Page 179 of 10 Rings I Hate About You
I blinked, not sure if Delaney realized what she’d done. I knew my grandmother had by the sheen in her eyes that Delaney hadn’t called her by her first name.
She blinked away her tears and grinned. “Any one in particular catch your fancy?”
Delaney paused.
“Ah, so there was.” A mischievous sparkle lit up her eyes as she looked between us. “I hope you took notes, grandson.”
“Notetaking is a favorite pastime of mine,” I answered with a grin.
Seemingly satisfied with us, she gave my cheek a kiss and then did the same with Delaney.
I wrapped my arms around Delaney, loving how we fit together and ready to take in the good we’d done today.
The band was playing its last set. The crowd had thinned—families with children asleep in strollers, couples sharing food, the shelter volunteers doing the rounds with the animals. The donation numbers had stopped updating in real time, and when Grace told me the total, I had her repeat it because the first time I thought I’d misheard.
I hadn’t.
A half-hour later, I was standing near the donation table, running the numbers through my head for the fourth time when my phone rang. For a second, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.
I stepped away from the table.
Mr. Geraldi.
My hand was steady when I answered. I noted this with some surprise. He was calling on a Saturday. This was either really good or really bad.
“Dr. Kingsley,” Mr Geraldi said. His voice was the normal professional tone it always had been, but beneath it was something else. “I hope we’re not interrupting your event.”
“Not at all,” I said.
“We’ve been watching,” he said. “The committee has been particularly invested in seeing how your community would show up. Not everyone values local shelters. You know, part of our core beliefs is community engagement and involvement, and even more importantly, the safety of the animals.”
“I respect that, sir.”
“Thank you. There were concerning mishaps during the yoga class we attended. Ms. Kline and I needed the time to discuss that with the rest of the team before we made a decision.”
“Of course.” My first instinct was to defend ourselves. And then I realized we’d done everything right. The safety of each animal that entered the room had been prioritized just as the participants of the yoga class had been.
“We are quite blown away by the community response, and after careful consideration,” he gave a dramatic pause, “ the committee has voted to approve the Ruby River Animal Shelter’s grant application in full.”
I swayed.
“In full,” I repeated.
“In full, Dr. Kingsley.”
The band played.
A child’s laugh filled the air, joyous and pure.
“We’ll send the formal documentation on Monday. Congratulations, and please let Mr. Patterson know that what he’s built is truly remarkable. As well as the classes you and Ms. Hart have run.”
“Thank you, sir. I will.”
The call ended. I stood in the middle of the Commons with my phone in my hand and a smile on my face.
I found Theo first. He was near one of the animals’ pens talking to the family who was interested in Rutherford. He saw my face and excused himself.
“Marc—”
