to him, things would be just fine.
He stopped to look around in a booth filled with leather goods. Buck-stitched wallets weren’t remotely his thing, but he did love the smell of good leather. Then he heard a voice beside him.
“Hi, there.”
He turned around to find Cynthia standing next to him. She wore an oddball hairband with tiny silk flowers on it and a pair of feathery earrings he’d seen one of the craft booths selling.
“I saw you judging the animal costume contest,” she said with a smile. “You looked good up there.”
“Good?”
“Very judgelike. Did you ever consider law school? You know. Back when you were in college.”
“Law school? Uh…no. I didn’t.”
“Well, if you ever feel like changing professions, there you go. And just for the record, I think you and the other judges picked the right winner. That Chihuahua in the Hell’s Angel costume was hilarious.”
“Do you think so?” he said, suddenly feeling as if the whole thing might have mattered after all. “I really wasn’t sure.”
“Absolutely. But there were others that were pretty funny, too. How about the squirrel in the Superman cape? What did you think of that one?”
“Not elaborate enough,” he said.
“Hmm. Good point.”
And then she commented on the dachshund dressed as a hot dog, and Russell found himself talking at length about his reasons for liking one contestant over another. For some reason, Cynthia was smiling at him as if he’d done something truly noteworthy by judging a dumb costume contest. Maybe this stuff meant more to people around there than he realized. By the way Cynthia was looking at him, it certainly meant something to her.
All at once, Russell caught a glimpse of Shannon out of the corner of his eye. She was standing on the other side of Rainbow Way near a cotton candy concession.
This was his chance. She was away from the petting zoo, which meant Luke wasn’t around. He could talk to her. Suggest maybe they have a bite to eat together, or maybe a glass of wine at the Cordero Vineyards shop. Just a casual, Wasn’t it nice to run into each other? kind of thing. It would be perfect.
But just as he was about to tell Cynthia he had to go, he realized Shannon wasn’t alone. Somebody walked up to her and handed her a cone of cotton candy.
Luke Dawson.
They turned and walked down Rainbow Way in the direction of the games on the small midway, chatting as they ate the cotton candy. And Shannon was smiling.
Russell felt a slow burn of anger. He hated feeling that way, but he just couldn’t help it. It irritated him to no end to watch the woman he wanted with another man and feeling as if there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it. Then he realized Cynthia was still talking.
“I’m sorry,” he said, jealousy still buzzing inside his head. “What did you say?”
“I asked you if you’re going to the barbecue tonight.”
“Uh…yeah. I’m going.”
“Okay. Then I guess I’ll see you there.”
She gave him one last smile and walked away. Russell told himself he just had to be patient, that Luke wasn’t a threat in the long run. But if he saw Shannon with Luke at the barbecue tonight, patience was the last thing he’d be feeling.
As Luke walked down Rainbow Way, he had the sun on his shoulders, the warm October breeze in his face, cotton candy in his hand, and Shannon by his side. He decided it was one of the best days of his life. And given how good his days had been recently, that was saying a lot.
They’d gotten in the swing of things at the shelter’s booth this week, finding homes for a dozen animals in the past few days alone. The big jar they’d set out for donations and seeded with twenty-dollar bills was almost full. Pledges of ongoing support were at an all-time high. And Angela’s suggestion of a doggy kissing booth manned by some of their friendlier mutts—at a dollar a kiss—was a huge success. Shannon told him that for the first time since she’d taken over as executive director, she felt as if she had breathing room.
He remembered the woman he’d found in the barn that first day he’d come to the shelter asking for a job. She’d been driven, yes. Determined, definitely. But she’d also been tired, overworked, and unhappy. Sometime in the past few months, all that had changed. And in the past week, the way her face lit up