Page 3 of The Best Is Yet to Come

“You’re new in town, right?”

“Yes, a couple months.” He should know, since he was the one who first showed her the cottage.

“Other than your students, have you had a chance to get acquainted with anyone outside of the school? In the community?”

Hope wasn’t sure where this conversation was headed. “A few.” She’d visited a few local churches but hadn’t settled on one. The one person she felt she had connected with most strongly was Willa, especially now, knowing what they shared.

“Would you consider doing volunteer work?” he asked, his eyes full of enthusiasm. “The shelter is full, and a lot of the dogs aren’t getting the attention they need. If you could walk a few of them, a couple times a week, it would be a tremendous help and very much appreciated.”

“I…” Hope wasn’t sure what to say. When she was a teenager, her grandmother had had the most unfriendly Chihuahua that she’d lavished with attention and love. As far as Hope and Hunter were concerned, Peanut tolerated them.

“Part of your responsibilities would be to present the animals to prospective pet owners.”

“I see,” she said, drawing out the sentence. “And this will help introduce me to the community?”

“Oh, definitely.” Preston smiled, as if this was the opportunity of a lifetime.

“Can I think about it?” she asked, wanting to give the idea some thought. Her evenings were full, keeping up with her classes. If Preston had asked her brother, Hunter would have leaped at the chance. He’d always been good with animals. Even Peanut, who took to growling any time either of them got too close to their grandmother, had eventually been won over by Hunter.

“I suppose it could wait until morning,” Preston said, his shoulders sagging, as if accepting defeat.

“I’ll let you know then,” she said.

“Sure thing,” he said, and started to return to the house. “And I promise to get that railing squared away first chance I get.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Hope told him. She was fully capable of pounding a few nails. She’d recognized the problem the first day she’d moved in and knew better than to lean against it or put any weight on it.

—

Later that evening, after a dinner of an egg salad sandwich and an apple, she graded the pop quiz she’d given to her history class. It didn’t surprise her that Spencer aced the test. Both Ben and Scott failed miserably, and Callie missed only two of the ten questions.

Hope did her best to make history come to life so her students would feel they knew the men and women in the pages of their textbooks. History was her first love. The computer skills class, on the other hand, was a challenge. Spencer would likely do a better job of teaching it than she did, although she wouldn’t let him know that.

As she readied for the next school day, Hope shuffled through her closet for what to wear in the morning. As she turned toward her dresser, she caught sight of Hunter’s photograph.

“Well, what do you think I should do about working at the animal shelter?” she asked him, wishing he could answer. “The only dog I’ve ever spent any time with was Peanut, and you remember what he was like.”

Hunter continued to stare stoically back at her.

“Some help you are,” she said, wanting to groan.

—

Hunter had always loved animals, forever bringing home injured birds or lost kittens. Their grandparents never allowed him to keep any of his finds as pets. It wasn’t until after their grandfather died that Grandma had gotten Peanut, her comfort dog. She’d loved that dog and grieved weeks for him when he died. At the time Hope hadn’t appreciated her grandmother’s loss. Peanut was only a dog. Only later did she understand the significance of her grandmother’s pet. With Peanut gone, a giant hole had developed in her life. With Hunter, the last of Hope’s family was gone. The emptiness and loss of connection ate at her. She was alone in the world, so completely alone. Other than her BFF, Tonya, and a few other friends, if she were to disappear no one would know or care. The starkness of that left her feeling vulnerable and lost.

Hope had more than a few questions about what being a volunteer at the shelter would require of her. The one advantage she could think of was what Preston had mentioned: meeting and getting to know members of the community. As an added bonus, it might be exactly what she needed to take her mind off her own losses. Preston had seemed overwhelmed, and it was in her power to help him out. If volunteering at the shelter took up more time than she expected, she would gracefully bow out.

Thinking about Peanut and the comfort he gave their grandmother, Hope decided she could use a bit of comfort herself. No better way than to help these abandoned and lost animals to find their forever home. And that just might help her do the same.

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