’m sure glad Theo showed up when he did, Audrey thought. I am over the moon to be bringing this puppy home.