The Dog Town Collection Page 4

  “Sorry about that,” Remi said. “Let me grab him.”

  “It’s okay.” Hannah’s perfectly manicured fingers found Leo’s long ears. Leaning into her hand, he groaned in bliss. “I think he’s just what the doctor ordered.”

  “He knows when to come but not always when to go. So let me know when he’s worn out his welcome.”

  Hannah’s smile had settled in, just like Leo. “Tell me about this Labor Day Parade I’ve got to attend tomorrow. Is it as stupid as it sounds?”

  “And then some,” Remi said. “You’re going to love it. I mean, you’ll hate it first, and then you’ll love it. It’s the Dog Town way.”

  Chapter 5

  Remi took her usual seat in the boardroom—the one closest to the door. She wasn’t exactly claustrophobic but she liked to know she could make a quick exit. Leo’s bio breaks often provided a good excuse.

  Arden settled into the leather sling chair to her left. Like the long, sleek glass table, the chairs looked out of place in the mansion’s stately dining room. Marcus had blown through his interior design budget with just a few modern pieces. Although Remi didn’t have an eye for design, his choices seemed at odds with the original features of the house, like the wainscoting and the empty plate rail overhead. The old and the new were always clashing in Dorset Hills.

  “What did Marcus say about your meeting with Hannah?” Arden asked.

  “All I got was a thumbs-up emoji,” Remi said, lifting Leo into her lap. “Anticlimactic.”

  “He was probably saving the fanfare till now.” Arden lowered her voice as Simon, the IT specialist, and Gina, the office manager came in. “Maybe there’s a cake.”

  Marcus was stingy with praise and raises, and generous with tea parties and little fetes for birthdays, engagements and donation announcements. He had a weakness for the pastries from Chez Poodelle, the only French bakery in Dorset Hills.

  “No cake for me until the money’s in the bank, I bet,” Remi said.

  “Just a matter of time.” Arden toyed with Leo’s tail and got no reaction other than a deep sigh. “You’re sitting in the mayor’s booth for the parade. That’s huge.”

  Remi ran her hand over Leo several times quickly. “It’s terrifying. If Hannah hadn’t insisted Leo attend, I’d be having a meltdown.”

  “Slow and steady,” Arden said. “I’m so proud of you.”

  “Beginner’s luck, I guess. Hannah wasn’t at all like I remembered.”

  A few others trickled in quietly, and then Marcus appeared suddenly beside them. He moved with a feline grace that made Remi wonder if he were a secret cat person. It wasn’t something you bragged about in Dog Town.

  Closing the door with a quiet click, he took his seat at the head of the table. Leo lifted his head and his ears came forward. Marcus was giving off unusual vibes.

  “Cake,” Arden whispered. “I feel it.”

  “Bigger,” Remi whispered back.

  “What’s bigger than cake?”

  They both snickered and Marcus glared at them. It was definitely bigger than cake. Leo’s muzzle was up and his nose twitched.

  “We’ll keep this meeting short,” Marcus said. “I know some of you want to leave early for the long weekend. But I have a couple of important announcements that can’t wait.”

  “Cake?” Arden asked.

  “No, Arden. Not cake.” His expression was bemused. “Bigger.”

  Only Arden got away with teasing Marcus. When he got cranky—more so than usual—she’d sketch him in a superhero costume. That never failed to snap him out of it. He had nearly 20, and they’d probably be worth a lot one day, since Arden had a gift for illustration. She freelanced on the side, but liked the stability of her graphic design job.

  Turning to Arden, Remi mouthed, Told you so.

  Then Arden prompted Marcus again. “Not even to congratulate Remi?”

  “Not yet,” he said, turning to Remi. “But you did a great job on your first solo expedition. Being invited to the mayor’s box for the Labor Day Parade is a strong start.”

  Remi’s heart picked up speed. Something felt off. Marcus was handing out compliments like they were free, and they never were. Leo was suspicious, too. He sat up on her lap, staring at Marcus. “Thank you,” she said. “It wasn’t easy, but—”

  “In that case,” he interrupted, “You’re going to be excited by my news.” Marcus’ beard parted and his teeth gleamed in a rare grin. “You won’t be alone from now on.”

  “What? Why? I’m doing fine on my own.” Leo gave a little yip, and she rested her hand on his head. “Hannah’s invitation was for just for me and Leo.”

  Rapping his knuckles lightly on the glass tabletop, Marcus continued. “It’ll be fine with Hannah, I’m sure of it.” He got to his feet to cut off further objections. “The foundation’s had a windfall today. As you know, we’ve been down one client manager all summer. This morning, Mayor Bradshaw called to recommend a family friend for the job.”

  “Since when does the mayor care about our foundation?” Arden asked.

  Marcus shrugged. “It seems I underestimated his interest.”

  “A family friend?” Remi said. “So, it’s like a political appointment?”

  “It was my choice, of course.” Marcus sat down. “I wouldn’t have made the hire if I didn’t think this guy had the chops. You’ll like him, Remi. Almost the first thing he asked was whether he could bring his dog to work.”

  “Well, I don’t need his help on the Pemberton account. Like I said, I’m doing fine.”

  “Agreed, but he said he knows Hannah too. We’ll need to pull out all the stops since our window with her is short.”

  The black bat of panic awoke in Remi’s chest and fluttered again. She couldn’t build the rapport with Hannah that she needed with competition from the mayor’s family friend. Plus, she’d never get a private moment to ask Hannah about the long-ago event that had driven Remi to the basement of her own life.

  “This isn’t fair,” she said. “You agreed to give me this chance.” Her voice betrayed her with a quaver. Leo turned on her lap and licked her chin.

  Marcus splayed his hands on the glass table. “Don’t get fussed over this, Remi. You’ll get another solo opportunity soon, I promise.” He pushed himself up again, leaving damp fingerprints on the table. “Let’s meet our new staff member.”

  Remi clutched Leo as Marcus opened the boardroom door. Framed by elaborately scrolled woodwork was a tall, broad-shouldered man with tousled dark hair, deep brown eyes and a wide smile. Arden gave a small gasp but Remi couldn’t breathe at all. It felt as if time had stopped. Then it lurched into reverse and sped backwards before dropping her abruptly in 12th grade.

  Tiller Iverson.

  He was handsome, but not in a jaw-dropping way like James from the boardwalk. In fact, a girl might initially pass Tiller on the street without noticing him. But her head would turn involuntarily to look after him, as if something had awoken in her primitive brain. Her cavegirl genes would stir uneasily and then start a wild dance, because this guy looked like he could provide. Logic wasn’t part of the equation. It was all instinct.

  Remi knew that Tiller’s brown eyes were like molten chocolate in the right light. But as they landed on her today, they hardened to bright onyx.

  “Oh,” he said. “This is unexpected.”

  Something seemed to explode behind her eyes and she clutched Leo, feeling lightheaded. She hadn’t spoken to Tiller Iverson since he ditched her at senior prom.

  “You two know each other?” Marcus asked.

  Arden pinched Remi’s arm and brought her back to the present, more or less.

  “No, I never knew him,” she said. Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears. She had loved Tiller once, or at least the idea of him. Then he’d smashed her heart to pieces and left Dorset Hills for college. She was still trying to reassemble it, bit by bit, like a massive jigsaw puzzle all in red.

  Marcus cocked his beard curiously. “What�
��”

  “Right,” Tiller jumped in. “Never knew her. But we passed in the halls at high school.”

  “Well, you two have a lot in common and I’m sure you’ll hit it off quickly,” Marcus said. “Bring in Roxy and we’ll make the introductions.”

  Tiller stepped forward, tugging a midsize shepherd mutt on the end of a leash. Roxy’s hackles rose as she stopped in the doorway. The whites of the dog’s eyes showed as she looked around and Remi tensed automatically.

  Suddenly claws gouged her leg as Leo catapulted over the arm of the chair. Two shapes became a blur as the dogs went at each other. There was growling and screeching—some came from Tiller, some from Remi and some from the dogs. Roxy went over first, but then she swiftly rolled and flipped Leo. Tiller bent to pull Roxy off Leo. Then he knelt and pinned his dog on her back in a classic alpha roll. Opportunistic Leo started nipping at Roxy’s hind leg with savage-sounding snarls.

  Meanwhile, Marcus edged around Tiller and out of the boardroom. The door closed behind him.

  Arden ran over to help. “Remi! Call off Leo.”

  Remi tried to stand but it was like her legs had morphed into a fish tail that flopped around uselessly.

  Leo continued to create such a clamor that Arden hesitated to grab him.

  “Leo, off!” Remi yelled. “Leave it.”

  The beagle stopped worrying the pinned dog and walked over to Remi. Make that swaggered.

  “Holy crap. I did not know Leo had that in him,” Arden said.

  “Me either.” Remi’s voice was a thin rasp. “He’s never done anything like this before.”

  Arden forced a bright smile. “It’s all good, right? No blood was shed.”

  Marcus poked his beard through the boardroom door to see if all was calm and then came back inside. “It’s not ‘all good.’ That was terrifying.”

  Remi scooped up Leo and inspected him for damage. “He’s fine,” she said.

  “Apologize to Tiller, Remi. Leo’s behavior was appalling.”

  She glared at Marcus. What was appalling was hiring Tiller Iverson to take over the Pemberton account. Obviously, she couldn’t tell him why. Instead, she’d have to be professional. She’d have to sound sincere, although she didn’t blame Leo at all for acting out. He’d only shown what she felt. Dogs were like that.

  “I’m sorry, Tiller,” she said, without looking at him. “Leo was an ass.”

  “It’s okay,” he said. “I don’t know what got into Roxy.”

  Marcus crossed his arms, still a safe distance away. “Put the dogs in your respective offices and meet here in ten minutes to strategize.” As Remi slipped past him, he added, “Leo and Roxy are banned from the Labor Day parade.”

  Remi gasped. “But I—”

  Marcus was adamant. “You’ll need to manage alone or leave Hannah to Tiller.”

  Chapter 6

  “Bad idea, Arden,” Remi said, as she stepped off the pavement and onto the soft turf. “Very bad.”

  “The heels? I’d have to agree with you there.” Arden picked her way carefully over the grass. “I would’ve brought sneakers if I’d known we were taking a field trip. Literally.”

  It had all started with a pitcher of sangria at the Lone Dog Bistro in Bellington Square, near City Hall. Arden had tried to loosen Remi’s lips about Tiller Iverson, and when the words failed to come, proposed a trip down memory lane.

  Dorset Hills High School wasn’t far from the core but they’d taken a cab anyway to save their feet. Now they were staring across a bright green football field and having second thoughts. The original building could pass for a penitentiary, but as the population in Dog Town grew, several additions had gone up on the fly. For some reason, the City hadn’t imposed any design standards and the result was an architectural dog’s breakfast.

  “Do you smell that?” Remi pulled in a deep breath and grimaced. “Desperation. Those kids hanging out on the bleachers are trying to solidify alliances before school starts next week. Otherwise, they’ll be shark bait.”

  Arden shook her head. “Bitter much?”

  “Very.” Remi knew Arden had been a C student academically with straight As in social interaction. Mediocre grades hadn’t held her back one bit, whereas the social skills had served her well. Remi’s priorities had been all wrong, and there were no do-overs in life.

  Leaning down, she unhooked Leo. Like most beagles, he wasn’t entirely trustworthy off leash as his nose could carry him off on a hunt. However, under Cori’s watchful eye, she’d worked hard on the dog’s recall and he was generally obedient.

  “How bad could school have been if you managed to meet Tiller Iverson and have your way with him?” Arden waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

  Remi threw her a glare. “I did not ‘have my way’ with Tiller Iverson.”

  “More’s the pity. Every woman in the office and half our donors are going to want to. You could have said you’d been there and done that.”

  Heading into the field, Remi said, “I’m still traumatized over what happened with Tiller. I can’t joke about it.”

  Arden’s dark eyebrows took flight like elegant swallows. “But that’s what we do. We joke about things until they’re not traumatic anymore. Yet somehow I never heard about this skeleton in your root cellar.”

  They passed close to the bleachers. A dozen young people sprawled on the benches taking up even more real estate with their backpacks, skateboards and bikes. Their chatter and laughter silenced suddenly, as if someone had hit “mute.” The weight of 24 eyes settled on Remi’s shoulders and she slumped.

  “What’s the plan, exactly?” she asked. “You said you had one.”

  “I do,” Arden said. “We’re going to find a quiet place further down the bleachers and sit there until the poison locked in your teenage soul releases.”

  Remi laughed and then shuddered. “Sounds painful.”

  “And cathartic. You’ll leave all the toxins here on the playing field and meet Tiller tomorrow ready for a new game.”

  “Impossible.”

  Remi’s tone left no room for argument but Arden wasn’t easily dissuaded. “If necessary, I’ll make you drink the truth serum and try again.”

  “Truth serum? Remi’s lip twitched. “Do tell.”

  Arden slipped off the strap of her shoulder bag and opened it. Inside was a bottle of gin. “I found it in the office.”

  “You found a full bottle of gin. Where, exactly?”

  “In Simon’s bottom drawer. He offered me a shot one night. I deferred till now.”

  Finally, Remi smiled. “You stole Simon’s booze. That’s why I like you—even when you’re picking over the remains of my high school social life like a turkey vulture.”

  “Continue the flattery and the gin’s all mine.” Arden gestured to Leo, who was squatting in the field. “Deposit at two o’clock.”

  Leo’s inner workings were usually efficient but tonight he strained. “Uh-oh,” Remi said, as she pulled a plastic bag out of her pocket. “He was grazing like a cow on some tall grass this morning.”

  Sure enough, the long chain of grass-filled poop Leo pushed out didn’t detach.

  “Revolting,” Arden said. “This is why I prefer to enjoy dogs from a distance. Now what?”

  “First I hope, then I intervene.” Remi hurried toward Leo, but her heels slowed her down. Leo got agitated and spun to escape the stinky string. When that didn’t work, he took off, with the poop flying out behind him. “Stay, Leo, stay!”

  As she hobbled after the dog, snickering started among the teens on the bleachers. She couldn’t think of that now. If she didn’t fix this quickly, Leo would drop and roll to get away from his problem. It had happened before, and she didn’t feel like dealing with that mess tonight.

  Catching up to the dog at last, she straddled Leo and locked him between her shins, business end out. Leo squirmed and she clamped even harder. Then, with one hand covered by the bag, she extracted the grass with a gentle tug. Releasing the
dog, she straightened and tied a knot in the bag.

  Arden was trying to smother her own snicker as she joined her, but it was drowned out by raucous laughter and retching sounds from the bleachers.

  “Gross,” one girl shouted. “You’re disgusting.”

  Remi turned toward the teens. “Excuse me?”

  “Remi, don’t,” Arden said. “You can never win with teens.”

  It was too late. More than a decade too late. Remi walked toward the bleachers, swinging the bag of poop in a big circle as if getting ready to fling it. The jeers turned to shrieks of horror.

  “Don’t you dare,” the girl shouted. She had blue hair and a dozen bits of hardware in her lips, ears and eyebrows.

  “Then be civil,” Remi said. “This is Dorset Hills, where dogs are people, too. They eat, drink, pee and poop. Have the decency to wait till their owners leave before you make fun of them.”

  Silence fell over the bleachers. Remi turned and walked another few yards before sitting on the lowest bench. Her heels were crusted in mud and her soul in indignation. Leo collapsed on his side in the grass, blissfully oblivious to the havoc he’d wrought.

  Kicking off her shoes, Arden wriggled her toes. “Feel better?”

  “Not really,” Remi admitted. “I’ll take a shot of that truth serum now.”

  Each took a turn to shield the other with a jacket as they swigged the gin straight from the bottle. Arden wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and hiccupped. “Ah. Magic. Now, tell me about Tiller Iverson.”

  “Not much to say.” Remi took another surreptitious sip. “We met in the public library, where I worked part-time. He pretended he was looking for obscure reference books about dogs and I fell for it.”

  “Aw, that’s sweet. The courtship of the nerds.”

  “I couldn’t believe my luck: a smart, handsome, nerdy guy literally found me in the stacks and walked me home. But it was just a façade. At school, he was one of the cool kids.”

  Arden pulled her sketchbook out of her bag and started drawing the blue-haired girl. “Go on,” she prodded.

  “It seemed like we became a couple without ever dating, per se. We walked our dogs together. Made out a little. Laughed a lot.”