Read Online Sheltering Hearts by Robyn Carr - Free Book Online

can help cover for me for a while.”
    They were all silent for a moment. Paige finally said, “Dory, thisisn’t right. Your boss should have been the first one in that parking lot. Instead he’s firing you for going.”
    “The least of my concerns right now,” she said. “We have to discuss if anything can be done for that woman and her child. And then I’ll get busy looking for a job.”
    “I might have a suggestion,” Corsica said.
    Dory gave a deep sigh. “Oh, I had hoped one of you might have heard of something. With all the effort we put into looking for available jobs for our single moms, I hoped something might turn up for me. What is it? I think you know I’ll do anything.”
    “It’s a risk,” Corsica said. “It’s a new position, probably won’t pay as well as your cashier’s job, and it will take some finesse and time to work out health benefits. But I think it’s something you can throw your energy into with pride.” She shrugged. “Also, you’re perfect for it.”
    They all glanced at each other, just waiting, wondering. “Well, what is it?” Dory finally asked.
    Corsica slipped a hand inside her briefcase and pulled out a contract. “Up until this minute it didn’t look like the best deal in the world, but under the circumstances, it might be just right. I found a house—a small three-bedroom in Fortuna. The owner is willing to rent it for a pittance plus taxes if the renter is willing to improve the property by cleaning it up, getting it back on its feet so it can be sold eventually. Maybe the time is right,” she said.
    “For?” Mel Sheridan asked.
    “For opening a center,” she said. Then she looked pointedly at Dory. “With a full-time director. After all, this is what we’ve been working toward for three years. We can discuss salary and get busy on a grant that will provide health benefits for Dory and the kids.”
    Mel grinned. “And Dr. Michaels and I can provide some medicalcoverage in the interim. We should actually look into whether you can keep your coverage from the grocery store until you can replace it with coverage from the foundation.”
    It took Dory a minute to respond. “Are you serious? Do you think I’m qualified?”
    “You’re completely qualified,” Corsica said. “You’ll grow with the position, certainly. But you’re the reason we’re all headed in this direction. No matter what happened to your job, you have always been the perfect choice. After all, this whole operation is built primarily on the model of the foundation that helped you. Yes, Dory. You’re the one. The question is, can you afford to take a chance? This is nonprofit work—it’s hard and it’s a gamble.”
    She smiled at them. “It’s going to work,” she said. “We’ve always known that because there’s a desperate need, it has to work.”
    They talked a little about what they could afford from their treasury for salary and rent and improvements for an old house that needed a lot of work.
    Dory found herself laughing. “Why do I feel like a burden has been lifted from my shoulders when, truthfully, it’s hardly enough money to live on? I mean, I don’t want more salary. I want our funds to go where they’re needed most—to the women and children. But I should be crying when instead, I feel like singing!” Then she laughed some more. “I’m insane, that’s what!”
    “Or maybe it’s because you no longer have the pressure of working for an ungrateful, selfish boss,” Mel said. “Instead you’ll be working for something you can believe in. Take it from someone who is often paid in produce—it’s a privilege to be able to do work you love, work you believe in.”
    “Really, it could be so much worse,” Dory said. “My uncle Joe leftme that little house free and clear. I just have to pay the taxes, insurance and utilities. If I didn’t have an old car to keep running, I’d have hardly any expenses besides food, clothing and… Oh! Day care. School will