Driven: An Oaktown Girls Novel by Suzanne Falter

Author:Suzanne Falter [Falter, Suzanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: New Heights Publishing
Published: 2019-01-23T23:00:00+00:00

* * *

“Oh sweet Jesus!” Kate said as she glanced at her watch. She jumped up from their resting place with horror. It was just past seven p.m. and the kennel where she’d stashed Mr. Big was now closed for the night. “Damn it!” she declared, reaching for a nearby rag.

Kate called the number for the Canine Sanctuary, and listened to their voicemail message urging callers to try again in the morning. How could she have forgotten about Mr. Big?

“Is everything okay?” Lizzy asked, coming to her side. Tenika turned around from her spot washing brushes at the utility sink, and gave Kate an appraising glance.

“It’s my boss’s pug. He’s been at a kennel all day,” Kate muttered, as she hung up the phone. She glanced up at Lizzy. “I forgot to pick him up,” she admitted.

Honestly, she’d been caught in a whirlwind for the past three hours, working and chatting alongside the two women. The mood was so uplifting, so relaxed and fun, there seemed to be all the time in the world. In fact, she hadn’t felt this grounded or good in a long time.

“So, is that a bad thing? I mean someone’s taking care of him, right?” Lizzy asked.

“Well, yes,” Kate reasoned.

“It’s like sleepaway camp, right? So he’s with his dog pals,” added Tenika. “He’s probably happy as a clam,” she added over her shoulder. Then she smiled at Kate.

For as much as Tenika nursed her suspicions, she’d grown a little fonder of her new acquaintance in the past few hours. It was starting to not matter exactly who ‘Marta’ was.

The three women had spent the last six hours painting a base coat across the rest of the garage, as well as the second coat on the conversation corner. It was obvious as they painted that they simply couldn’t do the job without Kate.

Not only was she a competent, energetic worker with a good eye, she appeared to have an endless stream of ideas for them, all of which she freely shared. If she was with the competition, she was either working some master plan Tenika couldn’t begin to figure out, or she really was just kind and generous.

A moment earlier, the three of them stood together admiring their work. “This color really looks good,” Kate exclaimed. “It’s warm and friendly.”

“But not too blah,” Tenika concurred. “I agree. It’s amazing what a little paint will do.”

“I kind of can’t believe it,” Lizzy said. “It’s fantastic. So what do you have in mind for furniture, Marta?”

“Oh, a small couch, I suspect. You’ll need a table and chairs. A rug, throw pillows, a little art. Perhaps some plants. And some nice lighting, as well. Something soft and friendly. A fringed lampshade sort of feel.”

“But no Wi-Fi, no power strip,” interjected Tenika. “Not if you want these ladies to break down and actually talk to each other. They’re going to reach for their phones as it is.”

“True enough,” interjected Lizzy.

“But if we make the space warm and appealing enough, they might not.

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