No Matter What (The Billionaires of Sawgrass #4) - Delaney Cameron Page 0,50
they’d consumed several bags of cotton candy along with their corn dogs. Owen was definitely riding a sugar high.
When she pulled up in front of the brick building on Fillmore Street, Owen stopped talking mid-sentence.
“What’s this place?” he asked suspiciously.
“It’s the animal shelter. I thought it was about time we got a dog.”
Owen’s shriek nearly popped her ear drums. “Do you mean it, Aunt Robin?”
This was the most excited she’d seen him since he’d come to live with her. She laughed as she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. “I wouldn’t joke about something like that.”
Inside the lobby, they were greeted by an older woman who introduced herself as Libby. She turned out to be the same person Robin had spoken to on the phone the previous day. When Libby was told the reason for their visit, she took them to the canine room. Barking erupted the second they walked through the door. Metal cages stacked three high held dogs of all colors, sizes, and ages.
Knowing how long it took Owen to make up his mind about which flavor ice cream he wanted had her wondering how long they’d be at the animal shelter. To her surprise, he made a beeline to a cage on the bottom where a poodle puppy lay sleeping in his food bowl.
Owen stuck his finger through the bars in the cage and touched the black fur. “Baxter is a nice name for a dog.”
“Would you like to hold him?”
Owen nodded eagerly.
Libby got Baxter out of the cage and handed him to Owen.
Baxter opened his eyes and yawned.
“He’s so little,” Owen said.
“That’s because he’s still a baby,” Libby told him.
“Where’s his mommy and daddy?”
Libby exchanged a quick glance with Robin. “Baxter was alone when we found him.”
Owen looked up at Robin, his eyes wide. “Baxter lost his family, just like me. I think we should take him home with us.”
Her smile was on the watery side. “That’s a swell idea.”
Twenty minutes later they were walking into the pet store. Their sleepy companion drew his share of attention as they made their way through the aisles. With the help of a clerk, Robin picked up what they needed to take care of Baxter. This included a book on puppy training, a subject Robin knew nothing about. It was rather an odd thing to admit, but she’d never had a dog or any other pet.
The route home took them by the airport. Here was another casualty of her breakup. Owen would never get his tour of Diamond Jet. This brought to mind Wade’s remark regarding her first instinct about Reece being right. In reality, she’d been wrong about both men. Neither was who she’d thought they were. Reece wasn’t a menace to women, and Wade had a selfish streak a mile wide. It reminded her of a line from Pride and Prejudice spoken by Elizabeth Bennett regarding Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham. ‘One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it.’
* * * * *
Reece was only a few minutes late getting to the party at Graham and Bridget’s house. The guests consisted mostly of people from the Sawgrass area. He’d just finished a game of horseshoes with Jaclyn’s husband Brooks when he noticed the arrival of Hollis Davies. The ex-NFL player didn’t often attend backyard barbeques.
Hollis had become a household name during his senior year of high school. He’d capped off a record-breaking college career by being the number one draft pick. He’d been just as successful in the professional ranks until an injury sidelined him. Following his retirement from the league, he disappeared from the spotlight. It was rumored he left the country. In the manner of Elvis, there were Hollis sightings posted periodically on social media.
When he did return to the public eye, it was as the newest owner of a failing sporting-goods chain. The general consensus among the media was that he’d made a serious mistake. What did a football player know about reviving a nearly bankrupt business? To the surprise of many, Hollis turned out to know a lot; or at least he was smart enough to surround himself with a team of experts to help him. In less than three years, he expanded the company’s holdings from a few dozen stores primarily based in the South to a couple hundred spread out all over the country.
Reece walked over to greet the newcomer. “Hey, Hollis. Glad you