Paws off the Boss - Casey Griffin (best books under 200 pages .TXT) 📗

Okay, can we get one more? Maybe a small one that Piper can hold?”

“Colin!” Piper called out. “Come here.”

Papers rustled behind the desk. Colin appeared, emerging from the rubbish like a packrat, and trotted to her side. Balancing on his hind legs, he pawed at her thigh.

At least one of us is ready, she thought as she picked him up. But she reminded herself it was for a good cause. And it had been her idea, so she had no one to blame but herself.

“Okay,” Holly said. “Let’s get this over with.”

The cameraman hoisted the camera onto his shoulder, and Holly held her microphone at the ready. She cleared her throat, stared into the lens, and smiled like she was the most trustworthy person in San Francisco, everyone’s confidante. In other words, a completely different person.

Zoe gave Piper an encouraging shove from behind, and she stumbled into place next to Holly. Addison gave a thumbs-up. Charlie whined beside Piper. The one ear that he hadn’t lost in an underground dogfight lay nervously against his head.

“You’ll do fine,” Piper told him.

Achoo! Achoo! Achoo! Holly sneezed.

The cameraman counted down, using his fingers as a mark. “In three, two …” His finger counted “one.”

A light on the camera glowed red—as did Piper’s face.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to mimic Holly’s expression, but it felt more plastic-like than sincere. She focused on why she wanted Holly Hart to come there in the first place, the anger, the injustice, and her determination to fix the mess before Marilyn got back. To prove that she could do this herself.

“Every dog has its day. But it’s not today,” Holly began in her authoritative reporter tone. “I’m standing in a rescue center full of dogs just looking for love, but what they got last night was an act of hate when the center was vandalized. I’m here with avid volunteer and dog lover Piper Summers, who was first on the scene.” She turned to her. “Tell us, Piper, what were your first thoughts when you saw this senseless destruction?”

Holly turned the microphone on her, and Piper jumped like it was going to bite her. She took a deep breath, feeling her usual confidence fall into place. Her chin rose on its own, and her back straightened.

“Well, my first thought was for the animals.”

“Were any of them hurt?”

“Thankfully, no, but they were pretty spooked. I’m more worried about what will happen next time.”

“Next time? Do you think that this might happen again?” Holly appeared scandalized, but Piper knew Zoe and Addison had filled her in beforehand.

“This isn’t the first incident. Just last week we had a brick thrown through our window.”

“And now this.” Holly shook her head sadly. “Who would do such a thing?”

“We don’t know. We’re hoping that someone out there has information about the attacks so we can catch this person before the dogs get hurt. But in the meantime, we’d like to raise enough money to install a security system for protection.”

“Definitely a cause worthy of this community’s attention.” She turned back to the camera, speaking directly to the audience. “Without your help, Piper and the other volunteers have about a dog’s chance of uncovering the perpetrator. If anyone has any information regarding this heinous canine caper, please call the local police. In the meantime, the rescue center will accept donations to protect these poor pooches. If you’d like to help, please call the number below.”

The cameraman zoomed in, honing in on the reporter’s pretty face. She paused dramatically. After a moment, Piper eyed her, wondering if it was over.

Then Holly continued. “This is Holly Hart reporting from the San Francisco Dachshund Rescue Center.”

The cameraman ended the segment by closing in on poor Charlie’s face, the unwitting pawn in their plea for money. Finally, he gave a thumbs-up, and the red light turned off.

Holly’s earnest expression transformed again. She snapped her fingers at the camera guy. “Hey, you,” she said again, like it was his name. “Get some footage of the damage and some close-ups of the dogs in the back.”

Addison rushed toward Piper and hugged her. “You did great, Pipe. People will want to help for sure.”

“I hope so. Thanks a lot for coming, Holly.”

“No problem. Thanks for the story. This city loves dogs, so it’ll help boost my ratings. But why do you need donations? What about your boyfriend?” She nodded toward Aiden, who was tidying up behind the desk with Zoe. “Can’t he help? He’s got more money than he knows what to do with.”

“Aiden’s not my boyfriend. He’s my boss.”

Holly snorted. “If my boss looked at me the way he looks at you, I’d take him right to human resources. Although, if my boss looked more like Aiden Caldwell rather than a balding alcoholic, I’d take him right on the newsroom floor.”

Piper watched Aiden, wondering if Holly could be right about how he looked at her. After a moment, she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not asking him for the money. This is our problem, not his.”

Addison bit her lip. “Maybe Holly’s right, Pipe. I mean, I know you’re Miss Independent and everything, but he is rich. And he owns the building. Besides, it’s not really you that has to suffer through it. It’s the dogs.”

“Addy, I don’t feel comfortable. Besides, we can do this. Let’s see what donations come in after the story runs. We’ll have this place in top shape before Marilyn gets back from her cruise.”

They would. Piper would make sure of it. Marilyn had left the center, the guests, in her hands. And she didn’t need anyone to take care of her. She would protect them, even if she had to spend the night on guard duty in one of the enclosures.

The cameraman, or Hey You, finished in the back and packed up the equipment. Holly handed him the microphone and watched him carry it all out to the van parked on the street.

“Well, suit yourself,” she told Piper. “Let me know if there are any big developments in the story so I can do a follow-up.” Her nose wrinkled, and she sneezed again. “Ugh, dogs. It’s all I can smell now. I need a shower.”

Colin grumbled as if affronted, and Piper shushed him.

“Thanks again, Holly,” she said.

“You can catch the show at five.” She waved over her shoulder, walking away without a backward glance. “You did great, honey.”

“Thanks.” Piper took in the chaos one more time and sighed. “Let’s get to it, I suppose.”

Aiden pulled off his tie, preparing to dig in with the rest of them, but Piper put up a hand to stop him. “You’ve done enough already. We’ll be fine.”

“But I haven’t done anything,” he protested.

“I’m sure you have better things to do.”

He flinched at the finality in her tone, and she suddenly felt guilty. She’d assumed he wanted to stay out of some sense of obligation, but his expression was a bit like when she told Colin he had to stay at home while she left for clinical practice.

“Thank you for the offer, though,” she added.

“That’s fine.” He seemed to recover. “I actually have some work to do at the office.”

“On a weekend?”

“No rest for the wicked.” He grinned. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to Piper.

Aiden said a quick goodbye to the others on his way out the door. Once he was gone, Piper unfolded the paper in her hand. It was a check with far too many zeros. She gaped at it for a moment, wondering if she’d forgotten how to read. But no matter how long she stared at it, the amount remained outrageous.

“What is it?” Addison asked.

Piper folded it again before they could see. “Nothing.”

The words “one week” written on the wall loomed over her, threatening who knew what. She considered the check in her hand. Aiden might have made it out to the center, but it didn’t feel like business. It felt like it was for her.

Aiden owned the place. If he really wanted to do something, he could have paid for it through his company, not his own pocket. But could she turn down a donation that would buy them the security system they needed?

As she cleaned, Piper agonized over the check. She was still undecided as she replanted the peace lily in an “I heart dachshunds” soup mug with a missing handle—one of the few vessels left intact—when the phone rang.

“I’ll get it.” Addison searched around the desk for a moment. “If I can find it.”

Following the sound, she discovered it in the garbage. When she picked it up, it broke into two halves. Scowling at it, she held the earpiece and mouthpiece to her face separately. “Dachshund rescue center.”

She listened for a moment while a smile spread across her Fuchsia Flirt pink lips. Gasping, she covered the mouthpiece.

Piper put down the peace lily. “What is it?”

“A donation!” Addison jumped up and down. “We might be okay.”