Catch - Deborah Bladon Page 0,8
hand against my thigh. “I can’t recall their names, but I’m glad they got in touch. I was worried that since Dudley wasn’t wearing a collar, I wouldn’t find his owner.”
“Sinclair would have given me supreme shit if I lost her dog.”
“That’s another hundred,” I tell him before I ask for clarification. “Sinclair is your sister?”
Tilting his head, he smiles. “Another hundred added to the fund, and yes, Sinclair is my globe-trotting sister.”
That begs the question of whether he has another sister, but his family situation has no bearing on my job, so I skip past that and mention mine. “My cousin is a vet. I dropped in to visit him at work one day. I had to wait to see him because he was implanting a microchip into a dog.”
“What the hell is that?”
“That’s five hundred total since I sat down.” I smile. “The chip contains all the owner’s information so that any animal shelter or vet can use a special reader to access that information if a lost pet is brought in.”
“Holy...he…helpful device,” Keats stutters out. “Dud needs one of those.”
“I can arrange for that,” I offer before I realize the words have left my mouth. “If you want, that is. Or if your sister is alright with it.”
“Sinclair will love it,” he says matter-of-factly. “I’d appreciate it if you set that up.”
Nodding, I make a note in my phone to call Donovan. “I’ll get in touch with my cousin and move forward with it.”
“Are you ready to move forward with the job?”
My head darts up until my eyes lock on Keats’s face. “I think so.”
“Once you sign the contract, you’ll officially be my assistant.” He points at the envelope in my lap. “Can you start on Monday?”
Since today is Friday that gives me the weekend to ready myself for what I’m sure will be the most interesting job I’ve ever had.
“I’ll start on Monday.”
“Let’s head over to Everett’s office.” Keats pushes back to stand. “He’s the head of our HR department. He’ll get you set up for payroll and everything else you need.”
I need to know that I’m making the right decision, but I sense only time will tell me that.
As I glide to my feet, Keats moves to stand next to me. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Maren.”
All I offer back is a smile because something tells me that being his assistant will have more twists and turns than a roller coaster ride.
Chapter 7
Keats
I swing open the door of my townhouse to find my favorite person in the world. Next to her is my brother.
“Stevie!” I hold out my arms, waiting for my niece to make the jump into them.
She doesn’t let me down. She may be getting taller by the month, but our method of greeting one another hasn’t changed since she learned how to walk.
I’m aware that there may well be a day that she won’t want to hug me, so I take advantage of it now while it’s still happening.
“How was Boston?” I look over her head at my brother, Berk.
“Fine.” He rubs at the scruff that covers his jaw.
Fine means it was fucked up. I know his code words by now. He’s taken on the role of sole parent to Stevie since his wife, Layna, passed away.
My older brother has always been my superhero. In the time since he lost his wife, he’s proven that he owns that title. I’ve never met a stronger man than him.
“Grandma and Grandpa were sad,” Stevie clues me in with a sigh. “They were showing me a photo album. It had pictures of mom when she was in high school.”
Layna’s parents are still holding tightly to their grief. I’m not a dad, so I have no understanding of the kind of pain that comes with mourning a child, but I know loss. I loved Layna like a sister, and her death hit me as hard as a punch in the gut.
It knocked Berk flat on his ass for months, but he’s moved forward. He took a leave of absence from his publishing company, Morgan Press, for half a year to focus on Stevie. Now, he splits his time between work and his daughter.
“Where is Duds?” Stevie cranes her neck to look around me.
I move aside to let them in before I close the door. “He’s staying with my new assistant.”
“Jamie has been your assistant for months, Keats.” Berk points out as he slaps my shoulder. “Unless you fired her.”
Stevie trains her blue eyes on