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I smiled at her, shaking my head. “No, no, that’s okay. I can pick out something else.”

She peered into the freezer, scrunching her nose. “Like what? A microwave dinner with Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes?”

I chuckled. “Maybe I’m a fan of Brussels sprouts, you don’t know that.”

She put a hand on her hip, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “No one loves Brussels sprouts. Look, I don’t want you to starve. The pizza is yours.”

“Really, it’s no problem,” I said.

I extended the pizza box to her, thinking she’d definitely take it, but she didn’t. It fell to the floor with a loud thud, and Archie let out a bark.

We looked at each other, both of us refusing to pick the pizza up. This was turning into an old-fashioned standoff.

She creased her eyebrows and let out a puff of air. “Are you the new vet?” she asked.

Talk about a change of subject. “I am. Did my accent give me away?”

“It did. I’ve heard so much about you already,” she said, bending down to get the pizza off the ground before throwing it into my shopping basket. “I have an excellent idea. The name’s Colleen, by the way.”

“I’m Lewis.”

“Nice to meet you, Lewis, the vet. Look, you’re new in town, right? I’m having a party tonight, and I’d like you to come.”

Uh-uh, not this again. I tried to think of an appropriate response, but nothing came to mind.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing weird,” she said with a laugh. “My husband and I are opening a hamster hotel, and we’re celebrating tonight. That’s why I’m here. They sent me to get more food because, according to my kids, there wasn’t enough. Honestly, do you feel like ten bags of chips, five frozen pizzas, seven kinds of cakes, and fifty hot dogs aren’t enough for a party?”

The beat of silence clued me in to the fact she didn’t mean it in a rhetorical way. “That seems like a proper amount of food if you ask me, but it all depends on how many guests you’re expecting.”

“Quite a few. So, are you coming? There’ll be plenty of animal lovers there, all of them potential patients, am I right?”

Part of me wanted to say no and just go home, eat something, and relax on the couch. But it was Friday, and a party sounded like an excellent way to spend the evening. It would probably be a good thing to meet some of the locals. Plus, I was also curious about the hamster hotel Colleen had mentioned.

“Okay, I’ll come. On one condition.”

“What would that be?”

I grinned. “I’m buying this pizza for you. Consider it a celebratory gift.”

Colleen laughed and patted me on the arm. “I like the way you think, Lewis. Now, let’s get this party started, shall we?”

Chapter Seven

Olive

“Fifty hot dogs and only five pizzas? I have to agree with my brother on this, Mom. It seems off balance.”

“The operative word beingseems. If you cut each pizza in eight pieces, you suddenly have forty pieces. No sane person is going to gobble down an entire pizza at a party.”

I put my phone on speaker mode and placed it on the counter so I could apply my makeup. “Unless said person is named Benjamin.”

“Your brother is still growing, Olive. He needs his carbs.”

I rolled my eyes. As if pizza would help my twenty-year-old brother grow. His length was fine. I was more concerned about his mental growth, to be honest. Sometimes it seemed as if he’d stay sixteen forever.

“You could still go to the store and get Benji his own pizza,” I said. “The party’s not for another hour.”

Mom sighed. “I guess. Anyway, enough about the food. You’re dressing up, right?”