Page 91 of Impurrfections

“But of a very different character.”

“Are you saying the people who taste wine are somehow better drivers than the people who adopt pets?” That wasn’t what he’d meant, of course, any more than it would’ve been what my grandparents meant, but I enjoyed not letting his statement go.

“That’s not relevant,” he dodged. “The issue of listening to the local residents is.”

A slim man with long, black hair, a close-cropped beard, and tan skin rose to his feet near the back and waved. “I’m a resident. May I comment?”

Quentin gestured to him. “You’re up. Please keep to the two-minute limit.”

I sat back beside Shane as the new guy wound his way out from between the seats. Shane murmured, “You know him?”

“Not a clue.”

The guy reached for the mic. “Okay, folks, I’m Anthony Rodrigues.” He gave his address, which wasn’t very close to the shelter. “If you don’t know me, that’s probably a bonus for you. I’m one of Gaynor Beach’s social workers. And I’m here to say we need this rescue not just for the pets, but for the people.” He looked around the room. “You know one of the big reasons people don’t leave abusive partners? Because they have a pet, and the domestic violence shelters can’t take animals, and their abuser says if they leave, they’ll torture or kill the pet. Abused partners don’t have resources. They don’t know about fosters. But a public rescue facility? That they would hear about. As a last resort, they would know their pet could be left at a safe place while they get free.”

Van Doren said, “Perhaps our women’s shelters should be required to take pets.”

“They’re also overfull.” Anthony raised a dark eyebrow. “And are you suggestingtheyshould house multiple pets in residential areas?”

“Surely, it wouldn’t be that many.”

Anthony shrugged. “I’m just saying, if you’re a woman whose husband has threatened to torture your cat, and you know there’s a rescue where you can leave her if you can’t take her with you, maybe you run before he kills you.”

I stared at the slim man standing at the mic, because while I’d hoped to do a good thing with this shelter, I hadn’t realized how far that hope might reach. Not just for pets, but at-risk people.We have to win.I moved my knee to press against Shane’s and he nodded to me.

After a moment of silence, the mayor said, “Thank you, Mr. Rodrigues.”

Anthony replied, “Thank you for listening, and caring,” and headed back to his seat.

A councilman to the mayor’s right who hadn’t spoken yet leaned forward. “I think we’ve established that an animal rescue facility would be a good thing for Gaynor Beach. The question is, does the property we’re looking at cause more problems than it solves? I wouldn’t want eighteen dogs barking at me from my neighbor’s backyard either.”

“Exactly!” Van Doren exclaimed. “What if they decide to build outdoor runs and house more and more dogs? No one denies that we need to shelter our stray pets, but there are other important considerations to this permit.”

“We don’t have an official permit request yet,” the mayor pointed out. “Can someone explain why that is?”

Arthur pushed to his feet from the very back row and came forward. “Me? I’ll lead the rescue nonprofit, when it gets underway. And run the shelter.”

“Please state your name and address for the record.”

He flushed and did so. “Sorry, ma’am.”

“You’re fine. You do know that you need to officially request a special-use permit for the rescue? There’s a specific process online or in person.”

“Yes, ma’am. But the paperwork for Safe Haven Animal Rescue as a nonprofit is still pending with the state. Till that goes through, Theo— Mr. Lafontaine— can’t donate the property and get the tax credit. And the permit should be in the name of the rescue. So we were waiting.”

“Understandable.” Mayor Jacks side-eyed Van Doren. “It looks like we jumped the gun.”

Van Doren said, “I think it’s ideal for us to set boundaries before the project becomes too well established.”

Arthur clutched the mic. “Sure. And I understand. But you gotta know, I have a house full of foster pets with nowhere to go. I can’t take any more. And Theo’s already doing some of the conversions in the venue using his own dollars. It’s super generous of him. Having an animal rescue that could take more than two or three pets at a time has been a dream of mine for years. I thought it was impossible. And then here’s Theo, giving the rescue millions of dollars. It’s incredible.”

“Surely, you can find a more suitable property.” Van Doren gestured at a city map on the chamber wall. “There must be dozens of less problematic locations.”

Shane drawled, “You offering to donate a property that you own?”

Van Doren glared at him. “Lafontaine could sell that building. Buy a more reasonable place and donate that. I’d consider purchasing the wine tasting venue, if the price was right.”

The mayor added to Shane, “Please wait to be recognized before speaking.”

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