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Before he could reply, a man appeared in the doorway. “I’ve got a delivery?” he asked.
Rebelle yelped in surprise, taken aback by another person being at the shelter.
“Yes, bring it in and let’s see where you can hook it up,” Will replied.
“Wait, what?” Rebelle looked after the man who left the building.
“I told you I bought a washing machine, so you didn’t have to lug everything down to the laundromat anymore.”
Her eyes widened. “I thought you were kidding!”
He laughed. “Why would I joke about that?”
“Why would you buy a washing machine? Jesus Christ, I didn’t ask you for any of this! This is my shelter and I decide what happens here, not you. If I need you to do something I’ll tell you and then you go and do it, you got that?” Her voice raised slightly, and defiance flashed in her eyes. His breath snagged in his throat at her demand.
Fuck.
He liked it when she got like this, stern and controlling, demanding and telling him what to do and putting him in his place. The only problem was his place felt like it was at her feet and he fought the urge to sink to his knees before her. He could just picture her, standing over him, instructing him on what to do and he shivered at the image.
He brought himself out of the haze of thoughts that he woulddefinitelypick over when he was alone later. “I hear you, I do. But you need this, the animals need this.”
She looked away from him, frustration radiating from her, her hands balled into fists and then she huffed and stormed off. He didn’t like railroading her, didn’t want to do this but again, she needed it.
Will went through his messages as the washing machine was installed. The knot in his chest tightened and his guilt grew by the second that he wasn’t back on set, that he was holding upproduction, but he couldn’t leave now. There was so much to do here, he was neededhere, not on set.
The washing machine was on a test cycle when Rebelle reappeared with Bryan at her side.
“How’s Parfait?”
“Fine, thank you. And…thank you for the washing machine,” she said, practically through gritted teeth and he flashed her a smile.
“You’re welcome, Belle.”
Her iconic frown slid into place but she didn’t question the nickname. It had slipped out a few times now and he liked it. Belle,beauty.She certainly was. There was a glow to her skin that he hadn’t seen until today, rosy like the haze of the morning sun.
“Did you say you wanted to tell me something?” she asked.
He hesitated, knowing how hard it had been for her to accept the changes he’d made today so he rolled his lips inwards and shook his head.
“No?”
“Well, it was just that I had rearranged the storeroom,” he lied. He would tell her about the dog food another day.
*
“He just won’t stop sticking his stupid nose in where it doesn’t belong!” Rebelle huffed as she paced up and down Justine’s office. “He bought me a trailer, who even does that?”
“He did? Damn, he’s a keeper,” Justine said.
Rebelle frowned at her and Justine made thezipping my mouthmotion.
“I’m not keeping anyone. Anyway, he’s just come in and decided I needed a washing machine and my storage room tidying and he’s everywhere all the time with his smile and can-do attitude and big ideas and I don’t like it.”
“So kick him out, tell him to take a hike,” Justine shrugged.
She chewed on her nail. “I tried that once and it didn’t take.”
“What happened?”
