A chorus of barks and yips sounded from the back of the building. The dogs. That’s why I’d taken over. And that’s why I’dstayed. As I made my way toward the back where the kennels were set up, my phone rang.
“Good morning, sunshine,” my best friend, Lacey, practically sang into the phone.
“What are you so happy about?”
“Gee, who crapped in your cereal this morning?”
“It wasn’t my cereal. It was my bedroom floor, and I put my foot in it.”
“Oh, hon. Which lucky male did you take home with you last night?”
“Herbie.”
“And that’s the way he treated you?”
“Hey, I’m used to getting dumped on by members of the opposite sex. Just look at my last attempt at a relationship.” I should have known the last guy I tried dating was cheating on me. All the signs were there, I’d just been too busy to notice.
“We still on for lunch?”
“I’ve gotta cancel,” I said. “There’s a leak at the shelter, and I’ve got to get it patched up before the rain starts again.”
“Oh no. Are all of the dogs okay?” Lacey asked.
“Yeah, they seem to be. But I’ve got a few inches of water to sop up.”
“My offer still stands, you know.”
I shook my head. “I’m not going to pimp out my pups so you can bring in more crazy brides.” Lacey had been after me to come up with some sort of puppy wedding package. Ever since she’d been elected mayor and revamped the tiny town of Idont, Texas, into Ido, she’d started billing it as the best place in Texas to tie the knot. Over the past year, she had come up with all kinds of crackpot ideas.
“Just think about it, you bring over a couple of the dogs to take part in a few weddings, and you’ll earn enough to get the roof replaced in no time at all.”
There had to be another way. I loved my bestie, we’d had each other’s backs since we were in junior high together, but this latest obsession of Lacey’s had me shaking my head. “I’ll figure something out.”
The muffled barks turned into an earsplitting chorus as I pushed through the door from the front office to the back. “I’ll have to call you later. I’ve got to feed the dogs.”
“How about I bring lunch to you? I can stop by around noon.”
“Sure.” One less thing to have to think about. Although, holding Lacey at bay with her crazy ideas might take more effort than trying to figure out what to feed myself for lunch, so it might not be an equal trade-off.
“See you in a bit.”
I disconnected and slid my phone back into my pocket. As I let the first phase of pups out to the runs in back, I searched for more damage. Besides a few small drips and drops in the supply room, the back of the building didn’t seem to have any major issues. Thank goodness. I didn’t think I could deal with another crisis.
Lacey might be embracing all things having to do with Ido, but I couldn’t seem to get on board the ridiculous idea of transforming our tiny town into a mecca for demanding brides. Ever since last spring when we’d had that article inTexas Times, the town had been bursting at the seams with weddings and the headaches that came with them.
Lacey was in hog heaven since her sole role as mayor was to force a breath of life back into the town. But I, along with quite a few other longtime residents, weren’t so thrilled with having a slew of outsiders descend on our small corner of Texas every weekend. Also, the wedding business had caused an increase in the number of pit bulls being abandoned to For Pitties’ Sake. And that was something I vowed to fix.
By the time Lacey arrived at noon, I’d run two loads of wet towels through the dryer and still had more to go.
“You really need to take care of this.” Lacey glanced down at the bucket as rainwater continued to drip from the ceiling.
“I put a call in for someone to come take a look this afternoon.” I picked up the wet towels and traded them out for a fresh batch. At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to keep up. Unless I wanted to move into the shelter and work towel patrol all weekend, I needed to figure out a way to stop the leaks.
“I got you a taco dinner from Ortega’s. That ought to lift your spirits.” Lacey reached into the brown paper bag she’d brought with her and set the food on the counter.
My stomach growled. I’d been so busy the thought of breakfast hadn’t even crossed my mind and now it was time for lunch. “Thanks. You’re always looking out for me, aren’t you?”
A grin spread across Lacey’s face. “I sure am. That’s why I think you need to take me up on my offer. It’s easy money.”
