“Not exactly…It’s a bit more than that.”
“More what?”
“I…I’d rather not say at this point.”
This was getting stranger by the second. Whatever it was must be serious.
“I’ll admit I’m intrigued,” he said, playing it cool—well, as cool as he knew how to be. The thing was, Spencer wasn’t a cool guy.
His hesitation seemed to surprise her. “I know I haven’t been much of a friend lately,” she said, by way of an apology.
“I know how it goes. So what do you need?” he asked, willing to do whatever he could.
“I wouldn’t expect you to do this for free. I’ll pay you.”
“Pay me?”
“Anything you ask within reason. I mean, I have some money saved up. I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t important.”
Spencer wondered what it was that made her sound so desperate. “I don’t want your money, Callie.”
“Okay,” she said, her face tightening. “We’re friends, but I don’t expect you to do this for nothing.”
“Is there risk involved?”
She bit into her lower lip and glanced down. “Maybe. I can’t be sure. That’s why I feel I should do something for you in return.”
Callie held his gaze, waiting. Anticipating. Eager.
“There is one thing I want.”
“Name it.”
“I’d like for you to be my date for homecoming.”
Her eyes grew shockingly round, as if the request had thrown her off balance. “You want to take me to homecoming? As your date?”
He nodded, his heart pounding so hard it felt as if it was slamming against his rib cage.
“I…guess that would be a fair exchange.”
Spencer held out his hand. “Then we have a deal.”
“Yeah,” she said, in a tone that indicated she wasn’t happy about this. She’d do it because she was desperate, but she didn’t like it.
Even so, for Spencer this was a dream come true. Callie Rhodes was his date for homecoming.
Chapter 5
Hope wasn’t at the animal shelter when Cade arrived. Because of his court date, the private and group counseling sessions, plus work, Cade hadn’t been to the shelter in several days. That hadn’t stopped him from thinking about Hope, though. Unwelcome, she drifted into his mind at the oddest times.
On his way to work on Thursday, he saw her chatting with Willa at Bean There, the local coffee shop. He nearly ran a stop sign when he caught a glimpse of her, stopping partway into the intersection. He was grateful he hadn’t gotten a ticket. Judge Walters wouldn’t have been pleased.
After arriving at the shelter, Cade kept watch for Hope. It wasn’t like her to be late. Shadow remained in his kennel, and, like Cade, looked up expectantly every time the door opened. Feeling a certain kinship with the canine, Cade walked toward the feral dog and was surprised when Shadow didn’t immediately growl or show his teeth.
“She’ll be here soon,” he commented, and wasn’t sure if he said it to reassure Shadow or himself. Most of the time, Hope was at the shelter about the same time as Cade. Although they rarely spoke, he’d started to plan his arrival to match hers, so they often signed in together.
Another hour passed, and Hope remained a no-show. When his curiosity got the better of him, Cade made an excuse to talk to Preston, who stood at the counter outside his office.
“Taffy and Violet were adopted this weekend?” he questioned, although he knew the answer.
“Yep, and we’ve got five more going to homes today,” Preston murmured, while keeping his focus on the paperwork he was currently signing.
“I haven’t seen Hope around,” Cade commented, wanting to sound casual. “It’s going to be a busy day, and we’re short one volunteer.”
Preston looked up and studied Cade for an uncomfortable moment before a knowing grin showed itself.
“Hope called early this morning to tell me she wouldn’t be in. She wasn’t feeling well. There’s a flu bug going around the high school, and she thinks she might have picked it up. She sounded pretty miserable.”
“Yeah, I heard the flu is taking its toll around town.” He’d been down with the flu not that long ago himself. It’d been short-lived, a forty-eight-hour bug. But he’d been sicker than he could remember in a long time and was weak as a newborn kitten afterward.
“I didn’t know you and Hope were friends,” Preston said, looking well pleased with himself.