Chapter 18
W ill sat on the sofa with his laptop open in front of him, a look of determination etched into his features.
Lady lounged loyally at his side, head occasionally lifting to watch him type.
The coffee table in front of them was a buffet of “brain food”—or so Margot had dubbed it earlier—covered in tacos, slices of pizza, a massive sub sandwich, and an assortment of drinks.
Margot stepped into the apartment, her eyes immediately landing on Will. “Anything yet?” she asked, crossing the room and settling onto the sofa beside him.
“Not a word,” Will replied, letting out a sigh. “I posted on all the community boards I could think of and contacted a couple of shelters.”
“What else can we do?” she asked, peering over his shoulder at the laptop screen.
Will held up a piece of paper filled with scribbled numbers—each one slightly altered from the last. Most of them were crossed out. “I’ve tried most of these, and no one is missing a dog named Lady,” he explained. “There must be another hundred or so variations of the phone number.”
Margot picked up Lady’s dog tag, squinting at the numbers worn smooth with time. “It may not even be a good number,” she said, frowning.
“I haven’t updated Fetch’s tag since changing my number last month,” Will admitted with a grimace.
“I still feel terrible about that,” Margot said, guilt flashing across her face. “I didn’t know she’d be so persistent when I introduced you.”
“Or that she’d share it online,” Will added with a raised brow.
“Or that,” Margot echoed sheepishly.
Will reached down and scratched Lady behind the ears. “I can’t help but wonder where Fetch is,” he said, his voice softening. “I bet someone out there is looking for you, too, Lady.”
As if she understood, Lady laid her head gently in his lap.
“I’m sorry, girl,” Will murmured. “I didn’t mean to take you from...” He trailed off, suddenly stiffening. Then he jumped to his feet, eyes bright. “That’s it.”
Margot blinked in surprise. “Not following, Will,” she said, glancing around the room like she’d missed a critical clue.
“The park,” he said with sudden urgency. “I’ll take her back to where it happened.”
“You already looked for Fetch there,” Margot reminded him, rising from the couch.
“I did,” Will agreed, already reaching for a nearby leash and clipping it to Lady’s collar, “but I left with the wrong dog around this time yesterday. Her owner might be there. Most regulars keep consistent schedules.”
“Good idea,” Margot said, nodding. “Maybe they’ll show up looking for her.”
“And maybe whoever has Fetch will have the same thought,” Will added, grabbing the pink ball from the table.
He glanced back at the food spread laid out across the coffee table.
“Go,” Margot said, waving him off with a smile. “I’ll clean this up and let myself out.”
“Are you sure?” Will asked, hesitating.
“The sooner the dog debacle is settled, the sooner I get that synopsis from you,” she teased, raising a brow.
Will leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. “You’re the best, Margot,” he said gratefully.
“I know,” Margot replied with a wink. “Now go find your dog.”
Will tossed the pink ball in the air as he stepped toward the door, leash in one hand and hope in the other. “Something tells me this is yours,” he said, glancing down at Lady.
Lady barked in reply, her tail thumping the floor like fate’s furry little helper, finally stepping in to set things right.