Even Amy had to admit, it did seem like a good fit. “What will you be doing for them?” she asked.
Bridget’s jaw clenched with determination. “Walking dogs, cuddling kittens, and making sure every one of them finds a home by Valentine’s Day.”
By Valentine’s Day? That particular holiday was hardly more than two weeks away. Bridget had to be kidding herself if she thought she could rehome every single shelter pet by then. Then again, maybe Amy was being unfair. Perhaps there weren’t too many animals at the shelter just then, or maybe Valentine’s Day was a huge adoption holiday as people spread the love not just to each other but to new pets as well.
“How many are there? That need homes, I mean,” Amy asked cautiously.
Bridget continued to smile broadly as she revealed, “Fourteen dogs and twenty-one cats. See, lucky number fourteen. It’s a sign that they’ll all be ready for new forever homes by Valentine’s Day.”
“That’s a lot of animals in need of new homes,” Amy said softly. “I think it’s really noble you want to help them all, but try not to worry if it takes more time. Okay?”
Bridget shook her head adamantly. “That’s the kind of defeatist attitude that causes people to fail before they even begin. I’m going in knowing I can do it. These animals have had hard lives, and they deserve to be happy as soon as possible. I will not fail them.”
Oh, no. This was not going to end well. “I don’t disagree with you, but—”
“Amy,” Bridget interrupted with a cold glance in her direction. “Just stop.”
The drastic change in her friend’s demeanor startled Amy so much that she couldn’t have said anything even if she’d wanted to. Was Bridget changing, too? Would they still be friends as they each settled into their post-loss lives?
Whatever happened would happen, but Amy didn’t want to knowingly push her friend away. She sat silently as Bridget navigated the remaining route to the dealership.
Everyone was entitled to grieve in her own way—that was the rule the friends had made—and she needed to respect Bridget’s approach. They’d all faced impossible situations with their parents’ terminal diagnoses, and all except Nichole had lost someone she loved dearly to cancer. Was Bridget hurling herself into another impossible situation now to prove she could still win?
Whatever the case, Amy hoped her friend would be okay. She also promised herself that she’d do whatever it took to help Bridget meet her goal of getting all the shelter animals adopted by Valentine’s Day. Maybe her near run-in with the stray from earlier that night had been a sign.
Hopefully, it would prove to be positive, rather than an omen of even worse things to come.
Chapter 8
Bridget didn’t stick around long after she delivered Amy to the dealership. “I have a ton to do for the shelter,” she explained without a hint of apology. “And I want to see if I can find that dog you almost hit, too.”
After a quick hug goodbye, Bridget booked it out of there, leaving Amy with the bored-looking desk attendant in the mostly empty garage. She explained her situation and gave him all the documentation he requested so the dealership could submit a full write-up to her insurance company.
“Take this, too,” she said, sliding the business card Trent had given her across the counter.
“Your car just came in through the back,” the attendant said with a frown as he picked up the card and added it to the pile that held her license, registration, and other important documents. “We should probably get you situated with a rental. I’ll go scan this stuff first. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. These things tend to take a while.”
Amy watched him go, then lowered herself onto the battered club chair in the waiting area. It had a long, silver piece of duct tape stuck across the seat, which made the whole thing excessively uncomfortable. Ugh. She hoped this place was better at repairing cars than they were furniture.
Settling back as comfortably as she could, she pulled out her phone and fired off a quick text to her friends’ group chat to let them know what had happened and that she was fine. Almost immediately her phone buzzed and jingled with an incoming call.
“Are you hurt?” Hazel demanded without even offering a greeting first.
Amy sighed as she repositioned herself on the beat-up chair. “Not hurt. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”
Hazel didn’t seem to believe her. Her panic only increased as she asked, “Where are you now? Should I come get you?”
Amy gave up on the chair and stood. “No, Bridget already did. I’m waiting at the dealership for my rental car now.”
Hazel gasped. “It’s so bad you need a rental? Why didn’t you call me?”
“Because you’re at work, and I only needed one person to pick me up,” she explained, rubbing tight circles into her temple to stave off the headache that had started to build.
“Don’t scare me like that,” Hazel scolded, finally starting to ease up a little.
“Sorry,” Amy mumbled. “I’ll try to think about your reaction before I get into an accident next time.”
Hazel groaned, and Amy could just picture her friend rolling her eyes. “Haha, very funny. But not very Amy-like, if you ask me.”
No, that had sounded much more like something Nichole would say, and Hazel sounded more like a mother than a friend right about now.
Neither spoke for a beat; then Hazel softened her voice and asked, “How was your first day back at school?”
Amy was grateful for the change of subject, but she’d still rather end this call, get out of this dealership, and go home for the night. “Surprisingly good until the accident,” she answered.
“It helps to have a distraction sometimes,” Hazel murmured. “I’m glad it’s helping you. I’ve been worried.”
“About Bridget? Yeah, me, too.”
“No, about you,” Hazel said pointedly.
“But Bridget’s the one who’s acting like nothing is wrong,” Amy protested. She’d just fought with her over it, too, and she really didn’t feel like getting into another fight with another friend when she’d already been through so much that day.
“Yes,” Hazel said slowly, drawing out the single syllable. “But you’re the one who’s become an entirely different person these last couple months.”
“That’s hurtful,” Amy whispered as she watched the representative return to his standing desk at the front of the garage.
“Maybe,” Hazel admitted with a sigh. “But it’s also true.”
“I don’t really have the time for this right now,” Amy growled into the phone.
“Fine, but just remember I love you and I’m here for you. Same as you were for me. It takes time, but you’ll get where you’re going eventually.”
Oh, so now Hazel was the Zen master of grief? That was a new one. Amy said a quick goodbye, then ended the call.
“All set?” the attendant asked with one brow lifted as he regarded her with a newfound smile.
“I just want to get home, have dinner, and go to bed,” she admitted, walking over to join him at the desk. Her stomach growled as she remembered the tasty meal she’d left behind at the accident. The fries were probably scattered everywhere, but her burger should still be wrapped and ready. Unfortunately, she was too embarrassed to ask after it and too shaken to make another trip through the fast-food line. It looked like she’d be eating whatever leftovers and prepackaged food she could cobble together tonight.