Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
I felt myself lean toward Nate. Was this really happening? That would save us thousands upon thousands of dollars that we could put back into the dog park for things we didn’t think we would be able to do right away.
My mind raced in a million different directions. “What exactly does it mean when you say you’ll do it pro bono? Do we just not pay for your services, but you’ll oversee the construction, and we still pay the subcontractors?”
Doug smiled at me. “Yes, that pretty much sums it up. The in-house contractors I use, though, you will not have to pay for.”
I slowly shook my head. “That’s too much to ask you to do.”
Nate and Doug exchanged looks before Doug cleared his throat. “I’m not taking a loss, Haven, if you’re worried about that. I have a fund set up where I, as well as other members of our community, donate money, their time, and skills, as well as materials, so that I can do projects like this and return it to the community that helped me to get to the point in my career that I can offer pro bono projects. It’s like a giant circle of a wonderful community.”
I stifled the urge to jump and scream like a crazy person. “If you do this pro bono, we can make the membership cheaper.” Turning to Sophia, I said, “We can also open it to the public, maybe a few days a month for free so everyone can enjoy the park!”
Sophia grinned. “That would be amazing. Everyone could get the chance to enjoy the dog park, not just those willing to pay for a pass.”
Tears gathered in my eyes, and I had to quickly excuse myself and walk away from the small group. I could hear Sophia asking Doug questions as I walked toward the area that would be for the large dogs.
I felt Nate before he said a word.
“Are you okay?”
With a jerky head bob, I wiped the tears away. “I can’t help but wonder if I’m dreaming. I never in my life imagined all of this would happen. It almost seems…too good to be true.”
Nate placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him as I asked, “Did you do this?”
He laughed and shook his head. “No, but I knew Doug did pro bono projects in the community, and I also happened to know he is a huge dog lover. He has six of them.”
“Six?” I asked, half laughing, half sobbing. “I’ll have to allocate just one day for him to bring his dogs to play by themselves. I’ll call it Doug’s Doggie Day. Nate…do I deserve this?”
His eyes went wide. “What do you mean? Of course you do, Haven.”
Wrapping my arms around my body, I turned away and stared at the mountains in the distance. “When I first thought of doing a dog park, the membership idea was necessary. If I got the loan, I would need a way to repay it, so what better way to help than offer memberships? But that little girl inside of me, the one who used to watch her mother and father count out how much money they had for the grocery store, felt like a traitor to the people struggling to make ends meet. If they couldn’t afford the membership for their dogs, they would be left out.”
I turned to face him. “Do you know how many times I felt left out growing up? I wanted to go to camp like all my friends, but we couldn’t afford it. I wanted to cheer, but my parents couldn’t afford the uniforms. I couldn’t even play sports because it was hard enough to buy shoes to wear to school, let alone shoes to play soccer in.”
A look of pain washed over his face, and I shook my head. “Don’t feel sorry for me, Nate. I didn’t say that for you to look at me with pity.”
He took my hands in his. “Haven, the last thing I do is pity you. You’re one of the most amazingly strong and independent women I have ever met. I love that your heart is pure and kind and that you even thought about those less fortunate when planning the dog park.”
I chewed on my lip. “It feels like everything has slid into place so easily, which isn’t how my life goes. It’s crazy and chaotic, and I’m always trying to figure out ways to make ends meet, yet still be able to grow. The whole rob Peter to pay Paul thing. Then Sophia came into my life, then you and I found one another in a way I had only dreamed about. All my dreams are coming true, and I’m…”
My voice trailed off as a frog formed in my throat.
“You’re what?” Nate asked.