Chapter 10
The next morning, Scarlet packed up the puppy into a box filled with old towels from the B and B. She drove into town in the lighter sprinkles of fog, grateful the rain had eased. It had started to feel like a rather dreary place to spend her vacation.
The Animal Rescue office was at the other end of town, near the exit for sea lion viewing on the beach below. She parked out front and collected the box from the passenger’s seat.
A kind young woman held the door open for her. “Hi, what have we got here?”
“Someone left this puppy outside in a box in the rain last night just behind my bookshop.”
The woman’s eyes lit up. “You’re Scarlet! You’ve come to take over the shop, then?”
Scarlet squeezed inside the clinic with the box in her arms. She was tired of telling people the truth and seeing their disappointment. “I’m not sure what I will do with it just yet. It’s a lot to sort through. I haven’t been here since I was a kid. My aunt’s lived a lot and grown the shop quite a bit since I was here last.”
“I understand. Well, I’m Lalia, the one who texted you on behalf of Mr. Shorboro. He’s not great with modern tech. I’m glad to see you’ve made it here. Now, let’s take a look at this pup.”
“I was hoping you would just take him,” Scarlet admitted. “I can provide a donation if that would help.”
Lalia picked up the puppy from the box Scarlet set on the counter and settled him onto a scale. “We are full-up right now. You’re not the first person to bring in a pup in the last week. We’ve had a whole litter come in. Molly is overloaded.”
Lalia frowned. “He’s a bit light for his size and age compared to the others. Might even call him a runt.” She leaned around back and called for an assistant to get the boss.
“Doc?” A familiar voice called out from the backroom. Everest poked his head into the front office with a grin. “Hey, Scarlet! Did you get a dog? I thought you weren’t staying.”
Scarlet grumbled. “No. He was left outside behind the shop last night. I couldn’t leave him out there in the rain.”
The puppy whimpered and squirmed when Molly, the veterinarian, came to inspect him. The tall woman with curly brown hair picked him up and carted him into the back.
“Sounds like you don’t have any more room at the inn,” Scarlet remarked.
Everest frowned and rested his arms on the tall front counter. “Unfortunately. We even have a few staying together in one kennel.”
“So you are also a vet tech?” Scarlet asked.
“I just volunteer to help wherever they need the extra help.”
Lalia slumped in a chair as she typed into the computer behind the counter. “We are often full, but in a small town, there aren’t a lot of options for professionals in services. It’s not like someone can just drive over here from another town, let alone want to. So we help each other out when we can.
“I used to teach classes at the bookshop during the week. We did fun experiments to learn about science and get kids who were struggling to be more interested in the magic of science. It’s difficult for a lot of kids to grasp because they can’t see it. My goal was to do just that. The teachers here are overworked, with upwards of thirty kids in a classroom. It’s been difficult to get teachers to move to our little slice of rainy and windy heaven.”
Everest snorted a laugh. “Only a native to this area calls this heaven.”
“Precisely,” Lalia remarked. “But when that sun comes out this afternoon, it’ll knock your socks off.”
The vet returned a moment later, carrying the puppy. “Well, he’s not chipped. He’s healthy. And I think all he needs is a little extra food for the next six weeks. But this little guy is a tough one. He didn’t cry when he got his shots or the de-wormer. He’s a tough one, for sure.”
The woman settled the puppy back in Scarlet’s borrowed box from Myrtle. “If you can’t keep him, I suggest you post him online as soon as possible.”
Outside, the fire marshal’s truck rolled up. An older man lugged the front door open before Lalia could do it for him.
His pale green eyes landed on Scarlet for a long moment. “Everest, we’ve got a three-vehicle crash up the highway. I need you with me.”
“Yes, sir.” Everest rested a hand on Scarlet’s back as he passed. “I’m sorry. Our date might have to wait.”
Scarlet spluttered, “Date?”
But Everest was out the door with the marshal before she got out her response.
“He sure likes you,” Lalia remarked. “Never seen him stare at anyone so much before.”
Scarlet watched them drive off, hoping the crash wasn’t deadly. “I thought it was just a meeting to talk shop, literally. About the bookshop.”
Lalia giggled under her breath. “Everest has a way of getting inside your head enough that he can get just about anyone to do anything. It’s something your aunt was good at, too.”
“What do you remember about her?” Scarlet asked.
“That she was probably the most giving person I’ve ever met. She only saved enough from her store to keep it open and her lights on upstairs. Everything else she reinvested into this town through donations, paying people’s power bills. No one loved this town and its people more than her. You have big shoes to fill, Scarlet.”