Page 82 of At the Heart of It
Her feet were none of his business. Neither was the rest of her body.
“Hey,” he called as he held open the door.
“Jonah. Good to see you again.” Kate gave a polite nod and slipped through the door with the camera crew marching behind her. Jonah scanned the group, relieved to see no sign of Viv. His ex had been like cling wrap lately, always hanging around wanting to go over notes or have tea together.
It was nice to have some space for once.
“Jossy’s in the back room wrangling puppies,” he said. “She thought that might be a good place to start.”
“Puppies are perfect,” Kate said, smiling as she swung a big microphone over one shoulder. “Everyone loves puppies.”
“Come on. I’ll take you back there.”
He led the way down the hall with the crew following behind. A tech guy named Dan was walking around with a gadget Jonah had come to recognize as a light meter. Pete kept holding his camera at odd angles and swooping in for different approaches to the same shot.
“Nice place you’ve got here,” he mumbled as he moved past Jonah. “Your sister’s doing great work.”
“Thank you,” Jonah said, remembering the text message he’d gotten from Jossy early that morning.
Did you say Pete Waller was the camera guy on your show?
Jonah had texted back quickly.
Yeah, why?
He just made a $500 online donation to the shelter.
Jonah had smiled and texted a quick reply.
That sounds like Pete. Helluva cameraman, even better human.
Jonah watched him work now, wondering how he’d ended up on a show like this. With a demeanor that reminded Jonah of a kindhearted Sasquatch, Pete seemed infinitely more decent than most of the network folks. He brought donuts for the crew every morning, and made it a point to know everyone’s name—even the caterers and the lowliest intern. What drew someone like that to a career in reality TV?
As Kate fell into step beside him, Jonah wondered the same thing about her.
“Thanks again for fitting this in,” she said. “I’m glad we could make it work.”
“So am I,” he said. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me, too,” she said. “For your sister, I mean. I think it’s great we can help the shelter.”
He smiled down at her. “Just for my sister?”
She smiled back, and there was a wistfulness to it. She leaned closer, lowering her voice. “It’s good to see you, too.”
Jonah pushed open the door to the puppy room. The second he did it, eight pairs of eyes looked up at him. Seven pairs belonged to floppy little fur-covered bodies that came rushing toward the doorway.
The other pair was Jossy’s. She grinned up at them from her spot on the floor. “Hey, there!”
She started to stand, and Jonah recognized she was having difficulty. The prosthetic leg must be giving her trouble again. He hurried over, but Jossy waved him away. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Just a little stiff today, that’s all.”
She got to her feet and stuck her hand out to Kate. “I’m Jossy, and I swear that’s not pee on my hand,” she said. “Puppy slobber, maybe.”
“Puppy slobber I can handle.” Kate smiled and shook Jossy’s hand. “I’m Kate Geary. Thanks so much for inviting us here.”
“My pleasure. I was super pumped when Jonah told me about the idea to film here.”
“We’ll definitely do what we can to bring attention to the organization,” Kate said. “Animal advocacy is always popular with viewers.”
