Kade, bless him, had already helped her get the paperwork and legalities started, now she just needed to nail her design, and have it printed to scale so she could submit it with permit applications.
“That should do it, Em,” Lyndsey said, pushing her chairback from the dining room table to stand and stretch her back. “I don’t think you’ve left anything out.”
She rose to her feet and eyed the plans from a different angle…as if she hadn’t done that several times already. “Me either. I hope.”
Lyndsey gathered the drawings and shoved them into the purple folder Emily had pushed aside. “These are good to print. No more reviewing. Drop them off at Stef’s shop. It’s on the way. If you leave now, you should still be able to catch her before she closesandmake it to Tex Pub on time.”
Perfect.
Stefanie McCall was married to Mac, expecting a baby boy practically any day now, and one hell of a graphic artist. She owned a graphic arts/print shop in a small strip mall in town, right next to the ESI headquarters, which was just down the street from the pub where Emily and Lyndsey were meeting Isla and Christa. The women’s boyfriends were currently out of town, but due back later tonight.
An evening with good friends, good food, and a little line dancing was a great way to celebrate her big step forward.
She knew this, courtesy of Tracy. The woman had smilingly informed her yesterday that their male ESI volunteers would be unavailable until tomorrow, because they were providing security for a charity event in San Antonio. She glanced at the clock on the wall. That event had ended ten minutes ago, which meant the men wouldn’t arrive home for almost three hours.
She hadn’t asked Tracy for any of that information.
No, the woman seemed to think she’d want to know Holden’s whereabouts…or the reason behind his lack of appearance yesterday and today.
She wasn’t. Nope.
But somehow, between the time she’d started to show Holden around the shelter on Thursday, until the end of thatcrazy confrontation with Perez, Tracy had gotten it in her head that Emily was interested in Holden…and vice versa.
Which was ridiculous because she wasn’t. Nope.
An image of the gorgeous man smiling kindly at the tiny kitten on his broad shoulder flashed through Emily’s mind. Her pulse immediately tripped.
She had to work on that.
“Do I want to know what’s going through your mind right now?” Lyndsey asked, brow raised. “Because your expression kind of went from disgusted to enthralled.”
She snorted, mainly because her friend had nailed it.
“Never mind. I get it.” Lyndsey grinned, waving a hand at her. “Disgusted by a certain dog abuser and enthralled by the newest ESI agent.”
Again, Emily snorted, mainly because her friend was right.
Not that she’d admit it.
“You’re funny,” she said, her gaze flicking to her two rescue dogs currently snoring in their beds in the corner.
She’d adopted the abused and neglected pooches in Houston, one last year, the other last month. Thankfully, both had adapted to the move and new surroundings very well.
“I’m also right,” Lyndsey stated, regaining her attention.
Of course, her friend would point that out.
“And modest, too.” Emily snickered as she glanced down at her shorts. “I think tonight requires a comfy pair of jeans.”
“And killer dancing boots,” Lyndsey added, walking toward the door. “I’m going to run home and change then meet you there.”
She nodded, and as the door closed behind her friend, Emily rushed up the stairs that separated her dining room from her living room and led to four bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. She loved her old, two-story home, with its large front porch, but it had really been the seven acres and outbuilding that sold heron the place.
Perfect for fostering and now her future sanctuary.
The thought put a smile in her heart that transferred to her face, where it remained twenty-two minutes later as she left her sketches with Stef to transform into scalable blueprints. Her smile was still present as she entered Tex Pub and walked to a table where Lyndsey, Isla, and Christa were already seated near the bar.
Texas Republic was a local honky tonk that pulled in large crowds on the weekends, and this evening was no exception. People came from all over the county and several surrounding ones for the amazing food and live bands.
