Page 8 of No Good Deed

“I have boots in my back seat.”

Jim took the keys from her hand and handed them to Troy. “Why don’t you get them for her and leave them here in the lobby? You can pick her up here tomorrow. Does that work for you both?”

Piper nodded with wide eyes, and Troy grinned as he agreed. The couple had adopted Piper, and she’d be in excellent hands. He gave her a wave. “See you soon.”

And he couldn’t wait.

CHAPTER 4

Don't Fail Me Now

Flummoxed.

Piper had read the word in books. She knew what it meant, but she’d never experienced the feeling before. She was completely and totally flummoxed by everything that had happened since she’d spotted the dog on the road.

Over the past month, she’d had far more bad luck than good. She’d hoped for something different from this temporary job. It had been a chance to breathe, a chance to think about her next steps, and it appeared that it was going to be exactly that.

While she’d always enjoyed living in Chicago, it now held far too many bad memories. She’d wanted something fresh and new, so she’d bought her first car, packed her life into it, and headed out on an adventure.

She still didn’t have a clue what she would do after these two weeks were over, but she was going to take a break from the worry. For now, she would dive into this job and enjoy her time in Phail.

How could she not?

A kind, sexy man was her companion for the next two weeks. She was staying in a gorgeous room filled with tranquil blues and greys, and incredible furniture pieces that appeared to be antiques.

Jim and Carl had shown her the amenities, pointing out the relaxing sitting room that included a giant fireplace, a baby grand piano, and comfy looking chairs and couches. And if her imagination had her thinking about cuddling on that couch with Troy, so be it. This was her time off from real life and if she wanted to fantasize, she would.

While Jim had helped her settle in, Carl had arrived with a tray holding hot cocoa and a plate full of homemade chocolate chip cookies that were far too good to resist. They’d left her to have a nap and freshen up and told her to come down whenever she wished to enjoy the crackling fire.

Her room had a shelf that contained a wide variety of books, and she found two she would enjoy and moved them to her nightstand.

She moved to the windows to check the view. From one wall, she saw the street and other nearby homes. All well-kept and homey. From the other, she saw more houses, some empty lots, and an elderly couple walking hand in hand through the softly falling snow.

It was peaceful and lovely and as far from Chicago as it might be possible to be.

What view would her next home have? She’d never imagined anything but a big city. Her degree was in urban planning. She’d spent hours and hours dreaming of how to improve urban spaces.

But after a half-dozen hours in Phail, she wondered if it might be time to try small town life.

Here?

What would she do for a job? In their communications, Troy had said the town couldn’t pay for an urban planner, and after seeing the size of the town, she believed him. She couldn’t expect these people to chip in from their own paychecks to pay her.

And she was supposed to be shoving aside her worries for the week. Apparently, a straight month of nothing but worries made that difficult. Determined to focus on the positives of this cozy town, she changed into warm socks and curled up on the comfortable bed. She wrapped the throw around her and snuggled in for a moment. A nap sounded like an excellent idea.

A while later, a soft knock on the door had her jerking awake. “Yes?”

“It’s Jim. Sorry to disturb you, but you have a visitor downstairs. Actually, you have two visitors downstairs.”

Visitors? That seemed highly unlikely, but she couldn’t imagine Jim making it up for his own amusement. She opened the door to find him smiling. He waved her to follow him and moved toward the stairs. When they reached the main room, he gestured to the chair by the fireplace.

The veterinarian she’d met earlier sat in the chair with Oreo on her lap. When Kimi looked up, the dog followed suit. As soon as he spotted Piper, he yipped, jumped from Kimi’s lap, and galloped across the hardwood toward her.

Piper dropped to her knees, and when the little guy reached her, she scooped him up. His little tongue reached out and licked her face. Laughing, she sat on the floor and cuddled him to her. “You’re okay.” She looked up at Kimi. “He is okay, isn’t he?”

Kimi stood and crossed to them. She leaned down to scratch Oreo behind the ears, making his tail wag like it was on a motor. “He is just fine. He looks to be a purebred French bulldog, and he’ll need some extra TLC for a few days. Smaller meals, but more often than normal. Then he’ll need to have that slowly changed to a regular schedule. Nothing too major. I’ve left the instructions with Carl for you.”

“For me?”

---