said. “Shannon doesn’t want anyone watching out for her. And even if she did, it wouldn’t be me.”
“But what we want isn’t always good for us, is it?”
He didn’t get why Rita was telling him all this, putting him on the spot, trying to make him responsible for anything that went on at the shelter. Or with Shannon.
Bobbie dropped by their table and slid a piece of apple pie in front of Luke, giving him a big smile. “On the house.”
As she walked away, he noticed a paper napkin beneath the plate with a phone number on it.
“Think twice about that,” Rita said. “Bobbie has two kids and a boyfriend with a short fuse.”
As if Luke would even consider picking it up.
They went to the counter to pay the tab. After they left the café and Luke was walking toward his truck, Rita called out to him.
“By the way, Luke.”
He turned back. “Yeah?”
“You don’t fool me, either.”
With that, Rita hobbled off, leaving Luke wondering what drove her to say something like that. An overabundance of empathy and compassion was something he’d never been accused of having.
When Friday night came, Shannon did her best to dress appropriately for the Majestic Golf and Country Club, which meant a skirt, a dressy top, and heels. When Russell picked her up, he did a double take and gave her a big smile, which pleased her, until she realized it had taken her an hour and a half to look good enough to generate that kind of reaction.
They drove to the club in Russell’s new Lexus, and it astonished Shannon just how many features that particular car had and how long it took him to orate about every one of them. She’d had no idea that a Lexus GS 450h had a continuously variable transmission, Sirius XM satellite radio, an electrochromatic inside rearview mirror, and HDD navigation. Chances were that she could have continued to exist without knowing any of that, but Russell didn’t offer her that option.
They arrived at the club just after seven. As they made their way down the drive to the clubhouse, they passed rolling hills of deep green grass. Shannon could only imagine the water it took to keep that golf course in perfect condition in the middle of this drought.
The valet whisked Russell’s car away, and they headed into the club. There was nothing new or trendy about the Majestic. It was old money through and through. Chandeliers flowed from the ceilings, and the rooms were filled with antique furniture. The club manager greeted them at the door of the ballroom where the event was being held, making a fuss over Russell because he was a new member. It had been ages since Shannon had been there with her parents, but the man still remembered her and made an even bigger fuss.
They made their way to the various tables. The hors d’oeuvres were to die for, and the wine was even better. Shannon started to feel a little loopy, but that was okay. This place looked a whole lot better to her through the haze of alcohol.
“Russell!”
Shannon turned around to see another couple approaching. The woman was a pristine little blonde with perfectly highlighted hair. She gave Russell a pseudo-hug and an air kiss, and the sight of her umpteen-carat diamond ring against the shoulder of Russell’s suit coat nearly blinded Shannon.
Russell introduced them as Lauren and Dan Something-or-Other. Dan shook Russell’s hand and commented on the round of golf they’d apparently played a few days before. Dan was a better golfer than Russell, it appeared, but Russell was coming on strong.
“Are you a golfer, Shannon?” Dan asked.
“I’m afraid not.”
“Neither is Lauren.”
“Tennis,” Lauren said. “That’s my thing. Do you play?”
“A little,” Shannon said.
Actually, she’d been on the tennis team in college, but she hadn’t picked up a racquet in years. That person seemed so far away now, as if she’d dreamed being her. Shannon had enjoyed college. And for a while, she’d enjoyed her job, too. It had been a challenge in so many ways. But the more she fought her way up that ladder, the more she realized the ladder was against the wrong building. And this place only reminded her of that.
“Wonderful,” Lauren said. “We’ll have to play sometime.”
“Yes,” Shannon said. “We’ll have to do that. Sometime.”
“It’s so nice to finally meet you. Russell couldn’t stop talking about you. He said you run an animal shelter.”
“That’s right.”
“Taking care of homeless animals is such a worthwhile cause,” Lauren