Keeping Cole's Promise. Cheryl Harper
cheering when she dropped down in the grass and caught Freddie before he could lick her face.
She was giggling, her hair a curly halo blowing in the weak breeze, when she glanced up to catch Cole’s eye. “I’m not sure he’s cured, but you’ve made a good start, professor.”
Was she teasing him? Cole’s lips twitched in response, but answering her smile with his would be a mistake. She didn’t trust him. That was for the best.
Watching her smile fade as she realized who she was talking to confirmed his own mistrust.
Anxious to get the answer he wanted, Cole rolled his shoulders and heard the whisper of another seam. The shirt he’d found in his closet had been too big at eighteen, a thrift-store find his grandmother had bought for his graduation. He fit the shirt now like he fit his old life in Holly Heights.
“I say yes.” Sarah bent to run a hand down Freddie’s back. “I like his style.”
“You want someone with a green thumb,” Jen muttered. “And a strong back. Also, a good way with animals.” She sighed. “But a record, a history of bad decisions.” Her lips twisted. “Sorry. I’ve got to say no. For safety.”
Cole watched Rebecca’s shoulders relax. She’d been scared to death they might hire him.
“I don’t need a title. Forget assistant manager. I can just be a...worker.” He clenched the wooden seat with both hands to keep from making embarrassing begging motions. “One week. I’ll work for free for one week. And you call me extra help or something. I don’t need the title. But I need this job.” His mouth was too dry to say much more. “I need this place. I need this chance.” The words tasted terrible on his tongue, but he was desperate.
Everyone turned to Rebecca. “We should do some interviews. And if he’s the most qualified, then...” She shrugged. The way she studied the ground instead of meeting his stare was cowardly.
Cole was ready to mumble something about hoping they’d keep him in mind so he could escape, but no one was paying any attention to him. All the women were frowning at...Rebecca.
“I have to work with you, so I’ll make the final call. Better not make me regret it.” Sarah was shaking her head as she stepped around Rebecca and Freddie. “But I have two conditions.”
Cole was already nodding when she held out her hand.
“You work for one month as a probationary period.” Sarah held her hand up to keep him from shaking it. “With pay. And you start tomorrow. Very early.”
“Great.” Relieved and more optimistic than when he’d walked in that day, Cole whistled for Freddie. The beagle raced across the yard, ears flapping in the breeze, to lurch to a stop at his feet in an awkward sit. They still had a lot of work to do and Freddie would forget most of what he’d learned today, but he wasn’t afraid. As long as the dog treats held, Freddie would be the perfect student. “Good boy.” Cole scratched his ears and enjoyed the light wave of laughter that floated in the silence as Freddie flopped on his side to offer him his belly.
“He’s gonna be a success.” Cole scratched the dog and then said, “Let’s go, Freddie.”
Inside, the dog bounded from one kennel to the next, baying his hellos, and Cole picked him up to set him inside his own kennel. Freddie’s expression was predictably heartbreaking. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Fred.”
Conversation was impossible with all the barking and howling, so the group was silent until he stopped in the lobby. “Sunrise?”
Sarah wrinkled her nose. “It’s best to start early in this heat.”
“I’ll be here.” So much weight rolled right off his back as he stepped out into the gravel parking lot that it was easier to stand tall. Spotting EW and his truck idling in the lot was almost more than he could handle. Relief and gratitude and enough fear and remorse that this was what his life had come to all roiled in his brain and he wasn’t sure whether to cry or hit something.
But he had an audience. The ladies working with Paws for Love were on one side. EW was on the other. So he took a deep breath of searing Texas air and got inside the truck.
“Thought you could use a ride.” EW didn’t glance in his direction but raised a hand in a wave to the ladies. “You got the job.”
“I could have walked it, but yeah, I did.” Walking was easy. Depending on EW or anyone would get him in trouble, but it was nice to ride in this heat. Neither one of them said anything else until EW rolled past the entrance to the trailer park.
“This definitely deserves a beer, EW, but let’s not go to the new gas station.” Cole wasn’t sure he was ready to walk in those doors yet.
“Groceries, kid. Maybe some lunch.” EW shook his head. “Too early for beer anyway.”
Was EW done drinking? None of his business. “And a new shirt,” Cole said.
EW nodded and that was it. Cole turned his face into the hot wind blowing in through the window because in half a second he was going to do something shameful like cry.
He had a job and a place to live. Nothing could stop him from keeping his promise now.
REBECCA TURNED AWAY as EW’s rusty truck puttered out of the parking lot. The cool air inside the building did nothing to chill the heat in her cheeks.
As soon as the glass door closed behind her, the silence in the tiny lobby was uncomfortable.
“So, that was all the business we had to take care of today, right?” Rebecca said airily as she retreated behind the counter to grab her tote. She wanted out. She did not want to examine her reaction to Cole Ferguson. The file of applications was easy to find, so she waved it and set it on the counter; then she bent and picked up everything Cole had dumped on the ground. “Great. I have a contractor coming to install the cabinets and new appliances, the moment I’ve been dreaming of for years.”
“You have nothing else to say? What’s with the personality transplant?” Jen asked.
Sarah leaned against the counter. “Explanation, please. You’re the one who’s all about saving the world and making a difference. You had an easy opportunity here and you... What would you call it?”
“Freaked. She freaked out,” Jen said. She frowned and then straightened. “Did he threaten you or something?”
Rebecca dropped the tote on the counter. “No. Not with words but...”
Her best friends in the world immediately stepped forward. “Not with words?” Jen asked.
“I mean, no, he didn’t threaten me. On purpose.” Rebecca rubbed the throbbing spot right in the middle of her forehead. Her attempts at explanation were only making things worse. “He was completely polite but insistent.”
“Because he was desperate. I’ve been there.” Sarah nodded.
“Except you aren’t the size of a large green superhero, complete with clothes ripping at the seams.” Rebecca pressed both hands to her cheeks. “Sorry. He rattled me. I don’t know what else to say. Add his history and it’s a bad idea to have him around.”
“But you saw how patient he was with Freddie.” Sarah raised both eyebrows. “There’s no way you feel the same way now.”
Their confusion felt like disappointment to Rebecca. She was letting them down. Her role had always been to lead them to do the right thing, sometimes kicking and screaming. This time, she’d failed miserably. The sharp sting made it hard to find the right words.
“There’s no rule that says bad people can’t like dogs, you know.” Jen smoothed her hair behind her ear. “Or even that dogs can’t like bad people.” Her own dog had