Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“I owe you the biggest bunch of flowers in Carmel. In California! How come you didn’t include all those personal details I shared with you?”
There was a pause and then he heard the click of a door closing. He suspected she was still at the office and was giving herself some privacy. In a low voice, she said, “I wasn’t sure you actually intended to say all those things for public consumption. Even I kind of forgot we were on the record and weren’t just having a conversation friend to friend. But if you ever do decide you want to go public with the story of your upbringing and the heroic effort you put into carving out such a successful career, then I would love to write it for you. I think it could be really inspiring. Something that could touch a lot of people.”
Jay let her words sink in. Instead of replying with the first thing that came to mind, as usual, he allowed himself a moment. The words friend to friend and heroic effort had had a strange effect on him. And he realized that, although he’d thought she’d saved him from himself by not including those details in the story, speaking it out loud was part of a healing journey. One where he accepted his upbringing and made peace with it. Otherwise, how would the good stuff be able to climb over his mile-high walls?
“I think you might be right—and you are the only person I would let tell that story. But I need some more time. Is that okay?”
Full of understanding, she replied, “Absolutely.”
His gaze returned to the photo of the rescue dog and he smiled.
Erin asked, “Are you still there?”
“I’m just looking at the picture of your rescue dog of the week. He looks like a feisty little scrapper.”
He heard the rustle of paper as she turned to the same page. “Aww,” she said. “What a character. It’s so sad—I heard that if they don’t find a home for him soon, they’re going to have to put him down.”
Jay didn’t want to hear that. “You’re kidding. Why?”
“He’s young, but he’s had a hard life, and apparently he’s a little nervous, so people don’t really warm to him. They can’t keep him at the shelter indefinitely—there’s not enough funding.”
“I’ll send them some cash as soon as I get off the phone.” He paused. For once, money didn’t seem like enough. Of course he would help solve the problem of funding. But it wouldn’t necessarily mean that this cute mutt would find the right home. What if someone careless adopted him? Or someone who didn’t have the right skills to help him feel at ease?
He looked back at the photo and again found himself speaking his thoughts aloud to Erin. “He reminds me of myself. A young scrapper who needed socializing.”
With a chuckle, she said, “I don’t know that you’ve ever needed help socializing, but I do know it’s a nice evening for a drive. Maybe you should go look at him.”
Jay silently shook his head. He didn’t have the time—he had to get ready for his trip to LA to deal with the feud between his client and the director of the blockbuster he was shooting. There were a million things he needed to do before his flight. And yet he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the dog. There was just something about him that had got Jay, hook, line, and sinker. Besides, as Erin had pointed out, it was a nice night for a drive.
“I’ll go if you’ll come with me.” Yet another impulsive statement flying out of Jay’s mouth when Erin was around.
She laughed. It was a soft, surprisingly sexy sound. “I’d love to.”
And so, without quite knowing how it happened, Jay found himself picking up Erin from the apartment complex where she lived. She got into the Lamborghini and settled beside him in well-worn jeans and a casual cotton shirt, with sneakers on her feet and her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Normally the woman beside him was dressed in haute couture—Dior or Valentino—and they’d be heading to a hip bar or restaurant. Not an animal shelter. But as Jay stole furtive glances at Erin’s profile, he thought she looked better than any other woman who’d ever sat there.
Chapter Eleven
Erin was more than happy to accompany Jay to the animal shelter. First of all, she absolutely loved dogs—all dogs, big and small and medium—so an evening surrounded by dozens of cute canines looking for new homes was as about as dreamy a proposal as staying in with a good book. She was also pleased that Jay was happy with the article, and that she’d done the right thing in holding back those personal details. She believed him when he said he’d take some time to think about sharing his story so that he could inspire other young kids like him. And she was thrilled he thought she was the right person for the job. She didn’t like to admit it, but with Pat’s praise at the paper being almost nonexistent, Jay’s telling her she was an excellent interviewer meant a lot. He had so much experience with all kinds of media that he really knew what he was talking about.