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After leaving Beau with Darren, I got to speak to Justin, who was still sitting in the waiting area. He jumped up as soon as he saw me. “How is Beau? Did he survive the surgery?” His eyes were full of fear.

I sat myself down next to him. “The surgery was successful, and Beau’s stable now. We’re going to keep him overnight, though. He needs medication and constant monitoring.”

Justin let out a sigh. “What a relief. I’m going to call Addy right away and let her know Beau’s stable. Honestly, she’s so stressed about him, I’m worried. She’s pregnant again,” he said in a low voice. “But please don’t tell anyone. It’s early days yet.”

I patted Justin on the shoulder. “Congratulations, man. And don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. Patient-doctor confidentiality, remember?”

“Thanks. It’s not easy being in the spotlight sometimes. Everyone wants to know everything about you. Secrets tend to find a way to get out, so I learned to keep my mouth shut instead.” He let out a yawn. “Sorry about that.”

“That’s okay. You’ve been here for quite some time. It’s best you go home. I’ll call you in the morning to give you an update on Beau’s condition.”

“I don’t know how to thank you, man. You saved his life,” Justin said.

I shook my head. “No need. Saving lives is part of my job.”

“I’ll buy you a beer soon. Are you coming to the fundraiser?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Milly asked me to be part of the auction, but I don’t know if I want people to bid on me, to have dinner with me. It feels weird.”

“I know, but it’s all harmless,” he said with a laugh. “Whether you get auctioned off or not, come and find me that night for a beer, okay?”

“Definitely.”

He left Pine Paw Prints, and I retreated to my office. A pink Post-it note had been attached to my computer screen. I peeled it off. “Archie and I are out for a walk,” the note read. “Be back soon. P.S. Look in your drawer.”

I slid open the top drawer of my desk, wondering what I’d discover there. A small package lay atop my patient files, wrapped in yesterday’s newspaper. Whatever was inside felt small, but heavy. I carefully removed the wrapping. As I uncovered the gift, I realized it was a crystal ball. Another small note was attached to the bottom.

At least now, you can carry a crystal ball with you in your pants at all times and find guidance when you need it. Olive.

I laughed, shaking my head. I tossed the ball in the air and caught it in my palm. Keeping my distance from Olive was getting harder and harder with each unexpected gesture of hers.

Chapter Fourteen

Olive

“Come on, Archie,” I said, getting a bit desperate. “Just do your business for me, please?”

The Akita looked at me as if I had uttered an insane request. Or I could have been imagining it, of course. Did dogs have thoughts like that about humans, or were their facial expressions misleading us? It was quite possible that Archie was thinking about the dog treats I kept in my pocket, or the squirrel he’d like to chase. I had no clue. All I knew for sure was that time was ticking away, and I wanted to return to Pine Paw Prints as soon as possible. Lewis would probably be exhausted after that emergency surgery and all the patients he still had to see before dinner, but I couldn’t go back before Archie finally chose a spot to relieve himself.

We walked a bit further, passing several trees until lo and behold, Archie squatted down. I turned my head to give the dog a little privacy. He probably didn’t care, but it felt like the right thing to do.

Across the street, a group of women stood huddled together. I squinted my eyes. As far as I could tell, Milly and Leanne were chatting with Melissa, who had promoted herself to dog whisperer now. Honestly, sometimes all I wanted to do was grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. That, and some humbleness. I was pretty sure she’d never even heard of arrogance being a despicable characteristic.

Milly spotted me and waved me over. I peeked over my shoulder to check on Archie’s progress. He was all done. I squatted down myself and produced a bag from my pocket to scoop his poop up. I threw the bag into a nearby trash can and crossed the street.

“Hi, ladies,” I said, trying to avoid eye contact with Melissa.

“Is that Lewis’s dog? He looks so fierce and big,” Milly said, her expression full of awe.

Leanne nodded approvingly. “He kind of looks like a bear, don’t you think? All big and cuddly.”

“Kind of like his owner,” Melissa said. She talked as if she had experienced firsthand how big and cuddly Lewis was. It took everything I had not to roll my eyes at her.

She tapped a finger to her chin while studying Archie. “You know, you should tell Lewis to book a session with me. I sense his dog has an identity crisis.”

One of my eyebrows shot up. “You can sense that? And you believe dogs can have an identity crisis?”

“Look at him,” she said, motioning toward the dog. “Like Leanne said, he looks like a bear. What do you think goes through his head when he sees himself in the mirror? Is he a dog? Is he a bear? Is he some sort of crossover? The poor thing is probably confused beyond measure.”