Chapter 36: Chapter 36
Something was off with Noelle. It seemed as if Mrs. Davis had told her about the donations because she had been smiling when she spoke to the woman, but by the time she made it over to the tent, she wasn’t just sad; she was scowling.
“No luck?” Brady asked her.
“Nope. I can’t believe he’s just… gone.”
He’d moved to put his arm around her, but she stepped away.
“I feel just terrible,” Rhonda said, not for the first time.
“I know. It’s okay,” Noelle said. “I think we can go ahead and start loading up these empty kennels,” she said. “We can leave the animals that haven’t been adopted out for a bit longer, but other vendors are starting to load up.”
“I can help with that,” Brady volunteered.
“No, it’s okay,” Noelle said, dismissively. “I can handle it.”
Something was definitely wrong. “Noelle, your vehicle is pretty far away. Why don’t you let me carry the big kennels?”
“I’ll just break them down.”
“They’ll still be heavy.”
She looked at him so sharply, he could only describe it as a glare. “I’ve got it.”
“Okay….” Brady said, taking a step back. “Then… I guess I’ll go check on some of the other booths.”
“Good idea,” Noelle said, with a nod. “There are probably other city run operations that need your attention more than the shelter. Maybe you should go check on the slaughter house, see if it needs anything.”
“What?” Brady asked, confused. What in the world was she talking about?
Rhonda cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable. “I’ll, uh, start folding down the kennels.”
Noelle was already working on one of the bigger ones. Brady had intended to leave her alone, but after a comment like that, he couldn’t see himself just walking away. “Noelle, what’s going on? Did something happen?”
“No, nothing happened,” she said, on her knees unclipping a side of the large metal cage one of the dogs had been in who’d gotten adopted earlier. “That’s the thing with the shelter. Nothing ever happens, and that’s perfectly fine with just about everyone who has any control over the matter--like how much money we get. It’s fine, really. I shouldn’t have expected anything different.”
“Noelle, we have a budget meeting next week….” He intended to let her know that he would be addressing his concerns with the animal shelter then, but she didn’t want to hear him.
“I know, but your budget proposal is already submitted, right?”
“Yes, it is.” A budget proposal that included quite a bit of funding for relocating the animal shelter to the old meat packing house, and fixing the downstairs so that the dogs could go outside.
Noelle nodded. “I guess it was dumb of me to assume you were interested in helping the animals. Whatever your reasons for being at the shelter were, clearly, they had nothing to do with the dogs and cats that call it home when you couldn't find even a few cents in the budget to toss our way. Thank God for generous donors that at least Goldie’s medical expenses will be paid.”
“Is that what you think?” he asked as she got the cage flat. “That I didn’t do anything for the shelter with the new proposal?”
“It’s not what I think,” she said, tears in her eyes. “It’s what I know. Really, Brady, you should go. There’s got to be a cause around here somewhere that means something to you, but it clearly isn’t the shelter.”
He stared at her in disbelief, not sure where this was coming from. It was apparent that someone had given her information about the budget, but whomever it had been had left out a huge part of what he was asking for the animals she was accusing him of disliking. What was really upsetting was the fact that she believed it without even letting him explain. “I’m really hurt that you would think something like that,” he said, backing away. “Maybe you’re just upset about Pooch…. Call me when you’ve come to your senses.”
Noelle didn’t say anything, only stared at him, her eyes narrowed, and Brady picked up speed as he headed off across the downtown area to see if anyone needed any help tearing down their tents or loading their merchandise.
“Oh, Brady!” he heard someone shouting and turned to see Jennifer, the realtor, rushing toward him. “Hi! I was just about to call you--but this is even better. Guess what!”
“What?” he asked, forcing a smile that he didn’t feel.
“We are all set to close next Friday afternoon at 1:00, but the bank said, since everything’s all checked out, they want to make sure that you are able to spend this Christmas in your new house so….” She held up a set of keys. “Merry Christmas!”
Brady took the keys, but he didn’t quite understand what was happening. “Wait, you mean…?”
“That’s right. They’ve given you permission to go ahead and start moving in right away! Isn’t that great?”
“That’s… amazing,” Brady agreed. He had the furniture from his old apartment in a storage building on the outskirts of town. If he hurried, he could get his bed in time to actually sleep in his house that night. He’d be moving in in the dark, but at least he’d be home. “Thank you, Jennifer!” He opened his arms and wrapped them around her.
“You’re so welcome,” Jennifer replied. “Merry Christmas!” she said again.
“Merry Christmas to you!” Brady let her go, instinctively reaching for his phone, thinking he’d call Noelle and let her know the good news. But she was angry at him. Seeing as there was no one else he wanted to call, Brady kept the good news to himself and went on about what he’d been doing.
A few hours later, he had his bed unloaded and set up in the bedroom of his new house. He’d bring in the rest of his furniture some other time, but for now, his top priority was running over to Kyla and Rob’s house to get his suitcases. Looking around the place, he couldn’t help but be excited, even though he had absolutely no one in the world to share it with.
The ride over to retrieve the rest of his belongings was solemn. A Christmas song played on the radio, but he tuned it out. The lights out the truck windows seemed dull in comparison to how they’d looked for the past few weeks, driving around looking at them with Noelle by his side. He thought he might never see them the same way again.
Pulling up to Kyla and Rob’s house, he remembered the first time he’d met Noelle. She’d jumped to conclusions and yelled at him then, too. And she’d been wrong--like she was this time. Maybe, once she realized the error of her ways, she’d apologize, like she had after she’d thought Pooch was his dog, that he was surrendering the pup.
He headed inside, exhausted from a long day and ready to get his stuff, pack it up, and go home. He’d need to give his friends a generous Christmas gift to make up for them letting him stay there for so long. They were such nice people. While he’d given enough to the shelter to more than cover Goldie’s hospital bills, he still had enough in his savings to buy Rob and Kyla a nice gift and start furnishing his house.
He walked through the door to the sound of dogs barking--not one dog, not just Rufus, the same dog he was used to hearing when he entered the residence, but more than one dog.
It took him a moment to realize he recognized that other bark. It wasn’t until a familiar black and white puffball came running out of the living room to greet him that he managed to articulate what was happening. “Pooch?” he said, bending to scoop the dog up. “What in the world are you doing here?”
“Surprise!” Kyla and Rob shouted as they came into the foyer. “We wanted to get you a housewarming gift, and this little guy was so adorable… we couldn’t resist.”
Confusion washed over him as Brady stared into Pooch’s large eyes. “Wait--you guys are the ones who adopted Pooch?” He’d fought off the urge to use the word “took” since they had no idea what they were doing wasn’t okay.
“You know this dog?” Kyla asked.
“Yes, this is the dog that stole my scarf that day when I was downtown.” He’d told them the story.
“This is the dog you were thinking about adopting?” Rob asked, then laughed. “What a huge coincidence!”
“It is, isn’t it?” Brady agreed. Again, he felt the urge to call Noelle so she’d know where Pooch was. While they hadn’t exactly followed Noelle’s plan for how to go about finding Pooch a new home, he knew that she wanted the dog to be with him--well, had wanted, anyway. He’d need to fill her in so that she wouldn’t be worried, and so she could decide whether or not he could keep the dog. Now that he had his own house, there was no reason why he couldn’t. Unless, of course, she was so convinced that he hated animals she didn’t want him to keep Pooch.
“Thank you guys very much,” Brady said, hugging them both while Pooch licked their faces. “I have some news, too. I am actually moving into my house tonight.”
“What? You closed today?” Rob asked.
“No, but the bank gave me the keys a few days early. So… you won’t have to worry about having two dogs under foot.”
Kyla laughed. “I’m glad to hear that--even though I would’ve managed.”
Brady patted her arm, knowing that she truly was planning to make a sacrifice. “You guys are the best. Thanks for letting me stay here.”
“Anytime,” Rob said, clapping him on the back. “Do you need any help packing up?”
“Nope, we can manage,” Brady said, his arm still wrapped around Pooch. The dog barked and licked his face, proving that he was right where he belonged--in Brady’s arms.