AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He laughed. “She did seem harried, didn’t she?” He started the car. “On to the next.”
Sarah Ludwig was childless. Sarah Papadopoulos was the mother of twenty-year-old twins.
My stomach gurgled, drawing Kane’s attention. “One more house, and then I’m driving you to a restaurant.”
“I’d rather eat at home.”
“My treat.”
I flinched. “I’d still rather eat at home. I have some of Birdie’s chili left.”
“Suit yourself.”
Sarah Berg was our last stop. She had three stepchildren who were all in college. She’d been left to care for their hyper cavapoo, Oliver, while her husband worked. Sarah Berg didn’t strike me as a dog person, as evidenced by her exhalations of despair as the dog jumped repeatedly at Kane, ignoring me completely, which was a relief albeit unusual. To his credit, the prince of hell remained calm. Only when Sarah glanced away for a moment did I stare the dog into submission. Whining, Oliver ran away with his tail between his legs.
Sarah’s head swiveled to the dog and then to us. “How did you do that?”
I blinked innocently. “Do what?”
Sarah stared after the dog. “I’ve never seen him do that.”
“You should walk him more,” I said. “A dog like Oliver has a lot of energy.”
“I prefer to walk on my treadmill this time of year,” she objected. “It’s too miserably cold to walk outside.”
I felt a pang of sympathy for Oliver. He’d probably lived his best life with active children around, and now he was stuck indoors, feeling like a caged animal.
“Have you considered a dog walker?” I ventured. “I bet there are more than a few kids in town who would be willing to walk him around the neighborhood for a few extra bucks.”
She drummed her fingers on the door. “That’s actually a good idea.”
“If you need a recommendation, I know a very responsible young lady named Alicia who would take excellent care of Oliver.” Ray’s granddaughter was always up for a side hustle.
“Tell her to give me a call,” Sarah said. “I’d be very interested.”
“That was a good deed,” Kane commented on the drive home.
“For Oliver.”
“It’s a good deed for Sarah Berg and Alicia, too.”
“It’s no big deal. I felt sorry for the dog, that’s all.”
Kane patted my back. “There’s no shame in being one who aspires to ease the burden of others.”
“I don’t aspire to anything except a quiet day at home.”
Kane smirked. “And how’s that working out for you?”
I shrugged. “Could be better.”
Back at the Castle, the sweet scent of chocolate chip cookies lured me into the kitchen, where Ray was hunched over the computer.
Sian’s expression was painfully hopeful, despite the half a cookie dangling from his mouth. I shook my head.
“Cookie,” he said, barely intelligible.
“Nana Pratt baked cookies for you?”
