Chapter 1
“So, as you can see, it’s all about the grip.”
Words I never thought I’d hear my new boss, Aubrey Bateman, utter as she took the hose to the back of a pickup.
When I first met the California lawyer, she was a regular at the Starbucks I worked at. Always in polished suits and designer heels with her brown hair swept in a stylish fashion.
Now, in the back of the animal shelter she owned, she stood in a wet polo and jeans, barefoot as she sprayed the hose, laughing even when rogue droplets got to her ponytail and her goat, Pixy, tried to lap them up.
“You know, when you told me you had an internship opportunity, I expected something at your animal rights law firm or behind a desk...” My worlds trailed as I looked down at the white button-down shirt and black dress pants that I still hadn’t taken the tags off. Just in case I’d need to beg for my job back at Starbucks downtown.
“Don’t worry, there’s plenty of desk time, but if I sit for too long, Pixy gets restless and does things like make a mess in the back of the truck.” She waved one of her hands dismissively as if she just said something as normal as her coffee order.
She hosed down the truck bed, clumps of dirty and whatever else the goat gathered up, sliding down to the cement puddle waiting below.
“Emma does have some documents for city council that need to be dropped off.”
She ditched the house and her wide eyes scanned me from the top of my brown hair all the way down to my toes.
“Probably a better idea to do that then take the dogs out. Maybe tomorrow just dress casually? Or in something you don’t mind getting torn up by a bunch of pups?”
I forced a smile, truth was, I was relieved to not have to worry about refreshing my wardrobe. But would this internship just be cleaning dog crates and maybe passing out flyers.
I needed the hours, and the internship, to finish my last semester, but everywhere I applied for an internship either rejected me or didn’t pay. That would mean I’d have to take double shifts at Starbucks while still working another, unpaid job.
Which I’d done all through school since I guess financial aid doesn’t take into account the market crashing and your parents almost losing everything but somehow you still have to take out a million student loans for a piece of paper.
Luckily, as always, Chance Bateman, Aubrey’s husband, came in like the Australian angel he is and said he was sure Aubrey had something for me at the shelter and her law office.
Now, there I was, standing there next to a woman in a dirty t-shirt petting a goat. My own, wet savior.
“Yeah. I can definitely do that. Sorry. Didn’t know the uniform requirements...”
I chewed on my bottom lip, wishing I had a better response.
Aubrey snorted. “There’s no real uniform here and stop acting so nervous like I’m going to fire you for wearing real pants.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding in. “Right, sorry, it’s just. Thank you, really for all of this. I appreciate it so much.”
She smiled, wiping her wet hand on her shorts before putting it on my shoulder.
Aubrey was a few inches shorter than me, but her smile, and infectious personality were larger than life. I’d seen it the first time she walked into the coffee shop, then as Chance tried to woo her and brought along all of his crazy, it was the perfect storm.
“You’re going to save the world, right? You can just think of me like Yoda to your Luke. Or is it Obi-Wan? CJ is on a Star Wars kick lately, but for the life of me, after the millionth time that kid watches it and tries to hit everything with a light saber, I blur my facts.”
I couldn’t help the smile stretching across my face, thinking of Aubrey and Chance’s adorable kids. And the fact that she actually remembered what I said I wanted to do with my life.
Dad wanted me to go to law school, said it was a ‘recession proof’ job. Unlike his in-tech investments.
The only thing I was for sure I wanted to do was to make the world a better place. So, girls like me wouldn’t have to deal with their parents’ mistakes. Or those in even worse situations.
We both settled with me going to State and majoring in Political Science.
Just wished that after almost four years of school I really knew what ‘saving the world’ was.
Maybe this internship would be just what I needed.
At least it had to be better than getting yelled at for people who had the most complicated coffee orders of all time.
After helping Aubrey storeSinc the hose, I followed her and Pixy through the path lined with palms back to the front of the Spanish-colonial style building.
I’d always admired the architecture of the place when I drove by on my way to work downtown. But since Aubrey took over the place, it really started to shine. She and Chance worked on the landscaping, added white stucco walls and a red pitched roof. If it wasn’t for the large LED animal shelter sign against the wrought iron gate, it might have looked like just another house. But once stepping past that gate, it was anything but.
As soon as we walked through the courtyard then through the sliding glass doors, a cool wave of air hit me straight in the face. Followed soon by the smell of puppy breath and lemon cleaner.
A larger than life woman sat behind the rounded desk. Literally, larger than life because she was wearing the loudest pink cheetah print shirt I’d ever seen. Her dark hair somehow still maintaining its halo of black curls while a beagle puppy sat on her lap, trying to nip at her hair.
“Hey, Emma, how’s Luka doing?” Aubrey asked as soon as we strode up to the counter,
That’s when I noticed the bright green bandage wrapped around the little guy’s paw. Though that didn’t stop him from trying to wriggle his whole body as he turned toward me, giving me a little head tilt.
Emma gave an ‘are you serious’ look, trying to push the pup’s snout from her ear as he nipped. “Well, the doctor says his paw’s healing, and I think he’s getting cabin fever in his cage. I couldn’t take the crying in his cage to get out, but I’m starting to regret that decision.”
“What happened to him?” I asked without even thinking as I gently put my hand out, palm up, toward the dog.
He leaned forward, sniffing my hand before snorting then licking it, nipping at my fingers.
Emma scratched him behind his chin, holding him by the collar with her other hand, I’m guessing so he didn’t jump over the counter. “He was brought in by a good Samaritan who found him in a known dumping area after he was attacked by another dog. He has some pretty nasty punctures and two of his toes were fractured.”
A chill crept down my spine as my eyes widened. “Seriously? That’s horrible. He’s just a puppy. How could people do that?”
Emma looked at the dog, somehow a big smile still on her face. “The world can be shitty sometimes, but knowing that this dog has a second chance, makes it all better. Even if he is going a little crazy since he hasn’t been able to run around.”
She then turned her attention toward Aubrey. “When is city council voting on that dog park? If we get it soon, maybe we could actually take him out there instead of me trying to hold onto his leash while he pulls me to every palm in the courtyard.”
Aubrey smiled. “I was just about to have Melanie look over the paperwork and bring it to city hall.”