Hailey worried when Delinda’s way started to make sense. “You’ve overlooked one problem with your plan.”
“Really?” Delinda asked as if there were no possibility of that happening.
“Skye. If that puppy comes home with us, do you really think it’s not staying?”
“She understands that it’s meant for Michael.”
Hailey’s hand stilled on the puppy. She didn’t like the idea of Delinda having secrets with Skye. “You told her about your plan?”
Bringing a hand up to her chest in restrained outrage, Delinda said, “Of course I did. I’m not cruel. Do you honestly think I’d give a puppy to a child only to take it away?”
“You don’t know if she’ll fall in love with it and change her mind.”
“That, my dear, is what I call an acceptable unintended outcome. I weighed the risks and decided they were worth it. Worst case, Skye has a new puppy that Michael adores visiting with, and you’re irritated with me. You’ll be upset for a bit, but it will pass. I’ve gotten used to your moods.”
“Delinda, we talked about this. You’re not supposed to give us anything unless you and I have talked it out first.”
“Aha, but this is not a gift for you or Skye. Loophole.”
Hailey lifted the puppy so she could look into its eyes and joked, “Are you sure you can handle us, little one? This is our norm.”
“Are you unhappy here, Hailey?”
“No, not at all.” Hailey lowered the puppy. “But that doesn’t mean I approve.”
“Yes. Yes, but will you help me get Michael the pet he has always wanted?”
“I don’t like that you spoke to Skye about this before you spoke to me.”
Delinda waved a finger at where Skye and her friend were all smiles, their laps full of puppies while they chatted. “I feel awful about how much it upset her.”
“That’s not the point and you know it.”
“I’d say it’s the only point with any value.”
I’m not going to change her mind. “There’s something else we need to discuss.”
“Your date yesterday? How did it go?”
“It was very nice, thank you, but that’s not what I want to talk with you about.”
“Oh, dear, this sounds serious. Your forehead is doing that double wrinkle it does when you get yourself all worked up.”
“Delinda, I’ve been offered a job at SmartKart as a buyer. I plan to take it.”
The older woman gasped.
Hailey rushed to add, “The salary is good enough that I’ll be able to afford to pay you rent as well as afford Skye’s school and Clover’s board. That is, if you’ll still want us here. Nothing has to change. I’ll still spend time with you; you just won’t be paying me a salary. We’ll be friends.”
“I didn’t realize you were looking for a job.”
“I wasn’t. This one came to me. It’s too perfect to pass up, though. It comes with benefits and a good salary, and it’s a job I’d enjoy. Not that I don’t enjoy working for you. I do. It’s just that there would be room for advancement. Please don’t be upset.”
Delinda fanned her face for a moment, then smiled. “Upset? I’m happy for you, of course. What kind of hours will you be working?”
“Nothing crazy or I won’t take the job. There are still some unknowns, but I didn’t want to move forward without telling you.”
“I appreciate that,” Delinda said. “And, of course, the guesthouse is yours for as long as you’d like to stay in it.”
Hailey touched Delinda’s arm gently. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Not looking at Hailey, Delinda said, “You must do what’s best for you. I understand.”
“It’s just a job. We’re not leaving. You’re stuck with us, Delinda.”
Delinda expelled a half laugh and met Hailey’s eyes. “And you call me stubborn.”
They both watched the children in quiet contemplation before Hailey asked, “Are you okay?”
“Of course,” Delinda said with a smile. “As I said, I’m happy for you.” She looked down at the puppy. “I see now why you were so sure you wouldn’t have time for her. Don’t feel you need to take her. I’ll find another way to cheer Michael up.”
“No, no. We’ll make it work,” Hailey found herself saying urgently as her eyes filled with tears. She didn’t realize until then how much Delinda had started to feel like family. The idea of hurting her was unacceptable and losing her felt just as scary.
“Oh, please, don’t start. I’m not upset with you.”
“It’s just that I want to make sure you know this doesn’t change anything.”
Delinda gave her hand a pat. “Of course it doesn’t, Hailey. As you said, we’ll make it work.”
Later that night, Hailey unsuccessfully tried to put the still-nameless puppy to bed in a crate. It cried long and hard enough that Hailey found herself comforting it in her arms as one would an infant. “Is this how you worm your way into people’s purses? Don’t give me those cute eyes. It’s blatant manipulation, and you know it.” Which means you’ll fit in perfectly here.
She’d just shifted the puppy in her arms when her cell phone rang. “Hey, Sunshine,” Spencer said in a deeper-than-normal voice, which made her wonder if he was in his bed already. “How was your day?”
Better now. “Good.”
“Are you okay? With us, I mean. You said you wanted to go slowly, and I should have respected that.”
“I’m fine, Spencer. It was probably unrealistic to think we could do the friendship thing. We never could keep our hands off each other.”
She pictured him smiling when he said, “That’s for sure.” They were quiet for a moment, then he asked, “How is everything else?”
“I told my employer that I’m taking the job at SmartKart.”
“And?”
“She seemed okay with it. Not happy, but okay.”
“That’s good. Does that mean you can finally tell me who you work for?”
Hailey tensed, and the puppy squirmed in her arms. “I’d rather save that conversation for when I see you next.”
“You worry me when you talk about her. I picture you locked up in some tower.”
“It’s nothing like that, just complicated.” She tried to put the puppy down, but didn’t when it whimpered in protest. “Like why I’ll probably be sleeping with a puppy tonight when I’m not even a dog person.”
“When did you get a puppy?”
“It’s a long story—one that will make sense when I tell you everything else.” Hailey yawned. “Sorry, I’m beat. Skye talked me into taking a riding lesson this morning. It’s harder than I thought. Do you ride?”
“I used to when I was a kid. Mark took all of us to a park that had trail rides. I’m not sure you could actually call that riding. The horses knew what to do more than we did.”
“That’s my kind of riding,” Hailey said with a smile. “My father took Ryan and me on something similar. I loved it.”
“I did, too. Mark had a way of making everything fun.”
“You must miss him very much.”
“I didn’t realize how much until recently.”
“He would have been proud of the man you’ve become.”
“I’d like to think so.”