Page 83 of At the Heart of It
“So are shirtless men, apparently.” Jossy flashed him a knowing grin, and Jonah rolled his eyes.
“This is the rest of the crew,” Jonah said. “Pete Waller, Dan Kinny—is Amy not with you?”
Kate shook her head and glanced away. “She had some things to work on with Viv. Some details in the production schedule.”
Jonah nodded and tried not to look too relieved. The fewer people, the better, as far as he was concerned. If he had his way, they’d just have him and Kate here with no one else.
“I’m glad to finally meet you,” Kate said to Jossy. Jonah watched, wondering if she’d noticed the prosthetic leg. It wasn’t obvious when Jossy wore pants, but today she’d chosen ankle-baring capris. Some people might not pick up on it, but Kate wasn’t some people. Jonah already knew from working with her how observant she was.
He glanced over at Pete to see the cameraman zooming in, and he felt a pang of anger. Goddammit. That would be just like them to exploit his sister’s disability. Jonah glanced at Kate and saw her look at the cameraman, then shake her head once with a frown.
Pete nodded once and redirected the camera at the mob of puppies frolicking at their feet.
“They’re so cute!” Kate declared. She knelt down among them, rewarded by a chorus of playful growls and tiny, nipping teeth. “You’re so fuzzy,” she cooed. “So fuzzy and so very, very sharp.”
Jossy laughed. “They’re teething right now. Watch your necklace. They’ll grab hold and never let go.”
“They’re also potty training, apparently.” Kate winced and glanced at her shoe. “I think little fuzznuts here just filled my favorite shoe with a little liquid love.”
“Oh!” Jossy gasped and rushed toward her. “I’m so sorry. Let me grab some paper towels.”
“It’s fine, totally my fault,” Kate said. “I know better than to wear good shoes to a shoot like this. I normally have an extra pair in the car, but I forgot today.”
She rested one hand on the wall and pried the one off her right foot, then frowned. Glancing around, she spotted the area marked Wee Wee Station and hobbled over. “There,” she said as she dumped out what looked like a zillion gallons of puppy pee. “That’s better.” She grimaced, then leaned down to put it back on her foot.
“Wait!” Jossy said. “What size are you? I think I have some ballet flats my bag.”
“Eleven,” Kate said, glancing at Jossy’s feet. Both the real one and the prosthetic foot were encased in Converse sneakers. “You look like about a six?”
“Six and a half,” Jossy said. “Sorry, that won’t work.”
“I have some running shoes,” Jonah offered. “They’re a men’s ten and a half, so probably a couple sizes too big, but maybe better than four sizes too small?”
Kate seemed to hesitate. “Are you sure? That seems a little . . . intimate.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to remind her that he’d been inside her, so sharing shoes seemed beside the point. But obviously he couldn’t say that. “It’s fine by me, but your call,” he said. “I promise I don’t have cooties, but it might wreck the look of your outfit.”
“Ha!” Kate blew a loose strand of hair off her forehead. “Frankly, I’d love to get out of these heels. I accept.”
Jonah smiled. “I’ll go grab them.”
He hustled out of the room and located the running shoes he’d stashed behind the counter. They were new enough not to be smelly, though the bright-orange hue would clash like crazy with Kate’s green blouse.
But she just thanked him as he handed them over, along with a pair of freshly laundered socks in a gaudy neon yellow. She hopped over to a spigot and rinsed off her foot, then dried it with a nappy gray towel that Jossy handed her.
“Thanks, guys.” She pulled on his shoes and socks, but kept her focus on Jossy. “You’re right, this is a great spot for shooting. The puppies are perfect.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” his sister said. “Even though puppies never have much trouble getting adopted, they’re a good tool to draw people in.”
Kate grinned. “Sort of like shirtless dog walkers?”
“Exactly like shirtless dog walkers.” Jossy winked at Jonah. “Only much cuter.” She looked down at Kate’s feet and laughed. “Now that is a cute look.”
Kate glanced at her own feet, and Jonah half expected her to recoil in embarrassment. Instead, she laughed, turning her foot from side to side. The shoes were a couple of sizes too big, and with the yellow, orange, and green, she looked like a well-dressed circus clown.
She looked adorable. Jonah felt a warmth in the center of his chest that had nothing to do with puppies.
“Okay,” Kate said, clapping her hands together and turning her attention to the camera crew. “What do you think? Will this space work?”
