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“Absolutely. Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thanks. And it’s really good to officially meet you too,” Ginny said, offering Bronte a small smile.
“Likewise. I’ll get the boss.”
“I’m here,” Gavin’s voice came from behind Ginny and she restrained herself from having a full body reaction. But it was made worse when she turned to look at him and found a little girl tucked in his arms. His eyes flitted to her and the corner of his mouth tipped up in a small smile. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
The little girl gave Ginny a small wave and Gavin chuckled, the sound sending a shiver up her spine. He whispered something to the kid that made her giggle, and Ginny’s ovaries didn’t even stand a chance. Her mind was filled with images of Gavin as a father, running around with little dark-haired kids, complete joy painted on his face.
“Have you seen Mom yet?” he asked, breaking her from her thoughts.
Ginny shook her head, shoving her free hand into the pocket of her pants. “I just got here.”
“Right. I’m just going to hand this munchkin back to her mom and I’ll join you guys. Coffee, tea, water?”
“Coffee sounds good.”
Gavin nodded and asked the teen behind the front desk to get four coffees and then walked past Ginny with the little girl in his arms. She watched him leave, her heart racing at the sight and then blew out a shaky breath as she made her way to the office. The very same office where not too long ago, she’d almost kissed the man who was making her ovaries vibrate with joy.Calm the fuck down, ovaries.
Juniper Rhodes was sitting on the couch, with Cedar’s head resting on her lap, and the sight made Ginny smile. When Gavin said Juniper would be there, Ginny thought it was just a way to make her show up. But apparently the Rhodes matriarch was an important part of all decisions made at the shelter. She could see why Gavin trusted his mother’s judgment, she was quite an incredible woman.
“Ginny! So good to see you again, sweetheart.” Juniper beamed and then pointed at Cedar. “I would get up to hug you, but this one is a little clingy today.”
Chuckling, she bent down to rub the dog’s stomach just as Gavin walked into the room.
“Sorry about that, the toddlers playtime activity ran a little longer than expected.” His hand brushed against Ginny’s back and he stooped to kiss his mother’s cheek before walking around his desk to sit in his chair. Ginny straightened up as Bronte walked in with four coffees and set them on the table.
They grabbed their drinks and got comfortable, then Ginny opened up her iPad and took them through the presentation. She glanced at Gavin and found him staring at her, his sharp green eyes fixed on her face. Clearing her throat, she turned to Juniper and Bronte.
“In all my research, the thing that I realized about adoption drives is that it’s not just about the event, it’s about the publicity leading up to it. You guys don’t do social media very well and nobody ever knows about your events until the day before or the day of.” She looked at Gavin who was scowling, his eyes finally on her iPad. “Nobody adopts a pet on a whim and even getting donations, people think about it a lot before actually putting money into something. So by talking about it in advance, you’re giving them the chance to plan.”
“She’s got a point, boss,” Bronte said, chewing on a fingernail “Our last one only had our families and none of them adopted. They did spend hours playing with the animals, though.”
Gavin grunted and nodded for her to continue. Ginny swiped her finger across the screen to bring up the next element. “You’ve heard of athletes auctioning their time to raise money for a good cause. The same way, we’re giving people a chance to win time with a dog. While translating this into an adoption is important, they’re still going to be donating money which will also help, right?”
Bronte’s excitement was palpable as she squirmed in her seat. “For sure! We’ve been thinking about expanding, because we’re running out of space. More money means building more space.”
Ginny glanced at Gavin, who now had his arms crossed over his chest, scowl still firmly in place.
“Gavin?”
His head snapped up at the mention of his name, looking between the three of them before focusing on Ginny.
“It’s not just about money. I want these pets to find a forever home too.”
Ginny nodded, keeping her eyes on him. “I get it, but you can’tforcepeople to adopt a pet. You can definitely get them interested and curious. And who knows, maybe spending time with a dog or a cat will make them come back later to adopt them when they’re ready.”
“Can you send me this proposal? I’ll need a few days to think it over.”
“Honey, it’s a really good idea,” Juniper said, frowning at her son. Ginny knew that this was Gavin’s way of holding all the control and she was going to let him have it. Just this once.
“Understandable,” she said, nodding at Gavin. “However, I need to know no later than Monday, so I can block dates and be available to put this all together.”
Gavin watched her for a few seconds, then nodded and got to his feet. “Thanks for coming by, Ginny.” And then he was gone, leaving her confused and annoyed, but ready for whatever bullshit he was going to throw her way.
CHAPTER10
