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Diane got up and held her finger in the air. “I’ll have to give your landlord a call. Pets aren’t allowed at your building.”

A panicked look crossed Olive’s face, and I stepped forward. “Ladies, there’s no need for that. You see, Olive works here now, and she just found Nibbles. I promise you the animal is not living at her apartment, so she isn’t breaking any rules.”

“She’s working here? What about Lori?” Diane demanded to know.

“I can’t discuss the details without Lori being here, but rest assured, it has nothing to do with her skills,” I said. “She has a problem with her health.”

“I see. Milly, let’s go to the bowling alley. We might find out what’s wrong with Lori,” Diane said, picking up her belongings. “It’s Manic Monday after all. I’m sure Lori’s neighbors will be there to spill the beans.”

Milly threw her cutlery down, an excited look on her face. “You’re right. Let’s go. Thanks for the food, Lewis.”

Five minutes later, they were out the door. I found Olive playing with Archie in the waiting room and threw her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry about all that.”

“That’s okay. Just to be clear, I work here now? I get to operate on animals?” she asked jokingly.

I needed to tell her no. There was no way I could really hire Olive. The stack of job applications was waiting for me near the printer, and I was going to hire one of those candidates.

“Not operate, run the front desk. If you want to? I could definitely use your help,” I blurted out. “Lori has mono. Her husband notified me about her condition just an hour ago.”

Her face lit up, and she pulled me into a hug. “Really? That would be so good! You know, I was seriously considering being the shampoo girl at Wondrous Hair Affair. You’re a lifesaver.”

I put my arms around her as well and got a whiff of her. She smelled like chocolate cookies, and I loved it. Still, this was all completely wrong.

Why did I even offer her the job? Why did my mouth refuse to listen to my head? I had a feeling hiring Olive would lead to nothing but trouble.

Chapter Twelve

Olive

Istill couldn’t believe Lewis had offered me a job. Before his question came my way, I’d seriously considered taking the shampoo job. The job at the vet clinic was only part-time, but it paid better than what I’d made as a barista. And I’d have enough time to keep working on my own business. The whole thing felt like a dream. Not to mention working for Lewis and seeing him every day. I had only been at the clinic for two days, but every time he came out of the examination room, he floored me with that dazzling smile of his. When he was wearing his scrubs, well… I was this close to needing a doctor to help me with my heart palpitations. I wondered if looking that good in the workplace could be considered a violation. If it wasn’t, the government should make it so to protect innocent employees like myself.

“Can you hand me the files for the patients this afternoon?” Lewis’s voice pulled me out of my daydreaming.

“Of course,” I said, grabbing a stack of folders from my desk. “Here they are. I’ve put them in the right order and have also color-coded the files by animal type.”

He let out a whistle while leafing through the paperwork. “I’m impressed. This makes my life so much easier.”

“Thanks, Doctor Grant,” I said, making him laugh.

“Please, you only have to call me that in front of patients. When we’re alone, it’s Lewis.”

I knew he preferred to be called by his first name, but I couldn’t help myself. Doctor Grant had such a nice ring to it.

“What does this red Post-it mean? An appointment for a dragon?” He threw me a puzzled look. “You do know dragons don’t exist, right?”

I frowned. “What are you talking about? Have you never seen Dragonheart? And what about that dragon in The Hobbit… Smeagol?”

“No, that’s Gollum, the ugly guy who steals the ring. You’re talking about Smaug.”

“Exactly! Smaug the dragon. He’s as real as you and me.”

A silence fell between us. Lewis looked genuinely shocked and unsure of how to react. I burst out laughing. “Oh man, I was kidding. You should’ve seen the look on your face.”

His eyes sparkled, causing sparks to pop in my chest. If he was going to keep smiling at me like that, there would be a full-fledged fireworks show by the time the day was over.

“I can’t believe I fell for that. Should I toss this fake file then?” he asked.

“No, no, don’t do that. The owner is only seven and convinced she’s got a pet dragon. Her father kept calling me about an appointment, and I caved. The girl has been living in her own world since her mother died last year.”