“Very naughty,” I said dryly. “You’re going to need to work on the humping issue. He’s violating the other dogs.”
And me. And Sammi. And our part-timer. He didn’t discriminate over his sexual objects, and oh, how I wished he’d discriminate.
“Well, gosh, can’t you all help train him?”
“It’s not really our specialty,” Sammi said apologetically.
“If you come out to Dogtober Days next month there willbe some good dog obedience demonstrations,” I put in. “Maybe you can connect with an expert.”
“Good idea.”
Sammi ran Iola’s bank card then returned it to her. “Okay, you’re all set for this week. Take care.”
Iola turned away, then stopped. “Oh, are there no more dog biscuits? My Ricky has been loving them.”
“They’re great, aren’t there?” I said. “Jamie makes them, but we’ve run out at the moment. I believe you can order a box from him, though. He’s launching a website.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. I need to call him, anyway. He’s finally got a match!”
My stomach flipped. “He’s still doing the matchmaking?”
“He sure is. Poor thing has been waiting forever for a date.” She clucked. “Too bad you weren’t into men, huh?”
“Yeah, too bad,” I said. “So, uh, is the match good, then? Jamie deserves the best.”
“Oh, yes! I think this guy is just perfect for Jamie. They’re going to have so much in common.”
“He likes dogs, then?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Iola said, pursing her lips. “He’s a chef in Riverton, though. Very sophisticated. I think Marcus is going to be just what our Jamie needs.”
“But does Jamie really want to date an out-of-towner? Maybe you should keep looking.”
Her brow creased, and I could feel Sammi’s stare burning into the side of my face, but I couldn’t seem to stop the words spilling out.
“It’s just that he loves Granville so much,” I said weakly.
“Well, maybe Marcus will come here.” Iola smiled quizzically. “It’s very sweet you care about Jamie, dear, but I’m sure you don’t want him to be lonely. He’s wanted a match for a very long time.”
“Right, yeah. He deserves someone great,” I said. “I’m happy for him.”
“Are you?” she asked, her gaze searching. I wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but it made me uncomfortable.
“So happy,” I said quickly. “Really, really happy.”
“Good!” she said brightly. “And if you change your mind and want to try again, you let me know.”
She went out the door. As soon as it clicked shut, Sammi started in on me.
“Soooo happy. Incredibly happy. Amazingly happy!”
I turned a glare on her. “You could have helped me out there!”
“Oh, you had it covered. More than covered.” She snorted a laugh. “I swear, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were upset at the idea of Jamie dating someone.”
“Oh, I wasn’t—” I spluttered. “I’m just being afriend.Why get his hopes up by matching him with the wrong guy?”
“Uh-huh,” she said, sounding skeptical. “Well, you could always save him the trouble and ask him out yourself.”
