Page 38 of Worst in Show

“Everything okay?” Leo asks. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Um, no. It’s nothing,” I say. “We were just talking about Winter Fest.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Leo rips open the snack bag. The pungent smell of fried onions fills the room.

“The county holiday extravaganza in December.” I steal a quick glance at Harvey, who’s adjusting the collar of his nightshirt. “Think flea market meets Santa’s village meets carnival fair. People come from all over, and we always have a booth because of…” My voice trails off. He doesn’t need to know about the dog show, does he?

“Cat got your tongue?” Leo nudges me with his elbow.

“Um, what? No. We do decent business there. That’s all.” I put a smile in place, hoping Pop won’t see it necessary to amend my description. “Anyway, we should probably get going. It’s getting late.”

We drive the first five minutes of the way in silence. I stall the car only once, so a definite improvement. But the longer we’re in the car, the bigger the risk of Leo bringing up Winter Fest again. I need to distract him until we’re home.

“You’re on social media, right?” I ask.

Leo frowns. “Sure. Why?”

“Do you get new customers that way? Like, is it worth it?” I glance at him. Is he taking my bait?

He tilts his head to the headrest. “It absolutely makes a difference. A website makes you more accessible, it makes you findable, and a social media account lets potential customers interact with you, get updates, get to know what you’re about. Nowadays, your community isn’t simply your immediate physical location but a much wider network. Who’s to say you wouldn’t get a follower who lives downtown, but because of something particular that you have to offer, they’re willing to make the trek out here? I don’t know, that’s how I think of it.”

I nod. This is more interesting than I thought. “I guess I’m a bit overwhelmed with it. Stuck in the ‘olden days’ as we are at Happy Paws.” I cringe at my corny attempt at a joke. “Any-hoo. So, say I wanted to get on Instagram. What would I put on there?”

“Well… you need to stand out. What’s something unique about Happy Paws that could make customers talk about you?”

I slow down and swivel the steering wheel a full three-sixty, pondering this. “That’s actually helpful.”

He smiles. “Guess I’m losing my edge, giving advice to the competition.”

“You’re finally willing to admit we’re competitors, then?” I put the car in park.

“No. No, that’s not what I meant. And you can’t give me shit here because, if you didn’t notice, you now drive stick. You’re welcome.”

I look around, noticing for the first time where we are. I’ve parked behind the store. How about that?

“See, I’m not evil incarnate.” Behind the levity, there’s a pleading look in his eyes. One I haven’t seen before.

I look away. “I never said you were.”

When the silence stretches, we both unbuckle and get out of the car, but for a moment, our eyes come together again across the roof. His lips part as if he’s about to speak, but then he clamps them shut.

“I should head inside,” I say.

“Yeah, me too.” He starts walking.

I call his name, even though I’m not sure why. All I know is that this abrupt ending isn’t right. “Thanks for tonight. I do appreciate it.”

He must feel differently because he waves without turning around, and then he’s gone.

Living History Illinois Flockify DM, Saturday 12:04 PM

AlCaponesGhost25: Want to tease some history nerds together?

SingerQueen: Always. How?

AlCaponesGhost25: I’m posting a poll for people to vote on the most important Illinoisan. The options are Henry Ford, Martin Luther King Jr, Clara Barton, and JFK

SingerQueen: But none of them are from Illinois.

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