“And Arthur? And I bet the vet would come and support us.”
“I suppose so.” I had a hard time asking people for anything, but this was important.
“I’ll ask her,” Shane said as if reading my mind. “In fact, I’ll get Arthur to spread the word with his foster folks and friends. And I could ask Nash at that bookstore. He liked Mimsy. And that kid, Kevin. He could get his dads to go. Their dog’s a rescue.”
“I don’t know how many people would get to speak.”
“Either way, we should pack the room. Show of support.” Shane nodded firmly. “I’ll see what I can do to get more people onboard. You know how political bozos make decisions, right? They look around to see who is applauding and who isn’t, and it takes a lot of money to make them go against a packed house.”
I was busy Googling Joffrey Van Doren on my phone. “Looks like this guy has a lot of money.”
“So we have to bring in enough voices to outweigh that.” Shane set a hand on my shoulder. “The town needs this shelter. It’s a good thing. We’ll make them see that.”
His certainty eased the tight feeling in my chest.
Particularly when he added, “And if they don’t like it, you can talk about all the worse things you can do with that property. Sex-toy shop. Rehearsal space for metal bands.”
I had to laugh. “Those would piss off Grand-mère’s ghost effectively, too.”
“You see? You can sound sincere about having choices.”
I pulled him close and kissed him. “I’m so glad you’re on my side.”
“Totally on your side.” He let go and looked me up and down. “Although, is that what you’re wearing for our date?”
“What’s wrong with it?” I asked innocently, as if I hadn’t laid out my favorite jeans and a much more flattering sweater on my bed to change into. The phone call had caught me in my work clothes.
Shane wrinkled his nose. “I like the lumberjack look, all right, but mostly when I’m hauling those baggy things off you. When you’re walking ahead of me, I prefer to actually see your ass.”
“Lucky for you, this is what I wore to inspect the new drains. Give me ten minutes.”
“I’ll run Foxy out once more.”
After ducking into the bathroom to change, brush my teeth, and put some product in my hair, I met Shane in the kitchen. He set Mimsy’s dish down with an offering of kibble. She eyed him but then deigned to crouch over the food.
“Isn’t she coming with us?” I asked.
“Do you want her to?”
“Not particularly.” I hoped to kiss Shane up on that lighthouse and making out while Mimsy watched felt like being judged. But I knew how attached they were, so it was Shane’s call.
“Nah, I don’t know how safe the top of a lighthouse would be for her. Anyway, it’s your special adventure, not hers.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I insisted. “Her coming, I mean, not the date. I love you arranged my wish for me.” Apparently, the lighthouse didn’t do formal tours anymore, but Shane had pulled some kind of strings to get us an afternoon up there.
He chuckled and punched my arm lightly. “Don’t strain yourself. You, me, and a lighthouse. We have a plan. Although sadly, you have to drive, because I still don’t have a car. Or a license.”
As I locked the front door behind us, I asked, “Do you want to get your license?”
“Someday. Yeah. It’s a useful skill. I’ve lost a chance at jobs because I couldn’t drive. But I never had the money to learn, or a friend with a car and patience to teach me.”
“You can learn on the Tesla,” I told him, popping the doors. “I’d be happy to teach you.”
“Yeah, no, you don’t want a beginner in your hundred-grand car.”
“Only seventy grand,” I told him. “And it’s three years old.”
“Nuh-uh. I’ll find someone with a beater eventually.”
