desk. One had Joel’s name printed on the label. What sort of information did it hold? Probably just certificates for classes and training logs—those kinds of things. But what if the paperwork held deeper information? Like something that would help her better understand his past and get him to open up to her? She chided herself for being so curious.
“Looks like you two have been busy.” Wheeler opened up the blinds in his office. Sunlight flooded the room and showed trails of dust on every surface.
Shelby opened her bag to unload some of their bounty. “We spent the morning telling all the business owners about the fund-raiser and got some donations for a silent auction.”
Wheeler leaned over his desk to get a better look. “An auction. What a great idea.”
“Joel didn’t think so.” Shelby jutted her thumb at him.
“Hey.” Joel held up his hands. “I didn’t say that. I just don’t want you biting off more than you can chew and stressing out.”
She’d noticed he usually went quiet around the chief, as if he was nervous because it was his boss. Maybe he didn’t remember how kind Wheeler had been when they were kids. Of course, she thought of Wheeler differently because they shared a special bond. He was the firefighter who had lifted the beam off Shelby and carried her out of the blaze all those years ago. They’d stayed close after that. She couldn’t begin to count the number of times he’d visited her in the hospital as she’d recovered. He’d sent flowers to her after every single skin graft surgery, as well.
If she were being honest, Wheeler had become somewhat of a replacement father to her. She prayed he’d become a trusted mentor in Joel’s life, too, because even a thirty-year-old man needed someone to look up to.
Wheeler made three tsk sounds and shook his head. “I guess you don’t know Shelby well enough yet, but this lady is stronger than concrete. Nothing will stress her out.”
Perhaps she’d hidden her bad days too well if Wheeler thought of her like that. Even right now, stress bubbled just under the surface like water in an overheated teakettle. The mechanic had let her know her car was totaled, and she didn’t have enough money in her savings account to replace it. In fact, she didn’t have enough money in her savings to meet basic needs like paying rent and buying groceries for more than the next three months.
She already had called all her clients who didn’t live in Goose Harbor and told them she couldn’t walk their dogs or watch their homes while they were gone. She was losing so much money by not having a car.
After this fund-raiser, she would need to start applying to the stores in town to find a summer job so she could save up enough money to at least buy a junker and restart her dog-walking business later on. Or figure out a way to work with dogs without having to constantly travel for work. That would be ideal.
Wheeler reached for the paperwork in Shelby’s hand. “Let’s see how you did.”
“Everyone was very generous. Founder’s Creamery gave us a certificate for one free cone a week for an entire year. Maggie gave us an overnight stay at the West Oaks Inn. Clancy at the hardware store is having a sign made that reserves a spot in front of his store for the rest of the year—which is huge because it’s so hard to find parking in the summer and he’s right on the square. Free parking passes to the beach. Cooking classes at The Butcher’s Block Café. A bunch of other stuff like that.”
“Sounds like you guys did great.”
Shelby stepped to the side to make room for Joel. She wanted him to feel like he was part of the conversation. “It was all Joel’s doing. Turns out he’s a smooth talker.”
Wheeler dropped back into his chair. “I could have told you that. I interviewed him!”
Joel shuffled his feet. “I’m standing right here.”
“Smile, son.” The chief rested his elbows on his desk. “Most people never get to hear