Chapter 5
“G reat,” Will muttered under his breath, pulling his ringing phone from his pocket and frowning at the name on the screen.
He stepped into the dog park at City Center and unhooked Fetch’s leash the moment the creaking gate clicked shut behind them. “Go play, buddy.”
With a sigh, he wandered over to a nearby bench that offered a clear view of where Fetch had darted off to. Against better judgment, he answered the call as he sat, choosing a spot away from the thick of the crowd.
“Hey, Margot,” Will said, settling back on the bench.
Margot perched behind her sleek desk, sunlight glinting off the glass nameplate that screamed in charge. Her office was as polished as her tone when she leaned into her phone with a pleased smile.
“Oh good, you answered,” she said, surprise flickering in her voice—along with just a trace of enthusiasm she couldn’t quite hide.
Will rolled his eyes as he shifted on the park bench, the corners of his mouth twitching with dry amusement.
“I almost didn’t.”
“You disappeared on me last night.” Margot’s voice was part playful jab, part disapproval—classic Margot.
He sighed, the sound laced with reluctant amusement. “Let me guess. You had someone else you wanted me to meet.”
“Yes, your publisher. They wanted to hear about the new series.” She didn’t even miss a beat.
Will inhaled sharply through his nose, dragging a hand along the back of his neck like the weight of the conversation had just settled in. “Can’t we just get through the release of the final book in the current one first?”
Margot’s tone turned brisk, business mode fully activated. “We should be ramping up for the new series announcement. You know how this works.”
“Yeah. I do. Use the momentum and ride the wave.” Will's voice took on the resigned cadence of someone who'd been through one too many book tours.
“I’m going to need that pitch, Will,” she said, her voice firm but not without a thread of understanding.
“And you’ll get it. Soon.” He stretched the word just enough to make it sound like both a promise and a stall tactic.
“Good answer. So, I hear last night was a success. You draw in a crowd.” Margot sounded smug now, like she already knew the answer and just wanted to hear him admit it.
Will sank deeper into the park bench with a sigh, stretching out his legs just as a golden retriever—definitely not Fetch, but close enough to cause a double-take—trotted up with a pink ball dangling from her mouth like a prize.
She dropped it at his feet with a proud little snort, clearly expecting applause. He didn’t know it, but it was Lady.
He chuckled, giving her a scratch behind the ears. “Thanks, girl,” he said before picking up the ball and giving it a quick toss. Lady launched herself after it like a rocket in hot pursuit.
“I felt like I was on display and a distraction from the cause,” Will muttered into the phone, already bracing for Margot’s response.
“You were, and it worked,” she replied matter-of-factly, like it had been part of her world domination plan all along.
“You know, most of the people I spoke to don’t even have pets,” he said, sliding down the bench as he watched Lady dart across the grass.
“Well, Mr. Ambassador, the community animal shelter made their fundraising goal and then some,” Margot said smugly, clearly basking in her victory.
“Then, I guess it was all worth it,” Will admitted with a reluctant smile tugging at his lips.
“Oh hey, did you meet someone named Magnolia while you were there?” Margot asked, slipping it in like it was a totally casual afterthought.
“You mean, did I just happen to casually meet the friend you went to college with and casually sent my way in hopes we’d date, get married, buy a house with a white picket fence?” he deadpanned, knowing full well it had been anything but accidental.
“So, you hit it off?” she asked, perking up like she was already planning a bridal shower.
“Not sure. We’re meeting for coffee,” Will replied, shrugging even though she couldn’t see him.
“I knew it was a good match,” Margot said, clearly reveling in her own brilliance.
“No more blind dates, Margot. You’re my agent, not my matchmaker,” he warned, but there was more amusement than bite in his tone.
“You can thank me by naming your future children after me,” she tossed out, as if it were the most reasonable request in the world.
“I got to go,” Will said, already standing from the bench.
“Get me that series pitch. We need it before the next book releases,” she reminded him, sliding effortlessly back into business mode.
“I’m hanging up now,” he said dryly.
“Tell Magnolia I said hello,” she added, her voice sing-songy and far too pleased with herself.
“Goodbye,” Will said firmly, ending the call before she could say anything else.
He slid his phone into his pocket and turned just in time to see Fetch trot over with something pink in his mouth—another tennis ball. He dropped it at Will’s feet with an expectant stare.
Will crouched down and picked it up, inspecting it as if it might hold answers. “Where’d you find this?” he asked suspiciously.
Fetch let out a disgruntled little grumble, snatching the ball back like the answer was classified.
“I just asked my dog where he found a ball in the middle of a dog park,” Will muttered to himself, rubbing his forehead. “New low, Will. New low.”
Will clipped the leash onto Fetch’s collar, the pink ball now clamped in his jaws like he’d just won the Super Bowl of dog parks. With his head held high and tail wagging like a victory flag, the proud retriever strutted away with Will in tow.
Meanwhile, Alex and Lady arrived at the same bench with far less fanfare. Lady skidded to a halt, nose to the ground like a four-legged detective on a missing ball case and let out a suspicious huff.
The scene of the crime was empty.
Ball: gone.
Suspects: everyone.
Lady’s narrowed eyes said it all—she’d been robbed.
Alex plopped down onto the bench with a tired sigh and scanned the area like a detective working a case with zero leads.
“I’m sorry, Lady. I don’t see your ball anywhere,” she said, squinting into the distance as if it might suddenly reappear. “I bet a friend found it, and they’re playing with it.”
Lady responded with an indignant bark, clearly not buying it.
“Oh, come on. It doesn’t hurt to share,” Alex reasoned, eyebrows raised at the audacity of her own words. “Besides, I’m pretty sure we have another one... at home in McKenzie Ridge.”
Lady flopped to the ground in dramatic protest, letting out a low grumble that made Alex roll her eyes.
“I’m trying to reason with my dog in the middle of a dog park and teaching her to share... with other dogs. Get it together, Alex,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head like someone who’d just realized they’d crossed a line into official dog-mom territory.
A ping sounded from her phone. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
Reminder: Coffee Date
Alex groaned like it physically hurt.
“Ugh. Let’s get you back so that I can get this coffee date over with,” she said, pushing herself off the bench and clipping Lady’s leash back on.
Lady got to her feet reluctantly, as if still grieving the loss of her beloved ball, and together they turned and walked off—one of them dragging her paws more than the other.