Page 42 of Bad Wolf

“Well, well, well,” I mumble, unable to look away. That old adage about every picture having a story to tell? This one could be a novel.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without him,” a thick upstate New York accent, similar to my own, sounds from my right.

I smile, knowing exactly who it is without looking. “And I’ll bet you didn’t even have a say in the matter.”

“Nope,” Jenna says, “Just showed up the morning I got the keys, and then for the next month, him, any Madden he could round up, and four other guys from his firehouse worked every spare moment they had.”

We turn and pull each other into a hug that’s long overdue.

“It’s really good to see you, Wren,” Jenna tells me when we finally let each other go.

“I’m so proud of you,” I say, almost tearing up, “You did good.”

“Thank you, and I’m so glad you’re here. Scott filled me in, and you are welcome to come over to mine. I would say stay with me, but I only have a little one bed upstairs.”

“I appreciate the offer. I think I’m going to end up spending way too much time in here anyway. At least Scott has that exercise bike in his apartment I can hop on when I’ve indulged in all this yumminess.”

We laugh and she brings me to the chilled counter. The way she has everything displayed is something to behold. It’s not chock full, but all delicately placed, and the sweet section is organized by color and flavor.

The top shelf is violet through to a pale rose. The middle shelf is yellow through orange, and the bottom shelf is greens and blues.

Told you, doorway to heaven right here.

“Have a browse while I serve this customer,” she says, walking back towards a man who begins to read a lunch order list off his phone.

That’s when I spot a little basket by the cash register filled with individually wrapped gingerbread people, iced to look like they have on firefighter helmets and uniforms.

I giggle into my hands because I just can’t help it, willing myself not to laugh out loud.

Luckily, the next person to walk in is Anna. She rushes over to me and squeezes me in a quick, tight hug.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, we got rerouted by roadwork that seemed to have popped up overnight.”

“Don’t be silly. I was just deciding what to grab for lunch.”

“Oh, you’ll be here forever,” Anna smiles, “Best to just look at the menu. It’s still time-consuming, just not as much as standing in front of it all,” she giggles and we head to our table.

She’s right though, I’m still overwhelmed, but it’s definitely easier than staring into the glass.

There’s a lull in customers at the counter, so Jenna comes over to take our order. I opt for a Steak, Arugula, and Provolone croissant sandwich and a coffee while Anna decides on a salmon, cream cheese bagel with extra capers, and an herbal tea.

And then Anna gets down to business. She tells me the vision she and Casey have for the foundation and where I might be able to fit into that. It’s obvious that Anna has been told all about what I was like in high school, and although I like the picture Casey and whoever else has painted of me, I have to stop her while she’s ahead.

“I really did graduate second in my class and it’s true, I worked really,reallyhard. I was a tenacious student and loved to learn, but Anna, I’m not any of those things anymore. My computer skills barely get me by for my college assignments. I have no idea about bid writing or grants or building a business, let alone at the level you need.”

Her brow furrows and I lower my eyes, “I’m sorry to have to disappoint you. I’m not that girl anymore.”

She purses her lips and nods and then she rests her chin on her hands. She stares at me for a moment and then breaks out into a huge smile.

“How about this then,” she says and takes a quick sip of the tea Jenna placed down while she was talking.

“We’ll hire you as a PA to both of us. We’ll send you stuff to draft up, you can organize our schedule around Casey’s season. Maybe you could come to meetings with me too. It will be busy things to keep you going while you find your footing. I have a feeling you’ll catch on pretty quickly and when you feel ready, we’ll reevaluate your workload.”

I blink and she nods reassuringly.

“Come out to the house a couple of days a week and work from Scott’s the rest of the time.”

“I could do that?” My voice pitches, not really believing an opportunity would just fall into my lap like this.

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