But, slowly, she’d built up a pretty dedicated readership at the online magazine she worked for. It helped that she had a pretty cute shtick, if she did say so herself: wherever she went, within reason, she brought her little dog Fillmore with her.
Of course, Fillmore couldn’t come with her on the trips where she was sent to other countries, and had to be content with staying at home with a dogsitter. But any domestic travel, he was right there by her side, every time.
Readers loved seeing what he was up to – sniffing at her less-than-clean bedsheets in cheap motels, sharing in at least some of her most disgusting foods, or just hanging out on the seat of her car on the trips where she was expected to drive herself to her current assignment.
It helped, Luna supposed, that Fillmore was a pretty distinctive-looking dog. Sure, she’d heard what people said about him –butt-ugly mutt, world’s most hideous pet, oh my God, what the hell isthat – but Luna just thought the way Fillmore looked – with his patchy fur, his bulging eyes, his crooked teeth, his lopsided ears – just showed his character.
Which… okay, hadalsoattracted some comments over the years, mainly things likeThat has got to be the grumpiest, most bad-tempered, snappish, foul-breathed beast I have ever seen.
Luna didn’t think that was entirely fair – Fillmore just took a little while to warm up to people. But once he did, she didn’t think they’d ever find a more loyal and loving dog. He’d just had a rough start to life, that was all. She’d gotten him as a puppy from a shelter, and it was clear even then that he’d been living rough up until someone caught him and brought him in. So who could blame him for being a little wary of strangers? All Luna knew was that Fillmore had never been anything other than sweet to her, from the first moment she’d picked him up and cradled him against her chest.
In any case,readersloved Fillmore. She’d even been able to pitch a short series of articles to her editor,The Adventures of Fillmore, the World’s Ugliest Dog, based on his popularity, and it had brought in so many clicks – and therefore, advertising dollars – that she’d felt brave enough to ask him for a bit of a promotion.
To her shock, he’d actually agreed to it – and that was why she was here in Girdwood Springs to cover their inaugural festival promoting the food and drink of the town, which she hoped would not only taste delicious, butlookdelicious too.
And, from the looks of everything around her, she was pretty sure that hope would become a reality very soon.
Luna gazed around, Fillmore tucked docilely under her arm. The smells wafting through the air weredivine –everythingfrom delicious sweets to succulent meats to glistening piles of fruits and vegetables. And it wasn’t just thefood, either – there were signs up along the main street advertising all kinds of cultural events, like movie nights, arts and crafts classes, and wine tastings.
There were more events than she was sure it was even possible toattendin a week, but she was going to do her absolute best! She’d been checking out the festival guide for the past two weeks, meticulously plotting out her schedule so as to get the most bang for her buck.
Or, to be more accurate, the most bang for her corporate credit card. She’d never fully appreciated its presence before, having previously had to use it to purchase such delights as fermented shark meat, fried spiders, and Rocky Mountain oysters. The idea of being able to use it to purchase food that she might actuallyenjoywas something she still couldn’t quite wrap her head around.
Still, she was pretty sure she’d get used to it soon.
For now, she had a bigger problem:Where to even start?!
“What do you think, Fillmore?” Luna asked as she looked around at the truly dazzling array before her. “Do you have any ideas about what we should eat first?”
It seemed that Fillmoredid, and some rather strong ideas at that. His little nose twitched, his snout wrinkling as it tried to take in every delicious scent wafting past them. But it seemed that one in particular had caught his attention – the hot dog stand.
Of course,Luna thought, with a little smile. And she had to say, she hardly disapproved of Fillmore’s choice. The smells being carried to her on the light spring breeze wereamazing –light crispy French fries, sizzling burgers, succulent hot dogs… and were those home-made fried green tomatoes she saw?
Oh, that is it. Sold!
There was nothing Luna loved more than fried green tomatoes.
She made her way over to the stall, which seemed to be manned by a couple of strapping young men. Not the kind of people she’d expect to be running a stall like this one. But hey, if the kids were getting into creating all kinds of diner cuisine, she could only say she was happy for them. She hoped they blew up on TikTok, since, according to her editor, that was the only way to see any kind of success in the modern age.
“Good afternoon, ma’am!” one of the young men greeted her as she approached. “What can we tempt you with today?”
Luna was alittlechagrined that apparently she was old enough now that a young man felt thatma’amwas the best way to address her, but on the other hand, she was also charmed by his impeccable manners, so she decided she could let it slide.
“Well, Iwasjust going to get some fried green tomatoes, but now that I’m here I guess I don’t know what I’ll get,” she replied, casting her eyes over the truly delicious selection laid out before her. “Um. What’s your recommendation?”
“Well, my gran’s fried green tomatoesarepretty good,” the kid replied. “But I’d recommend them as a side to a burger. I can make one of those for you right now. I know you’ll love it.”
Ah, so it’s his grandma’s shop,Luna thought, after she’d agreed she probablywouldlove it and the kid had started assembling her order. She noted down the name on the canvas sign stretched out above the grill –Eula’s Diner– and decided she’d probably give them a good review based on smell alone.
“You know what’s good, don’t you Fillmore?” she murmured, as Fillmore’s sense of smell continued to go wild. She’d give him a little morsel of her burger to say thank you for making the decision of what she should try first for her.
She put Fillmore down on the ground to accept her paper plate from the kid, which was loaded down with atrulymouth-watering burger and her side of tomatoes. The meat was still sizzling between the buns and everything, the cheese melting in perfect formation, the clearly home-made ketchup dripping just right, and the chopped onion providing a fresh, clean contrast to the meat and melting condiments. Once she’d found a seat on one of the benches lined up by the stall, Luna took care to take the most flattering photo she could of the burger before tucking in.
Oh. Oh my. This isheaven.
And truly, it was.
She didn’t know what kind of secret herbs and spices had gone into this, but she knew that she probably wouldn’t be above murder to try to find out. Well, depending on who it was she’d have to murder, she guessed, as she closed her eyes, savoring the unbelievable taste of the grilled meat, the salty cheese, the slightly sweet ketchup, the light, fluffy bun and the tangy onion. It was simple, but it workedperfectly.
