The most impressive decoration was the pumpkin display on the book side of the store. Kate recalled Donnie talking about it at the last Marley Creek Business Community Meeting. He’drun a contest for kids to decorate pumpkins as their favorite book characters. She saw a Pete the Cat, a Cat in the Hat, and a Clifford the Big Red Dog in the mix. Donnie was so good at having community involvement while also promoting his business. She needed to work on that—now more than ever.
Kate allowed herself to wallow as she waited for Dr. Echols to arrive. Outside, the wind had picked up, and she watched a colorful mix of red, yellow, and brown leaves fly by. Cornstalks had been tied around the streetlights along Main Street, and she imagined the rattling sound they must be making. Kate sighed; she loved this time of year. She remembered the year when Oreo was a puppy, and she and Brittany had decided to do a theme for their costumes. Kate had been a garden gnome, complete with a beard, and Brittany had dressed as a flower. Kate’s stomach tightened, thinking about how she’d removed her petals one by one that night.
Oreo had been dressed like a bumblebee. The corner of her mouth ticked up. She rubbed her chest. He was the best dog. She missed even his stinky farts. Outside she watched as a man jogged past with his dog, and that made her even sadder. Oreo and Brittany were gone, but at least she had her business now. Hannah popped into Kate’s head for a moment. She wondered what Hannah was going to dress as for Halloween and what her plans might be. Kate imagined Hannah dressed up as a witch in a low-cut black dress with a thigh-high slit and glossy black boots. She shifted in her seat, the sadness over her past life gone with the wind.
She checked her phone and saw that Veronica Echols had texted. The vet was looking for a parking spot and would be in shortly. Kate grinned, happy that downtown Marley Creek was so busy on a Wednesday morning that parking was hard to find. The line for coffee and baked goodies had wound down. Kate took a selfie and posted it under Pupcakes and Clawssaints andtagged Books and Breads in the post. She wished she were better at social media, especially now. Shaking her head to dispel the doubt that kept creeping up ever since she’d opened that email from Mrs. Fisher, she looked back out the window and saw a very tall, curvy woman. Her hair was jet black and in a long black braid. She opened the door and walked in. Kate waved at the woman, who walked over and put her hand out.
“Hi Kate. It’s great to meet you.”
Kate shook her hand, admiring the autumnal flannel jacket she was wearing. “Thanks for coming out this morning. I love your coat.”
Dr. Echols smiled slightly. “Thanks, it was my ex-girlfriend’s.”
Kate widened her eyes, “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.”
Veronica squinted her eyes for a moment as she unbuttoned the coat. “Oh, Oh.” She waved her hands, “Nothing like that. We broke up. She moved out and left the coat. After a while, I decided it must be mine now, and I started wearing it this week.”
Kate wiped her hand across her forehead. “Phew, I thought something tragic had happened.”
“There were a couple of weeks when I thought something tragic had happened too. Then I saw her posting on social media with someone new, and I got over it.”
Kate smiled. She liked Dr. Echols. “I think we’re going to get along well.”
Veronica winked. She had rich brown eyes and gorgeous eyelashes. Kate realized they were likely fake or, at the very least, quite enhanced by mascara, but in any case, she was stunning.
“Does this place have pumpkin spice lattes? I know it’s so basic, but I love what I love.”
“They do. In fact, Donnie makes his own mix with pumpkin puree so it’s less sweet than the chain coffee stores.”
“Perfect. I’ve been told I’m sweet enough without extra sugar.” Veronica rolled her eyes as she finished her sentence.
Kate chuckled, and they walked up to the counter, where Kate introduced Veronica to Donnie, and they got lattes and pumpkin strudel muffins.
They sat back down at the table. Veronica took a sip of her coffee and sighed. “You were right; this is divine. Best one I’ve ever had.” She leaned toward Kate. “And I’ve had a lot of them.”
“You should let Donnie know. He’ll appreciate it.”
There were only a couple of other customers. One was at a table working on their laptop, and the other had just received their coffee and was heading out.
Veronica turned toward the counter and lifted her extra-large to-go cup. “This pumpkin spice latte is amazing, Donnie!”
“Thank you!” he said loudly back.
Kate had done her research on Dr. Echols, and now having met her, she thought she was the perfect person for the rental space. “I saw that you have a mobile vet business.”
“Mm-hmm,” Veronica said as she ate her muffin. “About that. I’m looking into options to open a brick-and-mortar clinic, hopefully before the end of next year.”
Kate was so excited she had to stop herself from dancing in her seat. To say this was going better than she’d hoped was the understatement of the year. “I love it. Did you know that the storefront next to my shop is currently available?”
“No, I did not.”
“If you have time, would you like to see it after we finish here?”
Veronica checked her watch. “Let’s do it.”
Kate grinned widely. Things were coming together. In her current cheerful mood, her thoughts turned to Hannah, which was odd. Why did being happy bring Hannah to mind? Was she starting to feel things for her? God, she hoped not. She didn’t want to ruin a good thing.
Chapter Eleven
