Page 72 of Devoted Enough

“Mom?”

My mother walked into the room wearing an apron. It took everything I had not to start laughing.

“Hey, sweetheart,” she said with a huge smile before kissing me on the cheek. “What brings you by?”

“I was in the area and thought I would stop by. I have some news about the dog park as well.”

She turned on the oven light, bent down, and peered inside.

“What are you making?” I asked.

“Spaghetti casserole.”

My brows rose. “Wow, look at you being all Betty Crocker.”

“She bakes, sweetheart.”

Laughing, I reached for a cup and filled it with water. “Did you get off early?”

She frowned. “Yes. I’ve been working later each day trying to learn everything, and one of the doctors told me I needed to watch my time.”

Leaning against the counter, I said, “Did you ask about insurance now that you’re the office manager?”

“They said I have a ninety-day probation period before it will kick in.”

“Are you serious? But I thought Jane said once you were promoted, they would offer you insurance.”

She reached for my hand and gave it a light squeeze. “Don’t get worked up, sweetheart. It will all work out. I’ve gone this long without insurance, and so have you. You really need to look into that.”

After letting my hand go, she turned and walked over to get some plates. “Staying for dinner?”

“Of course I’m staying.”

“Wonderful. I’m dying to hear about the dog park.”

My eyes searched my mother’s face, and for the first time I noticed how tired she looked. “Mom, are you okay with bills and everything?”

Her head snapped up sharply. “What?”

I gave a slight shrug. “I just want to make sure you’re not struggling. I’ve got some money–”

Holding up her hand, she said, “Stop. I’m doing fine, and the last thing I would ever do is take money from my daughter who is about to embark on a huge dream of her own. You’ll need all the money you saved up, young lady. The last thing I want to see is you get in over your head.”

“That’s one of the reasons I came to see you tonight. I found a new contractor, and he is doing some of the work pro bono.”

She paused and looked at me. “What?”

I smiled and nodded. “Yes! He said he likes to pick a project to give back to the community once a year. He contracts out some of the labor, but some of it he does in-house, and he isn’t going to charge us for that! Sophia and I are over the moon. This is going to change everything, and we can even offer less for thememberships now and be able to do open days where people can just come and bring their dogs and not have to pay for a day pass or membership.”

My mom looked skeptical and folded her arms over her chest. “What have I always told you, Haven? If something is too good to be true, then it is.”

“I know you’ve said that, but, Mom, there are people out there who do things like this.” My mind drifted to Nate and his donation. I couldn’t help but smile. “Kind hearts and all of that.”

“That is a lot of work and time to give away for free.”

I nodded. “It is, I agree, and I struggled with accepting it at first, but then Nate and I talked, and he made me realize I deserve this. I deserve to have someone believe in what I’m doing and want to be a part of it.”

My mother’s face softened. “Of course you do, Haven. I didn’t mean that at all.”

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