Page 47

I fired off a text to Olive, asking her to meet me later at the local diner. Then I put Archie’s leash on and went out. Some fresh summer air would do me good.

Archie kept pulling at the leash, his big eyes begging me to go faster, but I wasn’t in the mood for jogging. Not after a night without any sleep.

“Not now, boy,” I said. “Later, when we get to the dog park, okay? Now heel, Archie.”

The dog did as I asked. It wasn’t that I wanted to be extra strict with him, but a dog his size out on the street needed to listen to his owner, or he’d wreak havoc all over town.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and slid my finger across the screen to read the incoming text message. It was Olive telling me she was free to meet me, and that she was bringing a cute lady with her.

I frowned. How odd of her to bring someone to a private conversation. I slid the phone back into my pocket, wondering who she’d bring. Her mother, maybe? A friend? But why? Sometimes I feared I’d never understand women. They were such complicated beings.

When we arrived at the dog park, Archie was ecstatic and ran from one corner to another. I slid down on one of the benches.

Not even five minutes later, Diane came into sight, heading straight for me. I was starting to suspect this town had cameras everywhere to track everyone’s moves or something. How did these people manage to find me wherever I was?

Diane’s dog, Lulu, was dressed in a pink sweater, the same color as Diane’s blouse. The poor dog must be sweating, dressed like that in this heat.

The woman perched herself down next to me, pulling Lulu onto her lap. Not only did the dog have to endure being dressed up, but she also wasn’t allowed to go and play with the other canines. I truly felt sorry for her.

“Hi, Diane,” I said.

She looked me up and down. “Is something wrong? You have stubble, and there are bags under your eyes.”

I shook my head. “Just a long night at the clinic. How can I help you?”

“You know what this is about, Doctor Grant.”

“Ah, the fundraiser.”

She looked at me expectantly. “We need you.”

I blew out a breath. “I know.”

I felt far too tired to argue with her over this fundraiser thing again. “You know what? I’ll do it, but only if I can have a table set up with information about neutering and spaying. There are too many animals out on the streets, left to suffer. I’d like to educate the people of Old Pine Cove about taking responsibility for their pets.”

She mulled it over for a couple of seconds. “Hmm, yes, I can agree to that. But how about instead of doing it at the fundraiser, you do a workshop at the community center next weekend? I’m sure there’ll be a great turnout. Separating the events will have people more focused.”

“That’s a great idea, Diane,” I said.

She gave me a curt nod. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Doctor Grant.” Then she got up and brushed some imaginary dust from her blouse. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to check on my gardener. I instructed him to trim the grass in my backyard, but he’s always at least half an inch off.” She pressed her fingers against her forehead. “Honestly, it’s tiring to check on everyone all the time. Is it so hard to trim a yard to exactly seven-eighths of an inch?”

Her questioning gaze let me know she expected a reply, but there were no words for this kind of nitpicking, so I just shrugged and smiled.

“I hope it all works out for you,” I said, although the one I was keeping my fingers crossed for wasn’t Diane but her poor gardener.

She sighed dramatically. “Me too, Doctor Grant.”

Lulu landed back in her oversized purse. The dog hadn’t even set foot on the ground yet. I’d probably have to talk to Diane about it when she came back to the clinic for Lulu’s next vaccinations. Gently, of course. But she had to know dogs needed exercise. They weren’t some fancy accessory you carried around in your bag all day long.

Archie and I made our way back to the house. I’d take a nap and then shave before heading to Dave’s Diner to meet Olive. I didn’t want her to see me this tired or with an unshaven jawline.

At home, I let myself fall back on my bed. It felt so good to finally be horizontal. My muscles relaxed almost immediately, and my eyes fell shut within seconds. I sighed. Sleep was all I craved.

I drifted off into a deep slumber. Olive was there, and she was laughing nonstop. We were having so much fun, my muscles hurt from smiling. It was only when I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing that I realized none of it had been real.

My phone rang again, and I stumbled out of bed, tripping over a box I still hadn’t unpacked yet.

I slid my finger over the screen while rubbing my head with my other hand. Luckily the impact had been lessened by the carpet next to my bed.