“I’m sorry,” he said, but she ignored him. “And…I don’t have things as figured out as you think.”
She waved him off over her head and he finally took the hint and headed for the back.
In fact, he really didn’t have them figured out at all.
* * *
Cam showed up at seven at the shelter with fresh coffee and Bernie, full and changed and snoozing in her stroller, feeling like he’d handled things with Lucy completely wrong. When he opened the door, he found Hadley standing in the middle of the puppy pen. “Now,” she was saying to the mother dog, “I know you’ve been through a lot. And abandoned on top of everything. But I want you to know you’ve done a fantastic job. And you’re going to love it here. It’s warm and there’s plenty of food and a nice comfy bed and…and we’re going to help you with those puppies. Don’t you worry, sweetie.” She petted the dog in long, soothing strokes while the dog watched her with wary eyes. “I know,” Hadley said. “You think I’m crazy, right? Must just be the sleep deprivation.” Then the dog lifted her head and licked her on the face, making her chuckle.
Just then the phone rang. “Oh, good morning, Mayellen. Thanks for calling back. Hey, I wanted to ask if you and Ivy can do my dog walks today? Not to mention we’ve got the puppies and Bubba and Hershey and Jagger and Bowie here, and I’ve got a meeting at ten with the state coordinator of the SPCA.” As she talked, she prepared to feed the little pup, gathering the syringe and warming the replacer and fetching clean towels.
“She’s quite a multitasker, isn’t she?” a voice behind Cam said.
Cam turned to find Maddy there, leaning a bit on her cane.
“Morning, Maddy. I…I like watching her. How she talks to the mama dog, and answers the phone, and takes care of that one little runt puppy, and—”
“She’s using all her PR skills, that’s for sure.”
He nodded. “Except doing more good, I think.”
“She’s always been that way. Wanting to do good. To leave things better than how she found them.”
He nodded and smiled a little, mostly to himself. Because she’d done that with him.
“I hope she understands that she is doing good here,” Maddy continued. “I hope she doesn’t get swayed back to her big-city life. But maybe I’m just being selfish. I love having her near.”
Me too, Cam thought.
“Hadley was born to do this,” Cam said, watching her feed the tiny puppy. The look on her face was exhausted, determined, and…happy. She went about her work joyously; there was no other word for it.
“People can’t seem to stop talking about the gala,” Maddy said. “The food and the music and the way everything went off without a hitch. You two made it a perfect evening. And you raised over a hundred thousand dollars for the hospital.”
Great. “So what’s the verdict with the town? Me or Hadley?”
Gran sighed. “Both of you. A toss-up.” She threw up her hands. “People can’t seem to stop talking about you two as a couple. Apparently, everyone thinks you’re just adorable.”
Cam smiled a little. “Well, that’s good—and not good.”
“Listen, dear.” Maddy patted his arm. “Sometime soon all three of us need to sit down and come to a decision together about this building.” She looked at him steady and direct. “I love you both, you know. But it can only go to one of you.”
It wasn’t a surprise. With the diversion of the benefit over, it was time to get back to business. He thought again of Dudley and Dolittle’s request for him to discuss the restaurant during his big interview. As if to emphasize the unnerving countdown to 10:00 a.m., the hand on the wall clock made a clicking sound.
“Come here, you,” Hadley said. Cam glanced over to see her chasing Jagger around. He appeared to have a baby blanket in his mouth.
Hadley looked over and saw him and Maddy. “Hey, you two! Jagger’s such a stinker, aren’t you?” The dog’s good ear drooped, knowing full well he was being scolded. “He keeps pulling the blanket away from the pups. I think he’s a little jealous!” She laughed and almost caught him, but he zigzagged under a table and ran for the back.
Hadley said, “I give up!” and beckoned them over as she took another phone call.
Yep, joyous. There was no other word for it.
“No need for a meeting,” Cam said to Maddy. “I’ve come to a decision.”
“I know that,” she said softly. A glance over at Hadley showed her busy talking on the phone, tucking in an errant puppy, and carefully wrapping the tiny one up in a bundle for its next meal.
“Hey, Maddy.” Cam pulled two coffees from the stroller and set them on the counter by the door. “I brought these for Hadley and me but I’d love for you to take mine. I…I’ve got something I need to attend to. Tell her I’ll see her a little later.” He turned to push the stroller out the door.
“Does Hadley know?” she asked, stopping him in his tracks.
“Know? About the building?” he asked.
“No,” Maddy said softly. “That you love her.”
Love? This was not a romantic decision. “Hadley deserves to have it. She’s found the thing she should be doing in the world.”
“Well,” Maddy said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “I always knew you were a good egg. But sometimes I’m not sure you realize it yourself.”
“I haven’t done anything to get credit for.”
“You’ve put her needs before yours. Don’t you know that’s what love is all about?”
* * *
Later that morning, Darla was holding the bundled puppy and gently squirting formula into her mouth. “Look at her,” Darla said. “She’s swallowing more every day!”
Kit stood up from a chair, and Hadley climbed out of the puppy pen to see.
“Oh, I’ve never seen anything so tiny and sweet,” Kit said, bending down to watch. “Why did the mom reject her?”
“Fuller couldn’t say for sure.” Hadley blotted the milk from the puppy’s fur. “But the mom was moved right after she gave birth, and really stressed, so she was probably very frightened. Plus this one is the tiniest of the litter.”
“She won’t be little anymore if she keeps eating like this.” Darla held up the drained syringe. “She took five cc’s!”
“That’s a whole teaspoon,” Kit said.
Hadley grinned. “That’s a great meal for a brand-new puppy, actually.”
“Do I have to burp her?” Darla asked. “Or can I just cuddle with her?”
The bell tinkled as Ivy and Mayellen entered, back from the morning dog walk.
“It’s nearly time for Cam’s live interview,” Ivy said as she turned on an old-model TV that sat on the counter. “Come on over, everybody.”
Hadley was dreading the interview almost as much as Cam was. She felt a stab of guilt because if it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t have been forced to do it. And what would he say about his restaurant? It had been an amazing couple of weeks not thinking about it, but now the topic couldn’t be avoided.