Page 52 of Since the Day We Kissed

Ethan winked, then took a huge bite of his sub. A smear of sauce clung to the corner of his mouth as he mumbled around his mouthful, “Oh man, you weren’t kidding. This is so good.”

Kara picked up her own sandwich, taking a more delicate bite. Her eyes closed briefly as she savored the flavors ... Swallowing, she nodded appreciatively. “Mm, you know what? It’s even better than yesterday. How’s that even possible?”

“It’s possible, then again could just be the company.” Ethan gave her a soft smile, his eyes holding hers for a moment longer than usual.

Kara’s breath hitched for just a second and she quickly broke eye contact, reaching for her napkin as if to distract herself. Clearing her throat, she set the sandwich down. “So, before Hurricane Ada blew through, you were about to tell me something?”

“Oh, right!” He sipped his tea then fished out some folded papers from his pocket. “I, uh, I’ve been thinking about your rescue. Had some ideas that might help drum up more interest in adoptions.”

Kara stared at the papers. “You did all this?

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly looking a bit self-conscious. “Yeah, I hope you don’t mind. I know I’m still pretty new to your setup, and you’ve been running the show for ages. But I picked up some tricks at that rescue in Virginia, and I thought maybe some of those ideas could work here too.”

This gesture was the last thing she’d expected. “Can I see what you’ve come up with?”

“Yeah, of course.” Ethan pushed the papers toward her, his finger tracing over different sections. “So, up here, that’s just me throwing ideas at the wall. But down here, these are some strategies that worked for us back in Virginia.”

Kara’s eyes scanned the page. “Hold on, what’s this about? ‘Picture day’?”

“Oh, that. When I started volunteering, I was on dog grooming duty. Then I thought, once the pups are all spruced up, why not show them off? So, I set up a photo area outside, got them in the sunlight, and snapped some pictures. Then we put them on the website.” He tapped the paper. “I’ve outlined the process here—ideas for backdrops, props, and a schedule to rotate the animals through grooming and photo sessions.”

Kara’s mouth dropped as she took in the level of detail.

Ethan’s eyes lit up as he continued. “You wouldn’t believe the difference it made. Adoptions skyrocketed, and kennels emptied fast. We built an entire crew—groomers, photographers, everyone pitched in for ‘picture days.’ And it even cut costs—fewer long-term residents meant lower overhead. Total win-win.”

Kara blinked, her vision swimming as she struggled to process the sheer volume of thought and effort spread across the pages before her.

He flipped to the next page, revealing a sea of notes. “Here are social media ideas to showcase the photos, thoughts on partnering with local businesses for sponsorships, and I even drafted a startup budget to get things rolling.”

A lump formed in her throat, making her voice crack when she finally spoke. “Ethan,” she breathed, her fingers hovering over the paper as if it might disappear, “you did all of this for my rescue?”

Ethan’s voice softened, his eyes meeting hers. “Yeah, I did. For the animals, of course, but also ...” he hesitated, then finished quietly, “for you.”

She blinked back tears and took a deep breath. “This is incredible. You’ve thought ofeverything.You put so much time and effort into this.” Kara’s gaze lifted from the papers to meet Ethan’s eyes. “This could change everything for Second Chance. I-I don’t know what to say.”

Ethan reached out, gently placing his hand over hers. “You don’t have to say anything.”

Kara squeezed Ethan’s hand as if it were a lifeline. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me. How much it means to the animals.”

“It’s nothing, really.” Ethan shrugged. “Just a few suggestions that might help things. You’ve already done such an awesome job with the place.”

“Well,” Kara’s smile faltered, “it was great at first, yeah. But lately we’ve been hitting some rough patches. These past few months have been—” She paused, her voice dropping. “I couldn’t bring myself to tell anyone. It felt like I was failing the animals. I—”

Ethan’s grip on her hand tightened. “You can tell me anything, Kara. No judgment. Ever.”

Anything? Is he sure? No, he doesn’t mean it ... Does he?

Kara drew in a shaky breath, quickly brushing away a tear. “I mean, you’ve pretty much seen the highlight reel already. Not enough volunteers. The kennels are full, and I’m drowning in never-ending tasks. I was barely treading water until—” She met his eyes. “Until you showed up.”

Ethan nodded, a determined look settling on his face. “All right, here’s what we’re gonna do. Let’s break this down, figure out our top priorities. We’ll tackle this one step at a time, okay? You’ve got this, Kara.”

As they discussed potential solutions and strategies, Kara felt a sense of hope growing. Time seemed to blur as they went over every detail, bouncing ideas back and forth.

At some point, Kara reached for her drink, tilting the glass only to find a trickle of watery tea and a few melted ice cubes sliding toward her lips. She set it down, her fingers leaving marks in the condensation. Her gaze dropped to her plate, where the pile of fries had dwindled to three stragglers.

Across the table, Ethan’s plate mirrored her own. Crumbs from his sub dotted the empty space, and a lone fry lay abandoned next to a small puddle of ketchup. His tea glass stood empty, a ring of moisture marking its place on the table.

To Kara, time had always been their enemy, but tonight, it felt like an old friend. “Ethan, this is amazing. I feel like we’ve mapped out a whole new future for the rescue in just one dinner.”

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