with a handheld device and shakes his head. “Either the owner didn’t get around to having the microchip inserted, or it’s not functioning.”
“What do I do now?”
“I can look if there’s space available in a foster home. Otherwise, you can drop him off with the SCPA and hope someone claims him or adopts him soon.”
“What would you do?”
He chuckles. “Keep him. But unfortunately, my house is already full of pets, so that counts me out. I don’t suppose you know anyone who would love to give him a home in the meantime, and potentially permanently.”
“Not really. I can ask my colleagues if they’re interested, though.”
“Let me know. And if not, I’ll look into the foster care situation, and I’ll let you know what I find out when you pick him up tomorrow.”
“I hadn’t planned on coming back for him. I was just going to pay his bill and was hoping you could find him a new owner.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have room for him once he’s no longer a patient.”
The furball flashes me his puppy eyes, gives a little whimper, and licks my hand.
“He definitely likes you,” the vet says.
Likes me or not, I’m not looking at adopting a dog.
But despite that, I can’t help but stroke the soft fur on his head. “What kind of dog is he anyway?”
“He looks like a cockapoo.”
“A cock-a-what?”
“It’s a designer breed. One of his parents was a poodle and the other a cocker spaniel.”
“Isn’t that the definition of a mutt?”
“Not in this case. It’s when two different breeds are mated to produce an animal that hopefully includes the best attributes of both breeds. That’s why they call it a designer breed.”
I shoot the puppy’s picture with my phone to show the guys and Isabelle at the meeting. Maybe I can convince one of them to adopt him, because one thing’s for certain, I don’t want to drop him off at the animal shelter. The poor little guy deserves better.
Liam, Connor, and Adam are seated in the conference room when I arrive at our office.
“Jayden and Isabelle aren’t here yet?” I ask, taking my seat next to Adam. A coffee from The Coffee Nut is waiting in front of me. I nod my gratitude to Connor.
“They’re on their way,” Liam says.
“Do you think he’s asked her?” Adam is referring to Jayden’s plans to propose to Isabelle this weekend. His girlfriend. The woman who used to be our kickass office manager before she finally proved to both Liam and Jayden that she deserved to be the company’s first female operative.
But while she was proving herself capable of the job, she and Jayden were falling in love.
Well, truth be known, they were in love prior to that…but they were both too blind to see for themselves what the rest of us already knew.
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Liam, the only married member of the team, says. “What took you so long to get here?”
I tell them about the puppy and show them his picture. “I don’t suppose any of you would like a dog.”
Liam shakes his head. “I’ve already got my hands full with Cassie. I don’t think I could handle a puppy thrown into the mix.”
“I’m more of a big-dog lover,” Adam says. Connor agrees with him.
“Why don’t you adopt him?” Adam asks.
“Same deal. If I adopt a dog, it’ll be a big one. But I’m not looking to adopt a dog or a cat or any other animal.”
Liam opens his mouth, as if to say something, but doesn’t get that far. Jayden and Isabelle enter the room, holding hands.
“She said yes,” are the first words out of Jayden’s mouth. A wide grin spreads on his face.
“We told you she would,” Liam says, pushing himself out of his chair.
We congratulate them. Hugs are exchanged.
“You called us in to see if Jayden went through with the proposal?” Isabelle asks after we’re finished. From her expression, I’m guessing the two of them were celebrating the proposal with some horizontal action when Liam called them.
“No, I called everyone in for another reason.” Liam gestures for us to take our seats. “We’ve been asked to help, once again, with the Orlov case. Even though Vadik and his men at the winery were arrested—and are currently facing life in prison—the Feds have yet to locate his grandson, Nikolai Orlov. As long as he’s still free, the Orlov family will continue to commit crimes. He was marked to take over the family business once his grandfather stepped down, and it’s