“It’s Tater Tot,” Holly said.
“Wait.Is this one of the puppies that came to Kringle Falls with Odie?”
“Uh.Yeah.”
Belle’s smile broadened.“That’s great.We can have puppy playdates.”The excitement was evident in her voice.“We can include Candi with Tank.And then the puppies will be back together.”
Tater Tot’s tail wagged so fast his backend moved side to side.He inched forward, all the while sniffing the air.Belle held her hand out to him.They made fast friends.
“I don’t know about the playdates,” Holly said.“I won’t have him much longer.”
Belle looked at her with a wide-eyed stare.“Wait.What?”
“I’m just fostering him until Merry can find him an appropriate home.She had one, but there was an emergency, and they couldn’t take him.So, we’re just waiting for her to locate another family.”
Belle looked down at Tater Tot, who was rubbing all over her, and then she looked back at Holly.“Please tell me you’re going to keep him.”
Holly shook her head.“I, uh… I can’t.”
“Sure, you can.Look how good he is.I’m guessing you two already have a routine.”
As Belle was speaking, Holly continued to shake her head.She kept telling herself all of the reasons why it wouldn’t work.But she was finding that as the days went by, she had less reasons not to keep Tater Tot.Still, she wasn’t sure she was ready to open her home as well as her fragile heart.
Holly locked the door to the shop and put the “Out to Lunch” sign in the window.Then they moved to the little office in the back.
Belle took their salads out of the bag.“You wouldn’t believe my day so far.”
Holly got a couple of waters out of the little fridge next to the desk.“I don’t know.You wouldn’t believe my week.”
Belle sat down and handed her a plastic fork and napkin.“Well, I got pulled over by the sheriff.”
Holly nodded.“I heard.And I’ve been spending time with Colin.”
“I heard that too.”
“You did?”
“There’s nothing that goes unnoticed in this small town.And the fact you’re hanging out with one of the Bishop brothers—the one you had the biggest crush on—only made tongues wag faster.”
Heat rushed to Holly’s cheeks.Wanting to turn the attention away from herself, she said, “Why did you get pulled over this time?Please tell me you weren’t speeding on those icy roads.”
“No.Of course not.No.He pulled me over because my tail light was out.”
“Oh.Well, that isn’t so bad.Is it?”
Belle sighed.“Maybe if it was anyone but Parker Bishop.I swear that man sits around just waiting for me to make a mistake.This time it wasn’t even my fault.How was I supposed to know my light was out?”
“You do have a point.”
“So, tell me about you and Colin?”Belle’s eyes lit up with interest.
“There’s no Colin and me.”She sighed.“He’s been assisting me with Tater Tot.I don’t know anything about dogs.So, he’s been helping me figure things out.”
“Things, huh?”There was a sing-song tone to her voice.
“Stop.It’s not like that.You know he was never into me.”
“So you say.But that was when you were kids.It’s different now.You’re both grown up, and there’s no age barrier.What else have you two done together?”
