Page 38 of Begin Again

On paper, the job was perfect. He’d be able to afford more and offer more financial flexibility to Chloe, cementing a better future. Sure, it would be endless hours, and the clients were upper crust, with more money and connections than the not-for-profits population he regularly served.

But that shouldn’t matter. He needed to grow up and do what was right. Be the type of man Chloe could count on for the future.

His mind chewed at his doubts like Gus-Gus with his rope. Maybe he needed to seriously consider taking this job along with some other changes. Since the farm, they’d fallen into an easy routine, spending some nights together, visiting rescues, taking care of Gus-Gus. She was allowing him into not just her heart, but her daily life, and that meant everything.

Sure, she still refused to say she loved him, but he sensed her emotions every time he took her in his arms. She just wasn’t ready. Needed more time. More proof he wasn’t going to rip away the foundation again. Making some smart decisions might help Chloe realize he was here to stay and serious about their future.

He now had too much to lose.

The phone buzzed, interrupting him.

Here.

He texted back. Buzzing you in.

“Mama’s here, buddy. You’ll have new fingers to chew on.”

Gus-Gus bounced around, sensing a new arriver, and Owen laughed as he opened the door.

“How’s my baby?” she cooed, running right past Owen to the furball. Gus-Gus jumped around her, barking and rolling around in a fit of ecstasy.

Owen raised both hands in the air. “What about me?”

She blew him an air kiss from the floor, hugging and cuddling the puppy. “How’s my baby?” she asked him teasingly.

“Cute.” He closed the door and dropped beside her, claiming his kiss while Gus-Gus tried to climb between them with his wriggly body. “How was the meeting?”

“Good, I think I made an impression on the board to consider Advocates for Animals for part of their holiday funding program. Did you hear back from the court on your motion?”

“The trial is going forth—the judge denied their extension.”

Her gaze grew hard. “Good. Thank goodness, they’re not letting the Spagarellis play their games. Sometimes I really hate money. They get themselves some fancy-ass lawyers and drag us endlessly through motions, burying us in paperwork. I’m so happy we work for organizations that help people who really need it.”

He winced. Not the best segue way into his announcement of a new position, but he’d talk it through with her. “Chloe, I wanted to talk to you about⁠—”

Her phone blared and she shot him an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry, it’s Vivian, I just need to take this.”

He nodded, playing with Gus-Gus while she chatted. Then her face suddenly went pale and her voice hissed over the phone. “He did what?”

Owen tilted his head, watching her.

“I can’t believe it—can he do that? Isn’t it illegal to promise funds and then go back on your word? Didn’t we have the paperwork filed and approved?”

He waited while she went back and forth, obviously upset, then finally clicked off. “What happened?” he asked.

“Drew pulled the funds from our organization,” she said bitterly. “Said the Foundation changed their minds after reviewing our application and decided on another rescue organization.”

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. “I’m so sorry, Chloe. How bad will it affect you?”

“Bad. Vivian is in battle mode, trying to see if we can rally some donors. We’d earmarked the funds for a few legal cases we wanted to take on, along with purchasing those new kennels for some of our partners. Damnit, how could he do this to me?”

“He wants to hurt you because you didn’t choose him,” Owen said simply. “He never realized you could never love someone who cares more about himself than others.”

She fisted her hands and paced. Gus-Gus bounded over and followed in her footsteps. “I wish there was something I could do, but I have no networking ability with that board. Drew was the one who’s been promising the funds for the last few months.”

“We’ll figure something out. Maybe I can rally some troops to take on some pro-bono cases for you. We’ll meet with Vivian tomorrow and create a plan.”

She crossed over and hugged him, allowing comfort. He buried his face in her hair, breathing deep, and savored her. “Thanks for having my back.”