I walked up to Tom and toyed with the hair on his chest. “You think I don’t love dogs, don’t you?”
Tom smirked and took my hand. “With you, I can never be sure. I mean, it took you over a year to say you loved me.”
I sighed. “Okay. You’re right. When it comes to dogs, I’ll admit I have my reservations. Right now, I only have room for one old dog in my place.”
Tom grinned. “You talking about yourself?”
“Ha ha,” I sneered. “No. I mean you.”
Tom cocked his head to one side. “Wait. Does that mean you want me to move in?”
“Yes. You’ve been a good dog. You can stay.”
Tom let out a silly yip and kissed me.
“And I’m gonna take you up on your offer, too. I’m gonna stay home and write. I mean, I’ve always wanted to. And like you said, life is short. We shouldn’t waste it.”
“I only see one problem with this plan,” Tom said, and furrowed his brow.
“What?”
“There’s something wrong with your clothes.”
“My clothes?” I asked, and looked down at my dress.
“Yes,” Tom whispered in my ear. “They’re still on.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Nearly two months have passed since I broke the news to Milly that I’d be leaving my post at Griffith & Maas to stay home and try my hand at writing novels. Winnie didn’t win the Dollars for Desserts contest. That went to a deep-fried Twinkie full of peanut M&Ms. But she and Winky did hit a different kind of jackpot. Winky got an offer for Old Joe’s Bait House from the guy who owned Caddy’s. The really cool thing was, the guy wanted to keep it as a bait shop and put Winky in charge. Judy Bloomers helped negotiate the contract.
Winky started running the place last week with Winnie by his side. The place still looks like an old shack, but it has a new sign. Old Joe’s Bait Shop is now Winnie and Winky’s Bait & Donut Shop. Davie’s Donuts lost Winnie as head waitress and manager, but she worked it out with Davie so she can still make her peanut-butter bacon bombs there and sell them at the bait store, kind of like a franchise.
J.D. finally confessed to Laverne that he wasn’t sleepwalking, but burying her food in the backyard in an attempt to extend his lifespan. In turn, Laverne confessed to burying J.D.’s cuckoo clock, then, after I un-buried it, to throwing it away in a nearby dumpster. Every once in a while, I still think about the crazy night Laverne and that clock scared the wits out of me. When I do, I like to think that somewhere, in a dumpster far, far away, that mangled old cuckoo clock still gargles out a rancid chirp every hour on the hour.
Bill and Cold Cuts are doing well at the Sunset Sailaway Resort. Business is good, and Bill’s dad Freddie is still enjoying whiling away his golden years with Buster, aka The Colonel, by his side.
Tom and I had dinner with Jorge and his girlfriend Sherryl. She truly was the spitting image of Darryl, Tom’s gorgeous ex. She was also fun and flirty, and I could tell Jorge was crazy about her. She told me she made a pretty good living doing YouTube makeup demonstration videos. She offered to do my makeup, so I let her. When she got done, Tom whispered in my ear that he liked me better without it. How could I not love this man?
Tom also made good on his promise to get me a new couch. It got delivered last Friday. When the guys picked up the old one to haul it away, I found my earrings underneath it, still in the little card thingy. I guess Winky was right. I really should clean under my couch more often.
I wore the earrings today on my last day on the job at Griffith & Maas. I was a good friend and didn’t leave Milly in the lurch. I’d found and trained my replacement, even though, honestly, a trained chimp could make better coffee.
“Did you add four scoops like I said?” I asked the new guy.
“What do I look like, some kind of idiot?” Goober asked.
Dressed in short pants, a short-sleeved dress shirt and a bow tie, yeah, he kind ’a did. I smirked. “Well, now that you mention it –”
“It’s time! It’s time!” Milly shrieked as she ran in the break room.
Goober dropped the coffee can. I dropped everything else and ran out the door after her. We left Goober in charge at the accounting firm and piled into Milly’s red Beemer. She drove like a mad woman while I hung onto the doorknob to keep from ending up on her lap. A few minutes later, we were at her Tudor mansion. Vance met us at the big mahogany door.
“There’s six,” he said. “And they’re all beautiful.”
We ran down the hall to the bedroom I’d caught Buster and Charmine in at the Barkmitzva. In a beautiful wicker basket, Charmine was busy nursing six tiny, reddish-gold balls of fluff.
“They’re Buster’s, all right,” Milly said. “Charmine isn’t the kind of girl to sleep around.”
I fought back a grin. I wasn’t about to argue with that.
“I promised one to Mr. Griffith,” Milly said. “But if you want, Val, you can take your pick.”
A little golden ball stretched out its legs, yawned, and winked at me.
“I’ll take that one,” I said. “The one with the white paw.” I snapped a picture of it to send to Tom, who was busy moving the rest of his stuff in with me today.
I sighed and smiled at the sleeping puppies. It was official. My life would soon be going to the dogs. And, for the moment at least, I was okay with that.
What’s Next for Val?
First of All, Thanks for Reading Six Tricks!
I hope you enjoyed Six Tricks: Doggone Disaster. Take a moment and leave a review now. I read every single one!
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ALSO, DON’T FORGET to visit my website and join my VIP Club. You’ll be the first to know about new releases and have a chance to win great prizes! You’ll also receive a VIP Club exclusive: “Val’s Top Ten Survival Tips for Starting Over.” It’s a hilarious collection of coping tips only Val could come up with.
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Ready for more Val? Keep an eye out for the next book, Seven Daze, coming soon! Better yet, follow me on Amazon and BookBub and you’ll be notified of each new release. Thanks so much for being a fan!
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Bye for now!
About the Author
Like the characters in my novels, I haven’t lead a life of wealth or luxury. In fact, as it stands now, I’m set to inherit a half-eaten jar of Cheez Whiz...if my siblings don’t beat me to it.
During my illustrious career, I’ve been a roller-skating waitress, an actuarial assistant, an advertising copywriter, a real estate agent, a house flipper, an organic farmer, and a traveling vagabond/truth seeker. But no matter where I’ve gone or what I’ve done, I’ve always felt like a weirdo.
I’ve learned a heck of a lot in my life. But getting to know myself has been my greatest journey. Today, I know I’m smart. I’m direct. I’m jaded. I’m hopeful. I’m funny. I’m fierce. I’m a pushover. And I have a laugh that makes strangers come up and want to join in the fun. In other words, I’m a jumble of opposing talents and flaws and emotions. And it’s all good.
In some ways, I’m a lot like Val Fremden. My books featuring Val are not autobiographical, but what comes out of her mouth was first formed in my mind, and sometimes the parallels are undeniable. I drink TNTs. I had a car like Shabby Maggie. And I’ve started my life over four times, driving away with whatever earthly possessions fit in my car. And, perhaps most importantly, I’ve learned that friends come from unexpected places.
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