I grunted. “Maybe just keep the dog over there so I can get up.”
She sunk her fingers into his fur. “Stay with me, Mouse.”
The dog wagged his tail and sat on her foot. She didn’t bother to nudge him away, instead her fingers sunk into his fur giving him a good rub.
I struggled to my feet, but got there on my own.“Your dog was on my porch again.”
“He’s his own dog. Pretty sure he likes you better.” She glanced down at him. “Traitor.”
“I don’t want a dog.”
She shrugged. “Sometimes they adopt you, instead of the other way around.”
“He’syours.”
She shrugged. “You say so. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.”
“Keep him in your house.”
“Good luck with that.” She snorted. “He’s already Houdini’d his way out of my house three times now, but he mostly sticks around.”
“It’s dangerous outside.”
Her eyebrow quirked. “Says who? You’re in one of the safest towns in New York.”
“That’s what all small towns say right before there’s a murder.”
She chuckled. “You sound like you’ve been listening to my best friend’s favorite podcast.”
I shoved my hands into my pockets and the burning cold changed into pins and needles. “And what would that be?”
“No Small Murders.”
Something inside of me tingled—and it wasn’t from the snow-stung extremities. As quickly as it surfaced, it flitted away. “Murder podcasts are a dime a dozen.”
“They aren’t my favorite, but I did listen to one episode about our own Providence Lake. A series of kids drowned in the lake back in the fifties.”
“A series?”
“Yeah.” She rubbed her arms. “C’mon back to my studio. I’ll make you some coffee.”
“I was just stopping to give you the dishes. Sorry for yesterday.”
She cupped her ear. “What was that?”
“Sorry about yesterday. I’m touchy about people around my work.” I cleared my throat. Touchy had been an understatement.
“I shouldn’t have gone in there. So, I’m sorry too.”
“I need to go into town to drop off some stuff.”
“Well, you can go after coffee. The only one who makes better coffee than me is Jenna at the Haven Café.” She hefted the box. “Oh, these dishes!”
“Yeah, I was going to toss them. You said you wanted them.”
“I do.” She grinned over her shoulder, her dimple denting her cheek. “I love them. Are you sure you want to get rid of them?”
“Positive. Here, let me carry them.”
