Page 49 of The Love Shack

Her one experience had been horrendous on every level, starting with realizing she’d believed lies, and culminating in humiliation and loss.

She’d had no desire to give it another go. Until Lawson.

And even with him, it was only a vague possibility. A whisper of “maybe.”

Around him, her instincts had seemed to take over. She’d embraced him—and how eye-opening had that been? Thoughts of Chad? Not even.

Lawson was rock-solid, and he’d felt so good. She hadn’t missed his slight hesitation, and her first thought had been panic. What if she’d erred? What if he rejected her?

Then his arms, so strong but so careful, had pulled her closer and it had all felt so natural. Like the rightest thing in the world.

The story he’d told... He could have easily died from heatstroke. What if he’d pushed himself so hard, without anyone noticing, that his body had just shut down?

She didn’t want to think that he was solely responsible for the changes she was going through now, the way her awful memories had shifted to the back of her brain instead of cluttering the forefront. Betty had played a role with her kindness and open but gruff affection. And Cemetery, the warmth of the small-town vibe, it was all tied in with her fresh perspective, as if the possibilities were endless.

Still, Lawson was definitely a big factor. She was twenty-six years old and she was experiencing a crush unlike anything she’d ever known.

Better late than never.

What had happened with Chad...that had been more about desperation, she knew that now. He’d been confident and an accomplished liar, and at a time when she’d felt so alone and lost in her worry for her mother, she’d allowed herself to be seduced. Sexually, yes, much to her shame, but he’d seduced her more with false consideration. His lies had been easy to accept because she’d so badly wanted them to be true.

She’d wanted something, someone, to look forward to. A light at the end of the tunnel. What a joke that had turned out to be.

Enough of that. This was the new her, a wiser woman putting regrets in the past where they belonged, while she forged into the future with courage and confidence.

Whitley joined her as she worked with a new dog that was badly in need of attention. “How’s he doing?”

“Coming along.” The dog, a midsize mutt with patchy tan fur, cowered at her side now that another person was near.

“Poor baby,” Whitley whispered. “Sometimes I really despise people.”

“Me, too.” The dog was a scrawny thing, had multiple dental issues and a few scars. He’d been badly mistreated by a woman who kept him in a cage most of his life, rarely cleaning it or letting him exercise. A guy she’d brought home on a date had seen the dog and—thank God—he’d been outraged. He was the one who called animal control, and from there, the dog had ended up with Berkley. “He’ll be okay, though. We’ll make it so.” With a lot of TLC—tender loving care.

Whitley looked near tears, even with a scowl on her face. “Well,” she said softly, so she wouldn’t spook the dog, “I wanted to remind you of your appointment with Oliver Roth. I can take over here if you want. We have plenty of other people working with the rest of the animals.”

The smile came despite Berkley’s worries for the new dog. Betty’s prediction had proved correct. Over the last two weeks, Erin had signed in several new pets, including the one Whitley cooed to now, but they’d also added multiple volunteers to their roster.

“Thanks. Just keep talking gently with him, and here, I have these soft treats for him.” She passed the packet to Whitley. Until the dog became acclimated, they didn’t want to put him through dental surgery. The vet, Henry Upton, treated the pets for little or no payment. At sixty-three, he had passed his practice to a younger veterinarian. Now semiretired, he dedicated himself to golfing, charitable work with animals and enjoying life. “I’ll go freshen up.”

While carefully stroking the dog’s back, Whitley asked with a sly smile, “Will Lawson be coming by tonight?”

She and Lawson had seen each other several times lately, usually at the end of the day because Cheese stole something from him. What Berkley really loved was that he never scolded the cat. He just retrieved whatever had been taken, then stuck around for a visit. “We’ll see,” she said, though she hoped he would. Seeing Lawson was a highlight and something she anticipated, but she wasn’t ready to admit that to anyone yet.

She’d barely admitted it to herself.

Knowing she needed to repair her hair, she headed inside. She still faced her early morning chores as something of a wreck, but once that first round of duties was done, she fixed her hair and applied makeup. Not because it felt like armor. Not anymore. Now she did it because she enjoyed it. She liked her dangling earrings and how eye makeup made her feel prettier.

Soon she’d need to find a salon to freshen the color in her hair...or she might go back to her natural color. She hadn’t quite decided yet.

Five minutes later, Oliver Roth arrived. His new, sleek physical fitness center was the talk of the town. Berkley wondered if they’d be discussing cat yoga, as Lark had suggested.

She greeted him with a handshake and, when he expressed an interest, she agreed to show him around the place. “I saw you at Saul’s restaurant one night.”

“During the endless rain?” He nodded. “Lark pointed you out to me. She suggested some ways we might work together.”

“Cat yoga, I know. I thought you’d decided against the idea, since I hadn’t heard from you.”

“Actually, the gym has been packed from the day we opened last week. I had hoped it would be successful, but I hadn’t expected quite that much interest. Not at first, anyway.”

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