“Always am.”
He grinned and walked out the door.
* * *
Scooby
Two and a half hours, and a pot of coffee later, I’d fixed both the oven, the grill,anda faulty thermostat on her freezer. Monty had returned and was already hard at work cooking up the food for the sudden lunch rush. I’d also managed to rewire the light in the supply closet, which now no longer blinked and sparked every time they flipped the switch.
“One less fire hazard,” I remarked as I screwed the faceplate back on.
“Wow, I didn’t really think about that,” Rowan admitted, then glanced at her watch. “Oh, shoot. I need to let Lord out.”
Before I could ask who Lord was, she was gone. I walked back into the kitchen just as Dusty pulled the first pan full of muffins out of the newly fixed oven. “Blueberry.”
I grinned. “My favorite.”
“You grab yourself a fresh cup of coffee and I’ll save one of these for ya,” Dusty promised.
I figured I must be on Rowan’s good side if I was now on Dusty’s good side.
“Thanks, darlin’.”
“My pleasure.”
Dusty went back out to help the three customers at the breakfast bar while I poured what I swore would be my last cup of coffee, turning to face Rowan’s office as she led a giant German Shepherd through the back door.
“Go to your bed, Lord,” she ordered, and the dog went into the office before Rowan closed him in.
I nodded toward the office. “Your dog’s well trained.”
“He sure is.”
“You train him yourself?”
“I did,” she said. “Although, he’s been gone for the past few days for a more specialized service dog training program. If I don’t have the knowledge to tap into something I know Lord can do, I make sure I find someone who does.”
“Service dog, huh? Are you training him to be a guide dog for the blind or something?”
“No. Lord’s stuck with me I’m afraid.”
“I can’t imagine he’d complain about that,” I said, making Rowan visibly blush.
“Well, I’m the lucky one. Lord is the best dog on the planet,” she said.
“He seems like it. Why’d you name him Lord?”
She grinned, her nose wrinkling in the cutest fuckin’ way.
“Because the Lord is myshepherd,” she said, leaning into the punchline.
“Jesus Christ,” I breathed out, unable to stop a chuckle.
We made our way out to the front and I noticed a chalkboard hung on the wall which listed today’s specials, including the “Don’t go Bacon my Heart” double cheeseburger, the “Put a Ring on it” Onion Rings, and the “Let’s Give ‘em Something to Taco ‘bout” Tacos.
On the counter was a large jar of pickles, which read “I’m kind of a Big Dill.”
“You have a thing for dad jokes, don’t you?”