Or at least, that was what Ava was hoping.
But what she loved the most was that Sarge and Aurora had remained with Arbuckle for most of the afternoon, hovering nearby as though protecting him. They were currently lying on the other side of the room, their attention shifting from Ava to Arbuckle and back to the door as they heard noises coming from the front office.
It was a few minutes before closing when Mrs. Arbuckle—Ava was pretty sure her name was Kelly or maybe Shelley; she didn’t know for sure—arrived. Gia brought her back and motioned toward Ava, sitting with him.
Ava got to her feet. “He’s completely fine,” she said quickly, not wanting the woman to panic. “Dr. Stryker said it was only a sprain, and he’ll be good as new in a couple of days, but he’ll need to stay calm and not move around as much as possible.”
The woman put her hands on her hips and stared down at the dog. She didn’t move closer or even acknowledge him at all, and Ava’s heart broke for him.
“Is something wrong?” Ava asked.
Mrs. Arbuckle glanced over and shook her head. “This dog’s always getting into trouble. It’s all I can do to keep him in his kennel at the apartment.”
Ava stopped herself from asking why she kept him in a kennel at home. Golden retrievers were social animals and made excellent house pets, provided they were given lots of love and attention, not to mention exercise.
“The vet prescribed some pain medication. He said it should help keep him calm, which will help him heal faster.”
“How many can I give him?” she asked.
“What?”
“If I give him a couple, will he sleep for a while?”
“Uh…” Ava didn’t know how to respond to that.
“And will he poop or pee while he’s medicated?”
“Of course,” she said.
“Oh.” Mrs. Arbuckle looked disappointed by that.
Before Ava could think better of it, she said, “Would it be easier if we kept him here for a few days? I’ll make sure someone stays with him at all times.”
“I’m sure that’d be great for you,” she snapped. “All the money you’d get to milk out of me.”
“It’s no charge,” Ava said quickly.
“Really?”
Ava nodded.
Mrs. Arbuckle sighed. “God, I just wish my ex-husband would’ve taken him. It was his dog in the first place. It’s been two months, and he’s driving me crazy.”
Ava wondered if she was talking about Arbuckle or the ex-husband. Or both.
Ava frowned, looking down at Arbuckle. His tongue was lolling out of the side of his mouth, but his eyes were open as he peered up. His tail, which had been wagging earlier, was motionless.
“I told Chad I was gonna sell him. He told me to go ahead. I listed him on Craigslist, but no one’s willing to pay me what I’m asking.”
She knew she shouldn’t, but Ava asked, “How much are you asking?”
“Eighteen hundred. It doesn’t even come close to covering all his expenses over the years. I should really be asking five grand.”
This woman was willing to sell her dog? How could…?
That thought triggered another, causing Ava to pause. It occurred to her that perhaps that was what happened to Harrison’s birth mother. After Ava had asked JJ about the hyphenated name, JJ dug deeper. Turned out Maria Delgado-Harris’s husband was still employed by Harrison’s father. In fact, he was the man’s campaign manager. Had Harrison’s father paid off his mother?
“I’m just stuck with him. Eventually, someone’ll take him, I’m sure. That or—”
