“Hiring you was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” she said, feeling like she’d dodged a bullet. “I didn’t want to have to cancel on Jenny again. You’re fantastic!”
Before hiring Stephanie, Maggie was always having to cancel plans at the last minute due to random Pampered Pets emergencies. Even though Jenny lived just across the river, it was hard to make schedules work to get together.
“It’s not like I can practice tonight anyway.” Stephanie nodded to her ankle, which was wrapped tightly in an Ace bandage and propped up on a stepstool behind the counter. She played on a co-ed intermural soccer team and had twisted her ankle at Tuesday night’s practice.
“Oh my gosh, I forgot. How’s your ankle?” No stranger to ankle twists, she figured Stephanie would be hobbled up for at least a week. “Are you sure you can stay? I can reschedule if you’re not feeling up to it.”
“No, no, I’m fine. You should totally go. It doesn’t hurt much. I just can’t move around very well. Another dose of Tylenol, and I’ll be fine.”
“All right, if you say so. I’m going to get out of this straitjacket skirt and then work on billing statements. I wanted to try to beat the evening traffic, but I can spell you at the register whenever you want to take a break.”
“Sounds good. I’ll call for delivery right now and then take a short break before you go?”
“Yes, of course. That would be great.”
“Hey, smoking hot outfit by the way. You look great!”
Maggie looked down and turned red. She’d always been uncomfortable with compliments. “Funny, the cabbie said the same thing.” She frowned. “Smoking hot? I was going for professional and classy.”
“Well, you make professional look stunning.”
“Thanks, Steph.” Relieved her plans were still intact, she picked up her bags and brownies and headed to her office at the back of the store.
Pampered Pets was Maggie’s baby. She’d put her heart and soul into transforming the dingy, rundown dump into the shop of her dreams. Meticulously planning every detail, from the remodel to what was displayed where, she’d created a colorful, inviting oasis for pet lovers.
The layout was organized by pet type. Lining the side wall were over a dozen aquariums where fish of all sizes and colors swam merrily. Half of the back wall contained glass houses where the hamsters and guinea pigs lived. The other half accommodated built-in terrariums that held snakes and lizards. Near the front window was the bird sanctuary. It was relatively small, so she didn’t stock many birds, but their joyful, constant chirping added perfectly to the atmosphere.
Nature inspired the soothing green and earthy brown colors on the walls. The smell of clean straw joined the tweeting birds to give the place a relaxing, outdoorsy feel.
Part of the remodel included making space for her to see patients. The back third of the store housed an exam room, a small surgical suite, an even smaller office, a storage room, a bathroom, and four large kennels for boarding. Boarding was a service they offered mainly to friends, family, and especially good customers, but word had gotten out and they were usually booked weeks in advance.
Dropping her bag onto a nearby chair, she pulled off her shoes and sighed. For a pair of four-inch heels, these were remarkably comfortable. Even after running around all morning, her feet felt fine, but just because shecouldwearthem all day, didn’t mean she wanted to.
An hour later, unchanged and pouting, Maggie returned to the front of the store.
“Forget something?” Stephanie asked.
“My tennis shoes,” she said glumly. “Even worse? I just realized I’m going to have to walk those dogs before I go.” She nodded toward the kennels and then to Stephanie’s hurt ankle.
“Oh, no! I completely forgot about that,” Stephanie exclaimed. “Should I call George and ask if he can come in to walk them?” She bit her lip.
“No, no, don’t do that. It’s his day off. Besides, I’ve already resigned myself to it. It’s the least I can do since you’re staying late.”
The dogs yelped with excitement when she went for the leashes. If she were smart, she’d only take two at a time, but there was no time for that. She wanted to avoid the rush hour traffic getting to Jenny’s and was already leaving later than she intended.
“Okay, guys, I expect your best behavior. No funny stuff. Everyone has to behave, or this will end in disaster.” She grabbed a handful of plastic bags for poop pick up, hooked the four leashes to the four dogs, and started for the door.
“Are you sure about this?” Steph asked doubtfully. “I’m having a hard time seeing this working.”
“Yeah, well, have a little faith. I can do this. Tanner can’t wait much longer.” Tanner, a large black lab, was already halfway out the door, dragging her and the other three dogs with him.
Tanner and Boxer, another large dog named after his breed, were in Maggie’s right hand. Better to keep them in her strong hand. Bella and Lucy, both black-and-white pugs, were in her left. She and the pugs were doing their best to keep up with the bigger dogs, but they were desperate to stretch their legs.
It was late afternoon, and the sidewalks were beginningto crowd. Halfway down the block, she realized there was no way they would make it all the way to the park and back. She decided they’d just go around the block and hope that was enough. The pugs could run around the store when they returned, and she would stop by on her way home from Jenny’s to let the big dogs out again. Jenny would have some shoes she could borrow. That seemed like a doable plan.
The dogs stopped to sniff at anything remotely interesting, and thankfully, that slowed them down considerably. They all relieved themselves within minutes of leaving the store, which Maggie dutifully cleaned up and tossed in the nearest trash can. Four poops, four bags. Perfect.
They were a half block from the store when she saw it. Outsiders didn’t think New York City had much wildlife, but it was surprisingly common to see a furry little critter running around here and there. Especially so near the park. She felt the exact moment Tanner saw the squirrel.
