Page 38 of Claiming His Wife
“I won’t, at least not here, I do have a sense of occasion.”
She snorted.
“I suppose I should be grateful.”
“How’s work going so far?”
“I’m enjoying it, honestly, although it’s a lot of work. I can’t say anything negative.”
“Don’t over work yourself, babe.”
“Today I had to turn away a nineteen-year-old girl because she had a dog. No dogs are allowed in the shelter since there are other clients who are allergic to them.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“I felt horrible having to tell her that we couldn’t accept her if she had the animal. I was so saddened about the situation I had the client wait while I texted Kaiya and asked her to come over. I had Kaiya pay a hotel for this girl for three months. It’s the least I could do, even though it isn’t allowed.”
“And that’s all that matters, she’ll have a warm bed and food to eat. That’s a victory,” he replied.
“Too small of a victory. What will happen to this girl after the three months are up? This girl needs continuous support.” She felt crummy when the girl thanked her profusely. “It made me feel completely inadequate.”
“You did your best, babe.” he offered tentatively.
“That’s not the best I can do.” Finn glanced at her and away.
“What more can you do?” he asked genuinely curious.
“I wish I had my own shelter, so that I could provide services to people who are often overlooked by public agencies.”
“I think it’s a good idea, and like I said before I will help in any way that I can. If anybody can do this then it’s you.” His faith in her made her tremble.
“You really think so?”
“I know how passionate you are about helping others. So, you should do it. I may even have the perfect building for you. I just acquired it from a poker game. You should use it for something good.”
Kalilah was shocked.
“Since when do you play poker?”
“Surprise.”
The car slowed then came to a stop and Kalilah looked out to see that she was outside her condominium complex.
“I really had a good time today. Thank you for making me forget about my troubles even though it was only for a little while.”
“My pleasure, babe.”
CHAPTER 12
Kalilah entered her building and smiled at the doorman when he waved at her. She rejected the idea of exercise on the stairs for the cool efficiency of the elevator. She entered the elevator alone. She pressed the button that would bring her up to her floor and leaned against the wall. Right now, the soft rug under her feet was a whole lot of temptation, but Kalilah refused to crumble into the luxury. Considering her train of thought, skipping dinner was starting to look like a good idea. It had been two days since Finn had brought her to the circus, and she was happy for the reprieve.
Kalilah let herself into the condo and heard murmurs coming from the dining parlor. She ignored it. She was too exhausted to join polite conversation when her body demanded sleep. She stripped off her purse and coat and laid them on the first available flat surface before making a beeline straight for her room.
“Hello, angel.” The voice had her quickly turning in shock.
“Jon? Jonathan!” Kalilah’s eyes widened as a familiar body bounded over to her and trapped her in a bear hug. She was sure a few of her bones had been broken by the sheer force of that embrace.
“I missed you, angel.” The gruff baritone surrounded her and cut off all thoughts.
