Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

“Thank you both for coming in today. I have important news I wanted to share with you in person,” Tami told Tim and Melissa.

Melissa looked at Tim, hoping she’d still have a job. She’d worried since Tami had called her asking if she could meet at the neighborhood coffee shop. Did he look apprehensive as well? Melissa saw him swallow hard and knew he was concerned, too.

“Here’s the good news. We now have so much business there’s no way we can handle it between the three of us. Tami’s Canine Poo Service is going to expand,” Tami announced.

Slumping back against the booth seat in relief, Melissa met Tim’s gaze. Yeah, he’d thought he was losing his job, too.

“What? You guys don’t look happy. I’ll still give you first dibs on the customers you are bonded with,” Tami promised.

“We thought we were being fired,” Melissa whispered.

“What? The only way you wouldn’t have a job is if you quit or the whole company went belly up!” Tami rushed to assure them. “I’m so sorry. I wanted to make it a surprise, but I really messed this up!”

She looked so upset that Melissa immediately forgot how she’d felt. “It’s okay, Tami. We just misunderstood. This should be a celebration.”

Melissa lifted her iced latte toward the center of the table. Tim bumped his cup against hers before they both looked at Tami, who still had tears in her eyes.

“I’ll celebrate if you both promise me you’ll forgive me,” Tami requested.

“Already done, boss lady,” Tim assured her. “I should have known better. But, give us some clues next time, huh?”

“I told you I had information to share about the future of the poo service.” Tami’s mouth rounded in a circle. “Oh, that does sound bad.” She whacked herself on the forehead.

Tim lifted his cup again in invitation. “Let’s celebrate. Melissa and I are both excited now.” He winked at Melissa, who quickly held up her glass.

“Cheers!” Tami said and clinked her coffee drink with theirs. “There’s no way I could do this without you. Seriously.”

“Thank goodness. All those dogs would howl when we didn’t arrive with treats,” Melissa joked.

“That can’t happen. Now, who do I hire?” Tami asked, tapping the folder marked applications in front of her.

“How many people are you looking for?” Tim asked.

“At least one. Maybe two.”

“There was this girl at the supermarket. She loves dogs. I still drop by that store from time to time to grab a snack or a drink. Every time I talk to her, she tells me how much she’d love to get to do a job like mine. In a super sweet way. She reminds me of where I used to be—trapped in an awful job. I gave her a card. Did she ever call you? Her name is Debbie.”

“I did have someone call. That might have been her name, but the phone number was blocked. I couldn’t call her back. I’d love to talk to her.”

“I’ll take her an application and have her call you again,” Melissa said and put her hand out for a sheet. Tami opened her folder and pulled out an application for Melissa, as well as one of Tami’s cards.

Melissa looked down at the page in her hand and shivered. “I don’t know what I would have done when I lost my job. I’d still be back at that apartment.”

“With the rats,” Tim said with a grimace. “I drove past there on my way to get gas last week. There was an enormous banner on the front sign that said closed for remodeling.”

“What?” Melissa asked.

Both women turned to look at him in amazement. “You didn’t say anything?”

“I forgot. Sorry, my Daddies distracted me when I got home. I couldn’t text while I was driving,” Tim reminded them.

“Did it look like everyone had moved out?” Tami asked.

“It looked pretty deserted,” Tim said with a shrug.

“They must have had to move out fast. I bet it was condemned,” Tami suggested.

“I’m sorry for all the tenants who had to scramble to find new homes. Hopefully, they all ended up in a better place. Well, except for that jerk that threatened me,” Melissa said, and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“Your car looks as good as new,” Tim said. “I saw it in the parking lot as I came in.”

“It’s better than new. Daddy put new tires on it and had a bunch of work done on it. I guess I hadn’t changed the oil for a while,” Melissa admitted.

“Ouch,” Tami said.

Melissa knew her friend had a very good idea what the punishment for that oversight had been. She nodded and rolled her eyes. “I won’t be in charge of my maintenance in the future.”

“Excellent!” Tim celebrated. “I hate remembering that. Maybe I should…”

“I don’t recommend that choice,” Melissa said meaningfully.

“Oh, yeah. I can just keep putting the reminder in my phone,” Tim agreed.

“Probably smarter,” Tami said with a laugh. “Back to poo business. Is there anyone else you’d like to ask to apply?”

“I apologize for interrupting,” a woman said from the table next to them. “I see your shirts. You have a business that cleans dog waste from yards?”

“I do. Here’s my card.” Tami handed her a shiny business card. “Do you need some help?”

“I actually need a job. I used to work at a dog rescue in town, but the owner passed away and his children don’t share his passion. I’d love to have a chance to work with animals again,” she said.

“It’s not a glamorous job,” Tami warned.

“That’s okay. Neither is cleaning out kennels or picking off ticks.”

Melissa watched Tami nod. The woman had her there. She looked nice. “Do you have any references?”

“Would my supervisor at the rescue be okay for a reference for how I handle dogs? There is also a vet I worked closely with on a few sad cases. I know he would vouch for me,” the woman said enthusiastically.

“I think you need to fill this out,” Tami suggested, drawing an application form from the file folder in front of her.

The woman took it from her with a smile and set it on the table before rummaging through her bag for a pen. “Could I ask how much you pay? I’m not looking for a lot. I just need to pay my rent.”

“Good question. Let me come talk to you and we’ll discuss all the details.” Tami stood up and moved over to the woman’s table.

“It sounds like she would be a good fit,” Tim suggested quietly.

“We’ll have to be careful about saying anything about being Little,” Melissa whispered.

“I don’t know. Did you notice her bag when she rummaged in there for something to write with?”

“No. Why? What did you see?”

“She has a stuffie. I think it was a raccoon, but it was pretty faded. I couldn’t see the colors well,” Tim shared.

“Like she’d had it for a while?” Melissa suggested, and Tim nodded.

The two looked at each other.

“That would be too much of a coincidence,” Melissa said.

“Maybe? But maybe not. I brought this pamphlet on PLAYTIME to show you. I got it from Sofia and Isabella. Their Daddy is the one who designed PLAYTIME. I thought it was neat because it has all sorts of statistics about the number of matches that have been made. I was silly and added one to each column since you and your Daddy are such a good combination.”

“Oh, that’s neat. Thank you, Tim.”

“We could drop it in her bag, so she finds it later. She wouldn’t know it was us. There’s so much stuff in that big purse. It might take her weeks to uncover it,” Tim suggested.

“She’ll just toss it if she’s not interested. If she is…” Melissa’s voice trailed off.

“If she is, another Little might find her match.”

“How do we do it?” Melissa asked. “You’re on the outside edge of the seat. Can you drop it in there?”

“I’m too far away,” Tim said, eyeing the distance.

“Stand up and let me out. I’ll go use the bathroom and, on the way, I’ll go behind her and drop the paper in her bag,” Melissa told him.

“Good idea!” Tim immediately slid out of the booth to let Melissa out. In seconds, it was done.

They each crossed their fingers. Melissa knew Tim thought like she did; all Littles should be able to find their Daddies. Or Mommies. Or both.

Melissa couldn’t wait to tell Rocky about the meeting. She’d stop by the grocery store to drop off the application for Debbie first. Quickly, she ran to the bathroom before returning to the booth.

Tami had rejoined Tim in their booth. Melissa took a big breath and said, “I have something to tell you both, too.”

“You aren’t quitting, right?” Tim asked.

“Having a baby?” Tami guessed.

“No!” Melissa looked at her as she shook her head quickly. “Nothing like that. I just wanted to share that I enrolled in a virtual high-school program. I’m going to work on all the credits I need to finally graduate. But I’m going to work on it at night. I won’t be able to work overtime.”

“That’s amazing, Melissa. I’m so proud of you,” Tami cheered.

“Daddy said we can have a graduation party when I finish everything. He already has one of those board-like hats with the tassel?”

“Count on me,” Tim chimed in. “That’s great, Melissa. You’ve talked about wanting to get your diploma. I’m glad you have support to get it now. Not that you’ll need any help. You’re a brainiac.”

“Thank you. I have one more thing I need help with,” Melissa confessed. “What do I get a Daddy for Christmas? Is there like a Daddy gift guide?”

“There isn’t. I do have an idea for you,” Tim said. “Zoey and Dr. Richards are going to have a Christmas party. There’s an ugly sweater contest this year. Why don’t you find matching sweaters for you?”

“Ugly sweaters?” Melissa repeated.

“You’ve seen them. They’re all the rage,” Tami told her. “Get something with a decoration he doesn’t like. Glitter? Sparkles? Feathers?”

“Broccoli. I’m going to get a broccoli-design Christmas sweater. Rocky hates broccoli with a passion,” Melissa shared, making everyone laugh.

“Then do something special just for the two of you,” Tim suggested.

A picture of two stockings hanging from the mantel popped into her mind. Daddy and Lissy. He’d love it.

The End

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