THE NEXT FEW days sped by in a flash. Although the cast was a hindrance, Meredith got used to working around it as she prepared for the foundation’s site visit.
People she knew and some she barely recognized from town continued to stop by or call with offers to help so that by the day of the site visit, her rescue looked better than she could have imagined.
The only lingering issue was they still had no leads on who had left the tainted food in the pasture. Ryan insisted on installing motion lights around the property and a game cam on one of the trees near the edge of the fence line. Shae and the other volunteers made regular sweeps of the open space to make sure there were no other suspicious activities and the animals remained healthy.
Meredith tried to put the whole incident out of her mind and to convince herself it was a random prank, as the police suspected. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d been targeted for a specific reason she didn’t yet understand.
She put that worry aside when the rental car pulled up with the program director from the Howard Family Foundation. Nerves danced across her stomach as she watched a woman get out of the car and survey the property before approaching her. Meredith smoothed a hand over the button-down shirt and cargo pants she’d chosen to wear for the appointment, after trying on almost every article of clothing she owned. She’d thought about wearing a dress or something suited to a business meeting but realized that would make her even more self-conscious and out of her element.
She ran an animal shelter not a multinational corporation, although this was a time she wished she had a mom to call and ask for wardrobe advice. She’d FaceTimed her sisters instead, and they’d patiently given feedback on her multiple outfit changes until they all agreed on one.
The woman offered a friendly smile. “You must be Meredith Ventner. I’m Ann Baltman from the Howard Family Foundation.”
Meredith’s mouth went dry, and all she could do was nod. She wanted to kick herself or run in the other direction. The woman had offered a simple introduction and every doubt Meredith had about whether she was worthy of being awarded such a large amount of money came rushing at her like a tidal wave. She willed herself to get a grip. This wasn’t about her. It was bigger than her overwhelming self-doubt.
If she couldn’t believe in herself, she needed to channel her sisters’ faith in her. Carrie and Avery had each given her their version of a pep talk earlier, Carrie in her soothing mom voice, and Avery in the clipped tones that demanded Meredith sit up straight and pay attention. And Ryan had reassured her before he left for his scheduled shift at the mobile clinic, his soft words helping to convince her she deserved this chance.
Ann inclined her head. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m nervous,” Meredith blurted, then felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment. “Forget I said that. It’s nice to meet you, and I appreciate you taking the time to visit Furever Friends.”
She expected the foundation’s representative to give her attitude about her lack of professionalism, but the older woman only smiled again. “You have no reason to be nervous, Ms. Ventner. Your application was extremely impressive, and with the personal recommendation from...” She broke off.
“Personal recommendation?” Meredith asked with a frown. The woman made it sound like she had an inside connection with someone at the foundation, but Meredith couldn’t figure out who that would be.
“What I mean is your references had glowing things to say about the work you do here. Several families who’ve adopted pets from the rescue and both of the local vets. In fact, we received more testimonials about your work than from both of the other finalists combined. Either you’re skilled at drumming up support, or your fans are legion.”
“I appreciate that.” She studied the woman, her curiosity piqued. It made her feel good to know that people had gone out of their way to speak up for her, but it didn’t explain the other woman’s comment about some connection to the foundation. “I’ll admit I was surprised to learn I was in the running for such a prestigious and generous award. The past recipients have been much larger operations than mine.”
Ann nodded, then pulled a notebook out of the tote bag she carried. “We want to support organizations of all sizes, and the plan you submitted convinced us that you weren’t going to remain small for long.”
That bit of news made Meredith relax slightly. She was proud of her business plan and the application she’d submitted to the foundation. Plus, she’d turned in that same plan as part of a project for her nonprofit-management class and gotten some great feedback plus an A from her hardest professor. Suddenly she was struck with the realization that she’d worked hard for this moment and she was ready.
“I’d love to show you around,” she said, feeling the tension slide out of her shoulders. Nothing made her prouder than sharing what she’d built here. She had no doubt that if she was awarded the grant money, she could do something truly meaningful with it.
RYAN WALKED INTO the Italian restaurant across from the Reed Gallery just after six, surprised when several people greeted him by name. Hell, he’d been going to the same coffee shop around the corner from his apartment in the city for years and still barely got a nod of recognition from the rotating pool of ubiquitous hipsters mixing up overpriced drinks.
He’d never given his lack of connection with the neighborhood where he lived much thought. His hometown was small, and everyone had known him or at least known his family. That had seemed like a drawback growing up. He’d craved anonymity and a chance to make his own way in the world without the weight of his grandfather’s legacy on his shoulders.
Being recognized in Magnolia didn’t feel heavy. It made him happy to be connected, even if he knew it was only temporary.
He saw Meredith in a booth near the back of the restaurant, her head bent over her laptop. His heart gave a tiny leap, shifting and then settling like a puzzle piece that had found the place where it fit.
Stupid heart, he thought, trying his best to ignore the sensation.
She didn’t notice his approach, so he placed the bouquet of flowers he’d purchased after his shift ended on the table next to her computer.
Her eyes widened as she looked at the flowers and then up at him, a smile curving her pretty mouth. “What’s this for?”
“You,” he answered and bent to kiss her before sliding into the seat across from her. “We’re celebrating your success today, right?”
She rolled her lips together, trying and failing in her attempt not to beam. “Nothing is certain yet, but the lady from the foundation really seemed to like my operation.”
“Of course she did.” Ryan kept his features neutral. He’d had to force himself not to text his sister for a debrief on the site visit. Emma had sent one of her program officers to meet Meredith because Ryan insisted it would be too weird for his sister to be the one to evaluate Meredith. He might have suggested Furever Friends as a candidate for the foundation’s biggest community grant, but he had faith that Meredith would be awarded the money on her own merit, not because he exerted any influence in the process. Not that Emma would allow him to interfere. She took impartiality to a new level, as conscious of the advantages she’d been given based on their birthright as Ryan was.
“Thanks for all of your help over the past few weeks.” She trailed a finger along the edge of one of the flower petals. “I should be buying you flowers. Will you settle for dinner?”
He shook his head. “No way. This is me taking you out. It’s a date.”
“Oh, that’s cute.” She scrunched up her nose as she flipped closed her laptop. “But you know I’m a sure thing.”
“Hey.” He reached across the table and took her hands in his. “I’m planning to woo you tonight. Don’t give me a pass.” He squeezed her fingers. “Don’t give any man a pass, Meredith.”
Her chest rose and fell as if she was struggling to catch her breath. “I’m used to giving passes,” she whispered, almost as much to herself as to him. “I don’t expect much.”
“Not nearly enough.”
She huffed out a quiet laugh. “I’m not sure it’s necessary for you to agree with me.”
“I’m a supportive friend that way.”
She frowned and then opened her mouth to respond, but a waitress arrived at the table at that moment. Meredith tugged her hands out of Ryan’s grasp, which was both understandable and disappointing.
The older woman looked between the two of them and then at the flowers. “Pretty,” she murmured. “Let me guess. Six-month anniversary celebration?”
“Not exactly,” Meredith answered.
“A year,” the woman amended.
“Just a date,” Ryan said, unsure what to think about a stranger assuming they were a long-term couple. His heart didn’t seem to have any question in the matter. It beat a rhythm in his chest that felt like a chant of yes over and over again. But the rest of him was freaking out.
If the waitress thought they were a real couple, maybe he was getting too close. So close that it would hurt like hell to walk away when the time came. The time was getting closer every day. His boss at the hospital had called yesterday morning to check on his progress.
He was scheduled to drive up to DC the following week—after attending Avery and Gray’s wedding as Meredith’s date—to be cleared to return to work with no restrictions. At the start of his stay in Magnolia, it felt like the weeks would drag along at an interminably slow pace, but now he just wanted to stop the clock altogether.
“Well, can I get you something to drink to start the date off right?” the waitress asked. “You’re cute together. I’ve seen a lot of couples over the years. I have an instinct for the ones who are doomed and the ones who are destined.”
Meredith lifted a brow. “Don’t keep us in suspense,” she said wryly.
“Destined, without a doubt,” the waitress answered, then glanced over her shoulder as the hostess led a family of five to a nearby table. “Getting busy in here. How about drinks?”
Blood roared in Ryan’s head, which was stupid. A random waitress made a prediction about his destiny, and he reacted like someone just whispered a winning lottery number into his ear. Pathetic.
He studied the beer list without really seeing any of the selections, then cleared his throat and said, “Whatever’s on tap.”
“We have a nice IPA,” she suggested, seeming not to notice that he was having a mini panic attack right before her eyes.
“Sure.”
He glanced up at Meredith, somewhat relieved to see that she looked just as poleaxed as he felt. “Wine,” she said, sounding numb.
“Red or white, hon?” the waitress asked.
“Wine,” she repeated as if that was all her brain could manage.
“How about a pinot grigio?” Ryan managed with an encouraging nod.
To his great relief, Meredith nodded in return.
“Got it.” The waitress tapped her pen on the pad of paper she held, looking just a touch impatient. “Any appetizers?”
“Your favorite.” Ryan nodded again, beginning to feel like a bobblehead doll. “We’ll have your favorite.”
“Bruschetta with the olive tapenade.” The waitress looked between them again, a faint frown line forming across her forehead. “I’ll be back shortly. You look like you could use those drinks sooner than later.”
She walked away, and without looking at Ryan, Meredith began to pack up her laptop and the notebook open on the other side of it.
“How’s class?” he asked, feeling ridiculous that one offhand comment had put them into this awkward space where they could barely make eye contact.
“Fine.” Her voice sounded wooden. “We’re mainly getting ready for finals.”
“If you want a study buddy...” He broke off, covered his face with one hand, then dragged it over his jaw. “Did that sound as stupid to you as it did to me?”
She looked at him, all earnest confusion. “Can we meet in a dark corner of the library?”
He wasn’t sure how to answer until he realized the corners of her mouth were twitching. She kept her features steady, then gave up trying to hide her amusement at his expense and let out a peal of laughter.
It broke through his shock, and he grinned. “Our waitress is getting the worst tip ever. Who says the things she said to us?”
His obvious distress made Meredith laugh even harder. “It was like we were being punked,” she said, struggling to draw in a steady breath.
“Or like a woman neither of us know thought she could predict our future.”
That sobered her, which wasn’t his intention, but he couldn’t help it. The stranger’s words had affected him. Maybe they confirmed what he wanted to believe.
“I don’t put much stock in destiny,” Meredith said. “Based on my past, that would make my future appear pretty dismal.”
“Your future is incredibly bright,” he told her, starting to reach for her hand again, then pausing as the waitress brought their drinks.
“You sound so sure.” Meredith twirled the stem of her wineglass between two fingers. He loved her hands—the dichotomy between the elegant, slender fingers and the calluses on her palms that told of the physical work she did each day. “You’re like my own personal cheer squad. The truth is we don’t really know each other well. How can you be so certain I’m not going to mess up my chances—either with my degree, the grant or even with you? I’m kind of an expert at self-sabotage.”
“You couldn’t mess up what’s between us if you tried.” He lifted his glass and took a long drink of beer. “And if you don’t have enough faith in yourself, I’ll have it for you.”
“Until you leave,” she clarified, then sipped the wine, her gaze dropping to the table.
Another server brought their appetizer at the same time the waitress returned to take their dinner orders. Hope buzzed through Ryan as Meredith spoke to the waitress. He could have sworn he heard something in Meredith’s tone of voice that hinted maybe she didn’t want their temporary arrangement to end.
But he knew he couldn’t say anything until after the grant was awarded. He might not be involved with his family’s foundation, but he wouldn’t do anything that might jeopardize Meredith’s chances at winning or risk any hint of impropriety.
“You have a lot of people who care about you,” he told her when they were alone again. “I’m just one in a long line. You’re like a shining star. People can’t help but gravitate into your orbit.”
She smiled and lowered her wineglass. “You’ve been working on your wooing skills. I’m impressed.”
If you only knew, Ryan thought. Meredith was the only woman he could imagine wooing, but he was out of his element. How could he share his feelings when he had yet to name them? He needed to wait until she heard back from the foundation and until he sorted through these unfamiliar emotions. He needed to think about what he wanted and what he was able to offer her. He drew a deep breath, assuring himself he had plenty of time to figure out what came next.