Page 8 of Fire Harbor

“Cereal and milk. Some kibble for Farley. And eggs. Jeez, I might need coffee, too.”

“Sounds like this isn’t just a quick trip to the store,” Lake noted as she turned to step through the glass doors. She picked up a plastic basket for her goodies and added, “Maybe you should think about getting Farley some extra training.”

“Did you train your dogs?”

“I worked with Jack. He was easy. I will admit that having a labradoodle poses certain challenges. I had hoped Scout would lean heavier on the side of Labrador versus poodle. But her DNA shows that she’s seventy-five percent poodle, thirteen percent cocker spaniel, which we all know is a very stubborn dog, and twelve percent Labrador.”

“That almost sounds like Farley’s genetic makeup down to the letter,” Linus said, snapping his fingers and grabbing a grocery cart. “I just remembered I also need a bag of dog treats.”

She angled toward the coffee aisle and stopped. “I have several books about working with labradoodles that you might find helpful. You could stop by tonight and pick up a couple if you want. They’re mine, so you’re welcome to keep them for as long as you like.”

“I’ll do that. Is eight-thirty too late? I need to get Farley fed first.”

“No problem. While I’m here, I’ll pick up some ice cream for dessert. Who can say no to Pelican Pointe’s own ice cream maker when Murphy now carries it in pint-sized cartons these days?”

“Not me. What’s your favorite flavor?”

“I’m a sucker for butter pecan. You?”

“Not a bad choice, but I like Rocky Road or anything with chocolate and nuts in it.”

“You can never go wrong with chocolate, but I’ll see which flavors Murphy has on hand. Last time I was here, he had completely sold out of all Daniel’s flavors.”

“Hey, if you need to pick up more than coffee and ice cream, I can always give you a ride back home if you have trouble carrying groceries on your bike.”

“Thanks, Linus. I appreciate that.”

They split up, going their separate ways to pick up the items on their list.

Linus headed for dog food while Lake went straight to the coffee aisle. While Linus veered to the dairy section to grab milk and eggs, Lake got stuck mulling over ice cream flavors in the frozen food section. It didn’t take long to realize that Daniel Cardiff had changed marketing strategies. His artisanal ice cream now came packaged in colorful cartons under the label Sandcastles Ice Cream. Right away, Lake could see that Murphy had sold out of Rocky Road and butter pecan. She had to settle for birthday cake and spicy chocolate, two flavors she’d never tried.

The pair met again at checkout with Linus eyeing her basket piled high with additional items like bread and milk.

“You’ve been busy,” Linus noted.

“Just stocking up on a few necessities I decided I needed,” Lake replied with a sheepish smile. “You know how it is.”

“Yeah, I do. Running in here for one thing and grabbing six more.” He glanced at the carton of spicy chocolate ice cream in Lake’s basket. “Is that for me? Trying to spice up my life?”

Lake laughed, a warm, melodic sound that echoed through the store. “Well, I thought you might enjoy trying something other than Rocky Road. Besides, who can resist a little heat mixed with chocolate?”

Linus grinned. “You make a compelling argument. I can’t wait to give it a try.”

“Besides settling for what Murphy had in stock, I picked up a few extra treats for the dogs. Jack and Scout don’t get that many guests. I wanted to make Farley feel right at home.”

Linus chuckled and let her go first through the line. “Did I mention Farley chews everything he sees? In other words, he’ll eat anything. He’s not that picky.”

“Whenever he starts chewing something, you should try subbing it for a toy. How much time have you spent training him again?”

“All my days off,” Linus replied. “It’s not like I haven’t tried every chew toy to break him of the habit.”

Sensing his frustration, Lake paid for her groceries with a debit card and glanced back at Linus, hoping to make him feel better. “Maybe being around Scout and Jack will make a difference.”

“I’m willing to give it a shot,” Linus said as he emptied his cart onto the conveyor belt, except for the large bag of dog food.

“Why aren’t you stocking up on bags of kibble?” he asked as he swiped his debit card through the reader.

Lake lowered her voice. “Because I buy my dog food from an online supplier who delivers my order twice a month to the house. The dogs love it.”

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