Paws off the Boss by Casey Griffin (fb2 epub reader .TXT) 📕

to tackle the mess, it seemed a lot worse than before. Piper didn’t know where to begin. Colin nosed around the clutter on the floor, dismayed at the task before them.

Piper swiped a finger over the powder the identification unit used to dust for prints. She scowled when it didn’t come off. Sighing, she rolled up her sleeves and picked up the computer monitor lying facedown under the desk. There was a hole punched right in the middle of the screen.

“This isn’t right,” she said. “This just isn’t right. We can’t just wait around for something like this to happen again. We have to do something.”

“Hey, I have an idea,” Zoe said sarcastically. “Why don’t we hire a security guard?”

Piper froze. “Wait a minute. Maybe Officer Sucker Tucker is on to something.”

Addison pulled a face. “About hiring a security guard?”

“Not the guard, but we really should have a security system.”

“With what funds?” Zoe asked. “We can barely afford the dog food at the end of the month. Marilyn says we’re stretched too tight as it is. I can’t imagine the monthly fees for a system like that.”

Piper chewed her lip, thinking. “It’s not like I’ve got any spare cash to help.” She didn’t even have enough cash to pay the rent. “Maybe we can’t afford it alone, but we can appeal to the community for donations.”

“That’s a good idea,” Addison said. “What about Aiden? He owns the place now. Maybe he’ll help since it’s his building.”

Piper thought about asking him, but the very idea made her uncomfortable. Sure, he could afford it, but would that be overstepping? Maybe that’s the kind of thing Marilyn should discuss with him. Would he feel obligated to upgrade the place because he knew Piper? His don’t-mix-business-with-pleasure rule suddenly came to mind. Maybe it made sense, after all.

“No,” she said finally. “We can do it on our own. We’ll be fine. I’m sure people would help if they heard about what happened. San Francisco is like the dog capital of the world. There are more dog owners than parents in this city. We’ve done it before to afford medical treatments.”

It was true. They’d gotten by in the past through the generosity of their foster families, donations from dog lovers in the neighborhood, and bake sale profits. But this was going to take a lot more than a few peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies.

“I wish we had the same PR connections as Passion for Puppies down the street.” Piper gnawed on her lip. “Their center does pretty well.”

Just then, Smarties wandered into the reception area from the back. His fur still hinted at the subtle swoop of the pompadour Addison had given him.

Piper’s eyes widened. “Oh.”

“What is it?” Zoe asked.

She turned to the dog stylist. “Addison, when you opened your dog spa, weren’t you interviewed for Channel Five News?”

Addison’s expression lit up as she caught on to Piper’s train of thought. “Yeah, by Holly Hart.”

“Do you still have her number?”

“I do. That’s genius.” She dug her phone out of her purse and started speed-texting.

“The Holly Hart?” Zoe asked. “That’s perfect! Piper, put that computer back. We’ll leave everything the way it is.” She held up her hands like a frame, probably imagining how the scene would look on TV. She grinned, pleased with the shot. “A complete disaster.”

Addison snapped her fingers. “Right. It will have more of an impact on the viewers.”

“And we’ll get one of our sadder-looking dogs for the segment. It can make puppy-dog eyes at the camera in the background.”

“I know! We’ll use Charlie.”

“Yes! He’s perfectly pathetic.”

Colin barked in agreement.

Piper’s friends had wild looks in their eyes. She couldn’t tell if it spoke of genius or madness. Either way, they were on the same track. “You two are devious.”

Zoe shrugged. “We like to think of ourselves as opportunists.”

“We’re just using what we’ve got to make the best of a bad situation,” Addison said. “Trust us. Between Zoe’s event-planning business and my dog styling, we understand marketing.”

“Right,” Zoe agreed. “We want to grab as many people’s attention as we can. The more awareness, the more donations.”

“Not to mention,” Addison said, “someone watching the news segment could remember seeing or hearing something to do with the break-in. Maybe they could give the cops a hot tip to help them solve the crime.”

Piper looked at the room with a sudden surge of inspiration. “Maybe we’ll have extra funds left over to fix up the place a bit.”

She thought of the rotten front step and the rickety fence in the courtyard. Maybe it was an opportunity to turn things around for the center. To make it better than ever, or at least better than the junk pile it looked like at that moment.

Marilyn might have been the manager, but Piper loved the center as if it were her own. She couldn’t bear to see the guests’ home, her home, violated in this way—not while under her watch. Besides, if she couldn’t handle this, then how would she ever run her own veterinary clinic one day? She could fix this. She would fix this. And it would be a nice welcome-home surprise for Marilyn.

Addison’s phone chimed. When she checked it, she gave a sudden whoop. “Holly Hart is on her way! Don’t worry, Pipe. You’re going to do great.”

Piper inhaled sharply and coughed in surprise. “Me? You want me to do the interview?”

“Of course you.” Zoe grinned at her. “We said we’re going for pathetic, remember?”

Piper tried to pull a face, but she only managed a grimace.

“Great impression of puppy-dog eyes,” Zoe told her, not at all sympathetic to her sudden onset of chest pains. “Do it just like that when you’re on TV.”

Addison clapped her hands. “You’re going to be our doggy delegate.”

Piper looked at Colin, raising her hands. “A little support here?”

But he responded with an indifferent bark.

Piper sighed. “Why am I the one going on television again? You two are the advertising gurus. You’re used to this kind of thing. I’ll be nothing but nerves the entire time. I don’t know what to say.”

“Which is exactly what we need,” Zoe said. “This is about a crime. Something serious and scary. It’s better if you’re just yourself,” she said, “not calm or confident at all.”

“You sure know how to give a pep talk.”

“Maybe you should call Aiden,” Addison said.

At the mention of his name, Piper’s cheeks reddened. Was the fact that she’d been thinking about him written all over her face? But it didn’t take a psychic to figure that out, since he was on her mind more often than not lately.

Aiden would need to know for insurance purposes. She wondered if she should make the call or if she could wait until they got the place back in shape and maybe raised a little money so she could propose improvements. It felt like she was always getting into compromising situations around him. This could be her way to say, “See? I can fix my messes all by myself. I can handle a business just like you.”

She bit her lip. “I won’t call Aiden just yet.”

“Call Aiden about what?” Aiden asked.

His voice made all three of them jump. They turned to find him strolling through the front door.

Piper’s mouth fell open. So much for that plan.