outlaw biker—instead? I bet you have no idea how many illegal things that club does. They’re immoral, and they’d slit your throat before you could blink. I’m an educated, nice, well-mannered guy, but I guess you like hanging out with lowlife trash. I thought you were better than that.”
Incensed, Ashley jumped up out of her chair. “How dare you come here and lecture me. I don’t have to explain who I choose to go out with or why. I’m a volunteer at the shelter, and that’s it. And stop talking smack about Smokey. He and his club have raised plenty of money for the shelter, or did you forget about that?”
Brady stood up and leaned over the desk, bracing himself on his hands. “Sit down! You don’t know anything!” he shouted.
Taken aback by the rage in his eyes, she complied. He’s beyond pissed.
“Is everything okay?” Pearl asked from the doorway.
Thank God for Pearl. Ashley rose to her feet. “Mr. Shelling was just leaving.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Can you please show him out?”
Clasping her hands in front of her, she squared her shoulders. “Gladly. Mr. Shelling, if you’ll follow me.”
For a tense moment, he didn’t move. Blinking slowly, he removed his hands from the desk and straightened. “You’re going to get exactly what you deserve,” he warned calmly, yet menacingly.
Turning, he stormed past Pearl and hurried down the hall.
“Thank you for coming in, Pearl.”
“Anytime. I had security plugged into my cell phone and was ready to use it if he didn’t leave. I’m guessing you want us to put him on the No Entry list?”
“I didn’t even know there was one, but I think that would be best.”
“Do you need anything else?”
She laughed. “A stiff drink would be nice.”
“I can’t manage that, but what about an iced latte? We have a new coffee maker, and I’ve become quite the barista.”
Ashley smiled. “An iced latte sounds perfect.”
“Chocolate sprinkles?”
“A ton of them.”
Pearl’s smile shone bright and warm as she left the office.
Resting her head against the back of the chair, Ashley sighed. I can’t believe what just happened. First, that weirdo Mark and his sidekick, and now Brady. Am I a magnet for whack jobs? His parting words haunted her. She couldn’t figure out if he was threatening her, or telling her that she’d find out he was right about Smokey. Either way, she couldn’t go back to the shelter. It would be too uncomfortable and tense, and she’d always be looking over her shoulder. She hated abandoning the teens, but the situation with Brady had become unbearable. I can always find another charity, but I really liked working with the kids. I was starting to break through to Ian. He was the boy she’d seen that first day when she toured the center.
Pearl strolled through the door and toward the desk, placing a tall glass down on a coaster. “Here you are.”
“That looks amazing. Thanks bunches, Pearl.” She picked up the drink and took a sip. “That’s delicious.”
Pearl beamed. “It’s been fun playing around with the machine.” She held Ashley’s gaze. “And don’t you believe a word that man said about Mr. Harty. He’s a wonderful boss, a generous man, and a champion for the underdog. He’s good to his brother and mother, even though she won’t give him the time of day. He’s got a good heart, and that’s what’s important.”
Ashley didn’t know whether to be mortified that Pearl—and probably the whole office—heard Brady’s rant, or to hug her for sharing personal insight into Smokey.
“Follow your instincts and your heart. In my experience, neither of those two things have ever failed me.”
A warm glow spread through her as she watched Pearl disappear down the hall. The woman was a gem, and Ashley knew she held a special place in Smokey’s heart. She could hear it in his voice when he spoke about her.
Picking up the iced latte, she took another sip, grateful for the shot of caffeine to get her through the rest of the day.
Honking lines of geese flew in V-shaped wedges across the crimson sky, while the trees threw long purple shadows across the parking lot as Ashley walked toward her car. Waving goodbye to a yoga classmate, she tossed her duffel bag onto the passenger seat before slipping in behind the wheel.
As she was turning onto Spruce Street, her phone rang. Quickly glancing down at the screen, she groaned when she saw Zach’s name.
“Hi, Zach,” she said “What’s up? Another difficult client?”