After We Fall (Take the Fall, #3)(14)

Each dog gets one scoop except for the kennels decorated with blue stars or green diamonds on the front—the rest of the dogs have red hearts so they don’t feel left out. Blue means “double” because it’s a larger dog and green means half because it’s a smaller dog.

The system makes me giggle, and Lord knows I haven’t giggled in a long time. I have Saylor to thank for that since she was the one to come up with the system. Turns out, she’s actually the manager here. However, she has to answer to a director who answers to an advisory board. Who knew running an animal shelter was so complicated?

Once I’m done with filling dog bowls, I head back to the supply room to put away the container.

“How’s it going?” Saylor asks, opening the door for me.

“So far, so good.” I lift the container to the second shelf and wipe my hands on my jeans. Immediately, Saylor comes behind me and opens the container, then refills it. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know I had to—”

“You don’t. I’m already here, so I thought I’d go ahead and pitch in. Usually, the last person to leave for the evening has to do this, but since it’s Leslie’s turn, I thought I’d do it for her, so she can be done a bit earlier,” Saylor explains.

“Leslie’s the one who is expecting, right?” I ask, thinking of the tall blonde with a friendly smile I had met earlier.

Saylor nods. “Yes. She goes on maternity in the next couple of weeks.”

“Y’all provide that?”

As she secures the lid on the container, she nods. “The advisory board likes to promote a family-friendly work environment.”

“Does that mean you’ll have to go back to six and a half days a week instead of five?” I ask.

“Nope. You’re here now.”

I stare at her for a moment, a ball of dread forming in my stomach. “Am I replacing Leslie?”

“Only while she’s gone.”

“And when she comes back?”

Saylor pushes her glasses up on her nose. “You’ll both be working here. I told you I finally got funds allocated for a new hire.”

What she says doesn’t exactly ring true for me. “I don’t understand. You said that you needed another person so you wouldn’t be overextended, but with Leslie going on maternity leave, you’ll be back in the same boat.”

Saylor blushes. “I might have stretched the truth a little.”

“Oh really?” I cross my arms over my chest. “Maybe you should fess up.”

Hesitating, Saylor pulls on a length of dark hair and begins to twist it nervously. “Promise you won’t be mad.”

“I can’t promise that, but I can promise to listen.” What in the world has Saylor done?

“Right before I met you, Hunter mentioned to me that you were new to the complex and might be looking for a job. So when we happened to meet—I swear that was purely coincidental—I mentioned the job to you and embellished things a little in the hope that you were in fact looking for something. I mean, when Hunter recommends someone, I know they are good people.” Letting go of her hair, she grabs my hand and I’m too stunned to react. “Please don’t quit. I can already tell everyone likes you.”

Hunter set this all up? I swallow. On one hand, I hate that he went behind my back and said something to Saylor, but on the other hand, this job is exactly what I need. “Did you tell him that I started today?”

She shakes her head vigorously. “No. He doesn’t even know I talked to you.”

For some reason, that makes me feel better. It makes me feel like I don’t owe him anything in return. Kind of like our mutual car-washing session last night.

Saylor lets go of my hand. “I’d like for you to stay. We really could use you, even if my work schedule is already out-of-the-world awesome. I mean, I work with animals all day long and get paid for it.”

Pointing at herself, she adds, “Luckiest woman in the world.”

The earnest pleading and genuine enthusiasm about her job are so apparent in her voice that I can’t say no. I don’t want to say no. “You can make it up to me by having lunch together today.”

Her brown eyes widen, then crinkle a little at the corners. “Sweet. Our lunch breaks are at the same time anyway, so no conflicts.”

“Great.” I smile, the ball of dread dissipating quickly. “What’s next?”

Saylor grabs a pair of latex gloves, a small shovel, and a small bucket with a lid, then hands them over to me. “You get to clean up poo!”

My smile falls. Seriously? “Now who’s the luckiest woman in the world?”

“Not you, that’s for sure, because Mr. Rigglesworth had a major blowout right after yoga.” She claps me on the back. “Make sure you hose everything down when you’re done.”

Watching Saylor practically skip away, I twist my lips. “Should have quit while I had the chance.”

Two hours later, I’ve cleaned up more poop from one dog with irritable bowels than all the combined kennels. To be fair, Saylor runs a tight ship and the other employees actually keep everything as pristine as possible, but accidents happen.

Lucius gives me a thumbs-up as I pass him. “Mr. Rigglesworth will get you every time, mon,” he says, his Jamaican accent filling my ears.