The Puppy Problem

by Katie Meyer

  Luke opened his mouth to argue, but closed it again. Grant was too good at reading people; he’d see through a bullshit story. It was one of the reasons the guy was so good in the courtroom. He’d never explained why he’d made the switch to contract and real estate law, but it certainly hadn’t been for a lack of success. More likely the tame stuff paid better than working for the county prosecutor. Grant clearly hadn’t lost his touch, and Luke needed some serious resolve to keep from squirming under his friend’s affable cross-examination.

  “Fine, what do you want to know? Although I’m warning you, the actual facts are probably much less interesting than whatever stories the Paradise gossip network has started spreading.”

  “No doubt,” Grant agreed with a chuckle. “I’ve heard everything from a run-of-the-mill fling to you being her long-lost husband returned from the grave. Obviously, in that version, her husband wasn’t actually killed but was instead working undercover as a spy.”

  Luke groaned. This was why he didn’t date. He spent thirty minutes with a woman in public and was now a returning war hero back to claim his lost bride. “Tell me you are exaggerating.”

  “Maybe a little. But not much.”

  “Well, let me assure you, none of what you heard is true.”

  Grant frowned. “Not even the fling? I was kind of hoping that one was true.”

  “Fake news.” A single kiss didn’t count as a fling, right?

  “So you haven’t slept together? Or kissed? Made goo-goo eyes at one another over a romantic dinner?”

  The lighthearted tone didn’t fool Luke. Grant would keep digging until he hit pay dirt. Uncovering the truth was what he did. It was just damned annoying to be on the wrong end of his shovel. “Listen, you can’t talk about this with anyone, okay?”

  “Would I do that?” Grant put a hand over his heart in mock distress. “Your lack of faith wounds me.”

  “Dude, I’m serious. Her kid’s a student, and I don’t want to mess up my job here.”

  Grant straightened, lawyer face in place. “Do your terms of employment prohibit fraternization with the relatives of students?”

  Luke shook his head. “I don’t think so. At least, nothing obvious. But that doesn’t mean the board of directors wouldn’t unofficially frown on the idea. Getting rid of a first-year principal isn’t hard, and I don’t need them gunning for me.”

  Grant was silent for a moment. “I guess I see what you’re saying, but still, why don’t you let me take a look at your employment contract, so you know what you’re dealing with.”

  “I don’t think it matters anymore. She made it pretty clear last night that this isn’t going to be an ongoing thing.”

  “Aha! So it was a thing!” He pumped a fist in the air. “I knew it.”

  “Not really. I mean, we spent some time together, but it was about her kid—at least, at first. You saw the waiver, she wants her kid’s service dog to come to school, and I needed to see the dog in action before I could make an educated decision.”

  “Right, but something other than dog walking must have happened to get you this twisted up.”

  “We kissed.”

  “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. What happened after the kiss?”

  “She kicked me out of her house.”

  “Yikes.”

  “Yeah. I wanted to talk, but she told me to email her, and then said to let myself out.” He hung his head, hating to ask but needing to know. “You think I blew it?”

  “She told you to email her? Yeah, man, sorry. That’s definitely a shutdown.”

  “I figured. Probably for the best, given everything.”

  Grant nodded, allowing him the out. “So what are you going to do now?”

  The only thing he could do. “I’m going to take a look at those forms you brought and then I’m going to email her.”

  * * *

  Megan stood at the counter, debating pouring another cup of coffee. She’d already had three and it was only 10:00 a.m. She didn’t need any more caffeine. What she needed was a distraction. Anything to keep her hands busy so she didn’t keep checking the email app on her phone.

  She hadn’t heard from Luke yet. What had she expected after the way she’d treated him last night? First, she’d pounced on him, crossing both professional and personal boundaries. Then, after practically eating him alive, she’d acted like he wasn’t worth the time of day. She hadn’t even said goodbye. Just walked away like...well, like a not very nice person.

  At this point, no news was probably good news. After everything, she wouldn’t blame him if he retracted his offer to let Lily come to school. Worse, it was entirely possible he’d ask her to remove Owen from the school entirely. All because of her.

  She’d jeopardized everything. And for what? For a few minutes of feeling good? Had she become that lonely, that desperate, for physical contact, that she’d gamble her child’s future away? It made no sense. She wasn’t a risk-taker, and she never lost control, not ever. Even after Tim died, she’d kept it together, made the arrangements, and moved on with her life.

  There was no explanation for her behavior. But couldn’t sleep deprivation make people act out of character? She’d certainly been exhausted, but she’d been tired for the past six years and this was the first time she’d groped someone in the kitchen. Maybe she was having some kind of midlife crisis. Although, at not yet thirty years old, it seemed unlikely. And dwelling on the situation wasn’t going to help. Neither was sitting around, waiting for him to email her, like some soppy teenager. “It’s not like I don’t have plenty to do around here, right, Lily?”

  Ever patient, Lily simply stared up at her before settling down again next to the ceramic dog bowl Owen had picked out for her the day they’d brought her home. Her empty dog bowl.

  “Oh, sorry! You want your breakfast, don’t you?” Normally, Owen fed Lily before he had his own breakfast, but because of his stomach bug, she’d just given him some watered-down juice and told him stay in bed. That was an hour ago, and between the change in routine and ruminating on the whole Luke situation, she’d not thought to do it herself.

  “See, Lily,” she said, opening the kibble canister and finding it nearly empty. “This is exactly why I need to stay away from Luke Wright. I obviously can’t handle a love life and everything else. One kiss and I nearly forget to feed you.” She scooped Lily’s normal ration into her bowl and, feeling guilty, added a few dog biscuits from the jar on the counter. “We don’t need anyone else anyway, right, girl? The three of us are a team, one for all and all for one.”

  The reference to teamwork made her think of Luke’s little pep talk with Owen yesterday about accepting help. Ugh. She didn’t want to think about him, or about what he’d said. It was good advice for a six-year-old, but she was an adult, and she wasn’t used to needing other people.

  She did, however, need to get more dog food. That had been on her weekend to-do list, but between ice cream and dinner at Luke’s on Saturday, and then Owen getting sick yesterday, it had slipped her mind. One more sign that she wasn’t cut out for a social life.

  “So, how are we going to manage this, Lily?” She didn’t want to drag Owen out of his sick bed, and even if she had someone to call to watch him, she didn’t like leaving him when he wasn’t feeling well. Frustrated, she poured a cup of coffee she shouldn’t drink and tried to think. This was a simple problem, and she was a modern woman. Surely, she could figure something out.

  Megan thought better when she cleaned, so while her brain puzzled over the problem, she started another load of laundry and then emptied the dishwasher. She’d moved on to wiping down the microwave when an idea came to her. Grabbing her phone, she quickly checked on Owen before placing a call.

  The Paradise Animal Clinic wasn’t far from her house, and they carried Lily’s dog food, a premium brand recommended by her trainer. Maybe, si
nce they were so close, she could arrange to have the food delivered to her house for an extra fee.

  When the receptionist picked up, Megan quickly explained her request. “I can give you my credit card over the phone, and I’m happy to pay a delivery fee,” she added, crossing her fingers.

  “We don’t normally do that,” the young woman replied uncertainly. “I’d have to ask the doc.”

  “Would you, please?” She had no real reason to expect such a favor, but this was Paradise, the tropical version of Mayberry. The kind of place where personal service still existed. At least, she hoped so. A minute later, the hold music clicked off and a different voice came on the line.

  “Hi, Megan, it’s Cassie. Olivia said you were asking about a delivery?”

  “Yes. I mean, I know you don’t normally do that kind of thing, but Owen’s sick, and I’m out of Lily’s food. I thought maybe if you could spare someone—”

  “Oh no, is Owen okay? I hope it isn’t that stomach thing going around at school. Emma had it last week. I swear I’ve never seen so much puke in my life.”

  “Yes, it is, and he’s doing much better now, thank you. I just don’t want to drag him out of the house if I can avoid it.”

  “I don’t blame you. Let the kid rest. If you can wait until this evening, I’ll bring the food by myself. Is there anything else you need? Soup? Crackers? A bottle of wine or some chocolate for yourself?”

  Megan laughed, her heart lifting. “Just the dog food. And this evening is fine.”

  “Okay. Well, I have to run, we’ve got a litter of puppies that just came in for their first vaccines. Just call and tell Olivia if you think of anything else you need. Otherwise, I’ll see you later.”

  Pleased with her success in solving the dog food dilemma, Megan turned her attention to the project she’d promised her most recent client.

  Several hours later, she’d made good progress. Owen was feeling better, too, and had joined her at the kitchen table with his coloring books and crayons. He was so intent on his artwork that he didn’t even look up when the doorbell provided an unexpected but welcome distraction.

  “I’m going to see who’s at the door. I’ll be right back. Okay?”

  Owen nodded and continued coloring. He didn’t like being interrupted. She, however, was ready for a break. Rolling her shoulders to work out the kinks, she headed for the front door, expecting a salesman or perhaps a package she needed to sign for. Instead, she found Cassie, Lily’s veterinarian, standing on her doorstep with a large takeout bag in her hand and a sack of kibble at her feet. “Cassie! I didn’t expect you until tonight.”

  The strawberry-blonde shrugged, her freckled nose scrunching as she smiled. “I know, but I actually had time for a real lunch break today, so I figured I’d come by now, if that’s okay?”

  “Of course! Would you like to come in?”

  “I’d love to.” She hefted the takeout bag. “I hate eating at my desk, so I took the liberty of picking up enough food for all of us, in return for you letting me enjoy a meal at a real table.”

  Megan nearly dropped the dog food bag she’d just picked up. The petite veterinarian had always been friendly at Lily’s checkups, and they’d run into each other at All Saints, where Cassie’s daughter was a grade ahead of Owen. But they weren’t what Megan would consider friends.

  “You didn’t have to do that—”

  “I know, but I did anyway.” She grinned. “I remember what it’s like to be a single mom. Admit it, more often than not, lunch is whatever bits of food your kid left on the plate.”

  Megan couldn’t help but return the smile. “Guilty.”

  “Besides,” Cassie continued, lowering her voice, “I have an ulterior motive. There is some very interesting gossip going around about you and a certain school principal, and I figured this was my chance to get the straight scoop.”

  Megan stopped halfway down the hall, panic rising. “What? What kind of rumors?” Had Luke told someone about what had happened last night? Embarrassment flip-flopped in her stomach, followed immediately by anger.

  “Nothing terrible.” Cassie patted her shoulder before moving past her toward the kitchen. “It’s all sort of ridiculous, really, just speculation. You know how people get. Once they saw you together at church, people started thinking—” She stopped, spotting Owen, and Megan was left wondering what exactly people were thinking.

  “Hey, kiddo, you remember Dr. Cassie from the animal clinic, right?”

  He looked up, his eyes widening in recognition. “You’re Emma’s mom. Is Emma here, too?”

  Cassie shook her head. “Sorry, Emma’s at school. I came to bring Lily her dog food, and I brought lunch for you and your mom.”

  “Oh.” Much less interested in food than a potential playmate, he returned his attention to the coloring book in front of him.

  “Hey, Owen.” Megan put her hand over his, stilling his crayon. “What do you say to Dr. Cassie for bringing you lunch?”

  He squirmed. Social niceties didn’t come easily to him. “Sorry?”

  She held back a chuckle. “That’s a polite word, but try again. Why do you say when someone brings you something?”

  “Oh yeah.” He briefly turned in Cassie’s direction, not quite managing eye contact, but almost. “Thank you.” Returning his attention to the paper in front of him he asked, “Now can I color?”

  Reminding herself that small victories would add up, she decided to accept his not quite perfect manners for now. “Sure. Are you hungry?”

  He shook his head, and Megan didn’t push. It was no surprise his appetite wasn’t quite back yet, after yesterday. Rising, she turned and found Cassie had already found plates and was dishing out the food. “Wow, you’re efficient.”

  The other woman shrugged. “I’m a working mom, we have to be, right?”

  “Good point.” Megan helped herself to half a sandwich and one of the bowls of steamy soup. “Do you mind if we eat outside? I know it’s hot but...” She angled her head in Owen’s direction.

  “More privacy. I get it.”

  Heading back the way they’d come, she called to Owen over her shoulder. “I’ll be out front with Dr. Cassie if you need me.” Then to Cassie said, “Thanks. He often seems like he’s in his own world, but he has an uncanny ability to tune in right at the worst times.”

  Outside, the humidity was brutal, but the covered porch was shady and boasted a secondhand swing she’d refinished herself.

  Settling onto it, Megan motioned for the veterinarian to join her. Cassie had brought thickly carved turkey on crusty sourdough bread, with homemade potato chips and sour pickle spears, so, for a few minutes, they ate in silence. But as soon as Megan finished the last bite of her sandwich, Cassie pounced.

  “So, spill it, lady. What’s going on between you and Paradise’s most eligible bachelor?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Uh-uh.” Cassie shook her head. “I can’t go back to the office without more info than that. I’ll be eaten alive.”

  Megan blinked. “You want me to give you a scoop so you can spread more gossip?” And she’d just started thinking that maybe Cassie could be a real friend. She started to stand, but Cassie, looking stricken, grabbed her wrist.

  “No, I was kidding. It was a joke. A bad one, obviously. Trust me, I’ve been the subject of enough gossip to last us both a lifetime. I’m not looking to create more. In fact, that’s why I came over today.”

  “I thought it was to deliver dog food and to escape the office.”

  Cassie grinned. “That, too. But mostly I wanted to give you a heads-up and to see if you were okay. I know what it’s like to have people speculating about your love life... Emma’s father wasn’t exactly a stand-up citizen and, when I got pregnant, he left town. What had happened, and what I was going to do about it, fueled the rumor mill for a long time.”
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  Megan sat back. Maybe there was more to Cassie than she’d realized. She’d certainly never heard this story, but then again, it would have been before she’d arrived in Paradise. “I’m sorry, that had to be hard.”

  “It was.” She shrugged. “It made me never want to date again, both because I had lost my faith in men but also because I didn’t want to give people a reason to talk about me.”

  “It is pretty freaky to know that people are gossiping about me,” Megan admitted. “I mean what can they even say? That we sat by each other at church? It’s not like they saw us—” She clamped her mouth closed, realizing what she’d been about to let slip.

  Cassie leaned in, her eyes sparkling. “Saw you what?”

  “I thought you didn’t like gossip,” Megan protested.

  “I don’t. But this isn’t gossip. It’s girl talk. I hate gossip, but I’m a big proponent of girl talk.”

  Is that what this was? It had been so long, Megan had forgotten how nice it could be to share things with another woman. Doing so now felt risky, but she was dying to tell someone. “You aren’t going to repeat this?”

  Cassie traced an X across her chest. “Cross my heart.”

  “Fine. I mean, it’s not like it’s a big deal or anything. We were just spending time together so he could get a feel for how Lily helps Owen, with the idea of maybe having Lily go to school.”

  “Okay...”

  “That’s why he was at church with us. But then Owen got sick, and we came back here. I figured Luke—”

  “You call him Luke? You guys are on a first-name basis?”

  Megan waved a dismissive hand to shush her. “I figured he would leave once we got back, but he didn’t. He stayed. He even washed all the sheets Owen had vomited on.”

  “Tell me this story doesn’t end with puke and laundry,” Cassie begged. “’Cause as sweet as that is, that he helped, it’s kind of gross.”