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I looked down at Archie, who quietly sat beside me, oblivious to all that was being said and going on around him. He didn’t appear to be doubting anything about himself.

“Honestly, all Archie cares about is running around, playing, sleeping, and eating. His identity is not a problem.”

She shrugged. “That’s what you say, but a dog whisperer like me knows the truth. I’ll call Lewis myself then.”

“Speaking of Lewis, has he decided about entering the auction?” Milly asked. “If not, I should swing by and talk to him again. It would be such a fantastic opportunity for the town if he entered.”

I held up a hand. “I don’t know, but please don’t swing by right now. Lewis has been dealing with an emergency and still needs to see a lot of patients before dinner. He won’t have time to talk about the auction.”

“Really? What happened?” Leanne asked.

All three women stared at me expectantly, their looks urging me to spill the beans, but I knew better. Anything you said around here could be used against you.

“I can’t talk about that, sorry.”

Melissa winked at me. “Patient confidentiality, right? I know what you mean. I deal with that all the time with my new business. The things I have heard… Unbelievable.”

How was that even possible? She walked dogs. And whispered at them, apparently. It wasn’t as if they were going to spill their greatest secrets to her at the dog park or confide in her that they’d seen their owners naked while showering and how weird that was for them.

“Will you ask Lewis to call me then?” Milly asked.

“And if he can’t be convinced, let him call me,” Melissa said. “I’m certain I can make him change his mind, if you know what I mean.” She slapped her hand in front of her face and giggled, making me almost vomit in my mouth.

“How are things going with the fundraiser anyway?” I asked, trying to subtly change the subject.

“Suzie’s going to sell the bestselling books of the moment at a big discount, and she’s going to donate all profits she makes off of her own books as well. Oh, and Alex is going to make snacks,” Leanne said. “Dave will be serving hamburgers, of course, and Justin Miller will have a booth where you can get a selfie with him dressed as Crocodile Man.”

“And your tarot readings will probably draw a crowd as well,” Milly said, smiling at me.

Melissa threw her a closemouthed smile. “Don’t forget about me. I’m gifting a few of my rhinestone collars to the silent auction. They should raise quite some dollars.”

“That all sounds good,” I said. “It’s nice to see the community come together like this.”

“What about you? Will you go back to Sip’nBean if and when we get the place up and running again?” Milly asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know, working at the clinic is turning out to be great.”

“But Lori will return at some point, won’t she?” Melissa asked. “Her husband told me she’ll be out for a few weeks, but after that, I’m sure she’ll want her job back.”

What had I ever done to Melissa for her to treat me like this? She never directly insulted me, but all her comments were always underhanded.

Next to me, Archie was getting restless. “I don’t know what to tell you except we’ll see what happens. And frankly, it’s none of your business,” I told Melissa.

She gasped and looked genuinely shocked. Leanne and Milly shared a look. My comment would be the talk of the town now, no doubt about it.

“Well, I’ve got to head back to the clinic,” I said and waved the three of them goodbye.

Archie was happy to be moving again, and so was I. I didn’t know why it bothered me so much that Melissa clearly had a thing for Lewis. Maybe the fact that she thought she could snatch him up without effort? Or even that he was hers to snatch up as if Lewis didn’t have a say in the matter at all.

I decided to pick up a pizza from Pete’s Slices. Lewis must be starving after such a long day. I placed my order and waited at one of the outside tables as dogs weren’t allowed inside. Archie lay down at my feet after lapping up fresh water from a bowl one of the waiters had brought out for him.

The tables were decorated with small vases filled with fake flowers. The napkin holders all featured a stack of flyers. I fished them out and went through them. Most were for local businesses, offering a ten percent discount when showing the flyer. I wondered if it would be considered appropriate or not to shove the entire stack in my handbag.

I chuckled as I came across a flyer for my parents’ hamster hotel. Mom had clearly drawn up the entire thing with one of those free online tools. The tagline was pretty clever, though. It read: “Let your hamster unwind while you are too. Full hamster hotel with exclusive perks and a stunning garden view.”

I wouldn’t exactly call the view of Mom and Dad’s garden stunning, but that was marketing, right? You just had to word it in a way that piqued people’s interest. I made a mental note to call my parents later and ask about their new business. It had been a while since we’d sat down and talked like a family. Living on my own was becoming easier every day, but I still missed having them around despite the fact they could annoy me to no end sometimes.

Fifteen minutes later, the pizzas were ready, and Archie and I made our way back to the clinic. I balanced the hot food in one hand while keeping a strong grip on Archie’s leash with the other. No matter how sweet he was, he weighed one hundred and ten pounds and could easily pull me to the ground if I wasn’t careful.