Chapter 2

Okay. Okay. It’s your first real assignment as a travel writer. You cannot mess this up. You cannot mess this up!

Luna Hayes bit her lip as she guided her car into the parking space. For three years now she’d been building this career, in some of the least fashionable ways possible. When she told people she was a travel writer, they seemed to automatically assume a life of glamor and jet-setting, whizzing around the world to exotic locales, margaritas on the beach, lounging about in athleisure wear, writing reviews of the fanciest restaurants anyone had ever heard of – or not heard of, since they were sooooo elite they were the exclusive domain of the ultra-rich… and the travel writers they had graciously allowed to enter their doors.

But no. That didn’t really give much of an accurate picture of Luna’s life, she had to admit.

No – her life was much more like, I Stayed at the Top Ten Worst Hotels in London! (they really were bad!) and World’s Most Disgusting Foods – Ranked! (okay, at least with this one she’d gotten to expand her culinary horizons, and most of them hadn’t tasted disgusting, they’d just looked it) and You Won’t Believe What Happened When I Swam in this River! (some kind of horrifying rash that had needed three weeks and a ton of topical cream to go away, that’s what had happened when she’d swum in that river).

Luna had always dreamed of being a writer, but she couldn’t really say that these were the kinds of things she’d dreamed of writing. When she’d been offered the role, she supposed she’d thought more of… well, more the kinds of things most other people thought of when they heard the words ‘travel writer’.

And it was true – she was paid to travel. It was, in that way, a dream come true. Luna couldn’t complain about that at all. But what she’d wanted to do was write about other cultures, festivals, events – give people dreams to follow, and to promote everything the rest of the world – or just the country! – had to offer, and inspire people to go and see the places for themselves and learn more about the world.

Getting a rash from a stinky river really hadn’t figured into it – but then, she guessed, at least people now knew not to swim in stinky rivers, so she’d probably saved someone out there a lot of time and topical cream.

But, slowly, she’d built up a pretty dedicated readership at the online magazine she worked for. It helped that she had a pretty cute shtick, if she did say so herself: wherever she went, within reason, she brought her little dog Fillmore with her.

Of course, Fillmore couldn’t come with her on the trips where she was sent to other countries, and had to be content with staying at home with a dogsitter. But any domestic travel, he was right there by her side, every time.

Readers loved seeing what he was up to – sniffing at her less-than-clean bedsheets in cheap motels, sharing in at least some of her most disgusting foods, or just hanging out on the seat of her car on the trips where she was expected to drive herself to her current assignment.

It helped, Luna supposed, that Fillmore was a pretty distinctive-looking dog. Sure, she’d heard what people said about him – butt-ugly mutt, world’s most hideous pet, oh my God, what the hell is that – but Luna just thought the way Fillmore looked – with his patchy fur, his bulging eyes, his crooked teeth, his lopsided ears – just showed his character.

Which… okay, had also attracted some comments over the years, mainly things like That has got to be the grumpiest, most bad-tempered, snappish, foul-breathed beast I have ever seen.

Luna didn’t think that was entirely fair – Fillmore just took a little while to warm up to people. But once he did, she didn’t think they’d ever find a more loyal and loving dog. He’d just had a rough start to life, that was all. She’d gotten him as a puppy from a shelter, and it was clear even then that he’d been living rough up until someone caught him and brought him in. So who could blame him for being a little wary of strangers? All Luna knew was that Fillmore had never been anything other than sweet to her, from the first moment she’d picked him up and cradled him against her chest.

In any case, readers loved Fillmore. She’d even been able to pitch a short series of articles to her editor, The Adventures of Fillmore, the World’s Ugliest Dog, based on his popularity, and it had brought in so many clicks – and therefore, advertising dollars – that she’d felt brave enough to ask him for a bit of a promotion.

To her shock, he’d actually agreed to it – and that was why she was here in Girdwood Springs to cover their inaugural festival promoting the food and drink of the town, which she hoped would not only taste delicious, but look delicious too.

And, from the looks of everything around her, she was pretty sure that hope would become a reality very soon.

Luna gazed around, Fillmore tucked docilely under her arm. The smells wafting through the air were divine – everything from delicious sweets to succulent meats to glistening piles of fruits and vegetables. And it wasn’t just the food, either – there were signs up along the main street advertising all kinds of cultural events, like movie nights, arts and crafts classes, and wine tastings.

There were more events than she was sure it was even possible to attend in a week, but she was going to do her absolute best! She’d been checking out the festival guide for the past two weeks, meticulously plotting out her schedule so as to get the most bang for her buck.

Or, to be more accurate, the most bang for her corporate credit card. She’d never fully appreciated its presence before, having previously had to use it to purchase such delights as fermented shark meat, fried spiders, and Rocky Mountain oysters. The idea of being able to use it to purchase food that she might actually enjoy was something she still couldn’t quite wrap her head around.

Still, she was pretty sure she’d get used to it soon.

For now, she had a bigger problem: Where to even start?!

“What do you think, Fillmore?” Luna asked as she looked around at the truly dazzling array before her. “Do you have any ideas about what we should eat first?”

It seemed that Fillmore did, and some rather strong ideas at that. His little nose twitched, his snout wrinkling as it tried to take in every delicious scent wafting past them. But it seemed that one in particular had caught his attention – the hot dog stand.

Of course,Luna thought, with a little smile. And she had to say, she hardly disapproved of Fillmore’s choice. The smells being carried to her on the light spring breeze were amazing – light crispy French fries, sizzling burgers, succulent hot dogs… and were those home-made fried green tomatoes she saw?

Oh, that is it. Sold!

There was nothing Luna loved more than fried green tomatoes.

She made her way over to the stall, which seemed to be manned by a couple of strapping young men. Not the kind of people she’d expect to be running a stall like this one. But hey, if the kids were getting into creating all kinds of diner cuisine, she could only say she was happy for them. She hoped they blew up on TikTok, since, according to her editor, that was the only way to see any kind of success in the modern age.

“Good afternoon, ma’am!” one of the young men greeted her as she approached. “What can we tempt you with today?”

Luna was a little chagrined that apparently she was old enough now that a young man felt that ma’am was the best way to address her, but on the other hand, she was also charmed by his impeccable manners, so she decided she could let it slide.

“Well, I was just going to get some fried green tomatoes, but now that I’m here I guess I don’t know what I’ll get,” she replied, casting her eyes over the truly delicious selection laid out before her. “Um. What’s your recommendation?”

“Well, my gran’s fried green tomatoes are pretty good,” the kid replied. “But I’d recommend them as a side to a burger. I can make one of those for you right now. I know you’ll love it.”

Ah, so it’s his grandma’s shop,Luna thought, after she’d agreed she probably would love it and the kid had started assembling her order. She noted down the name on the canvas sign stretched out above the grill – Eula’s Diner – and decided she’d probably give them a good review based on smell alone.

“You know what’s good, don’t you Fillmore?” she murmured, as Fillmore’s sense of smell continued to go wild. She’d give him a little morsel of her burger to say thank you for making the decision of what she should try first for her.

She put Fillmore down on the ground to accept her paper plate from the kid, which was loaded down with a truly mouth-watering burger and her side of tomatoes. The meat was still sizzling between the buns and everything, the cheese melting in perfect formation, the clearly home-made ketchup dripping just right, and the chopped onion providing a fresh, clean contrast to the meat and melting condiments. Once she’d found a seat on one of the benches lined up by the stall, Luna took care to take the most flattering photo she could of the burger before tucking in.

Oh. Oh my. This is heaven.

And truly, it was.

She didn’t know what kind of secret herbs and spices had gone into this, but she knew that she probably wouldn’t be above murder to try to find out. Well, depending on who it was she’d have to murder, she guessed, as she closed her eyes, savoring the unbelievable taste of the grilled meat, the salty cheese, the slightly sweet ketchup, the light, fluffy bun and the tangy onion. It was simple, but it worked perfectly.

The fried green tomatoes were just as good – still crunchy inside their coating of breadcrumb batter, the perfect accompaniment to her fantastic burger.

“Good choice, Fillmore,” Luna said again as she finished eating – saving a little morsel for Fillmore, making sure it was a bit that had no onion or ketchup on it. Though she made sure there was just a little cheese, as a treat. “Here you go,” she said to him, leaning down, the tiny piece of meat balanced on the tips of her fingers.

But Fillmore – who was usually just as happy to eat as she was – was, strangely enough, a little less than interested in the proffered treat.

He barely even seemed to notice it, instead twitching his ears and wrinkling his nose, cocking his head first one way and then the other, as if he was trying to puzzle out some especially difficult math problem.

“I know, there’s a lot going on,” Luna cooed at him. He really was so adorable – she couldn’t understand why anyone would think he was anything less than perfect. “And we’ll go check it all out, just as soon as we’re done here. You want your treat in the meantime?”

But it seemed that Fillmore did not want his treat. He tugged at his leash, clearly eager to be off, and in the end Luna gave up, sighing and putting the bit of meat back on her plate.

“That’s very wasteful, Fillmore,” she told him as she threw her plate into the trashcan provided. “I could have eaten that.”

Fillmore just looked up at her, apparently not caring even a little bit about that. He seemed eager to be off, and for the first time, a little worry trickled into Luna’s chest. Fillmore was acting somewhat weirdly today – she knew he could be a bit impatient with others, but with her he always seemed content to wait, to try whatever she was trying, and to accompany her on every ridiculous assignment she’d ever been sent on.

Now, he seemed restless, his little body twitching and shaking as she held him, his ears and nose going double time. Maybe it’s just the excitement and the crowds? Luna thought, as she put him back down on the ground. Maybe he’d be happier if he felt a little more in control of where they were going.

Wait – whoa! Big mistake!

The moment Fillmore’s paws touched the sidewalk, he was off.

“Fillmore!!!”

Luna gasped as she took off after him at a run. Fillmore had never done anything like this before – he’d bolted so quickly his leash had been torn from her hand with the momentum of his run! Usually Luna kept the leash securely looped around her wrist, but it had slipped off in the moment she’d put him down – something she hadn’t thought she’d needed to worry about, since Fillmore usually never showed any interest in leaving her side, especially in new, crowded places.

“Fillmore! Come back!”

That was the other thing about Fillmore – if she allowed him to wander off a little in a dog park or some other place where it was okay for dogs to move about freely, he always came back when he was called. He had great recall, and Luna had trained him well. Besides which, he’d never really seemed all that interested in wandering much to begin with. He really didn’t like people other than her – he really didn’t even like other dogs that much!

Oh God, maybe he’s freaking out? Maybe this place is too crowded and stimulating, and he’s trying to run away?!

The thought flew into Luna’s head as she ran, just barely keeping the end of Fillmore’s leash in sight as it brushed along the ground in his wake. She had to dodge around people, families, small kids as she went, and a few times she almost managed to catch up with Fillmore as he paused, nose raised, as if scenting something.

But even though it seemed like the most logical explanation, Fillmore didn’t seem freaked out. He wasn’t just scampering along blindly. No – it definitely seemed almost as if he was following a scent – but to what?

That, Luna couldn’t say – all she could do was try to follow him to wherever he seemed so determined to go.

“Fillmore!”

Through a break in the crowd, Luna saw Fillmore scurrying full steam ahead across the street, seeming suddenly to be moving with greater purpose than before. Luna hurled herself after him.

But she still didn’t manage to catch him before he scuttled away – and then, to her horror, she heard the tell-tale gasp of onlookers reacting to Fillmore doing something truly shocking. Not that she could see exactly what it was, since her view was obscured by one of the most beat-up-looking old cars she’d ever seen in her life, but she knew it was bad by the looks of horror and shock on the faces of the people passing by on the sidewalk, and the slight shout of surprise from… someone, anyway. Luna really couldn’t see what was going on.

At least until she finally managed to catch up, breathlessly dashing between the parked cars – only to be confronted with –

Oh. Oh no!

– Only to be confronted with the sight of Fillmore hurling himself into the arms of a completestranger, a complete stranger whose box of cakes was now where no box of cakes ought to be – namely, smeared across his – Wow, okay, actually kind of… really broad, muscular-looking – chest.

“Oh my God!” Luna gasped as she finally managed to catch up, heaving for breath from her chase. “I’m so, so sorry – he’s never done anything like this before – he doesn’t even like people – or cakes – well, I don’t think he does anyway, he’s never been allowed to have any –”

Luna was highly aware that her dog’s predilection – or otherwise – for cake was probably not the most pressing issue for the complete stranger – who, now that she was getting a proper look at him, was not only broad, tall and muscular but also kind of ridiculously good-looking too, in a kind of rough-around-the-edges, masculine way that she personally found incredibly attractive.

That jawline… that stubble… that kind of messy, scruffy hair… gosh… Luna thought, even as she continued babbling like an idiot. And in any case, the hotness of the stranger was not the most important thing! Right now, she had to find a way to apologize for what Fillmore had – inexplicably – done.

“I really can’t tell you how sorry I am,” Luna finished lamely – before realizing that in her distress, she’d forgotten to remove Fillmore from his arms. “Oh – oh my goodness, please, let me just grab Fillmore… I’m so sorry, I really don’t know what got into him.” She reached out, trying to get Fillmore – who definitely would not be getting any more treats today – from the stranger’s hands.

“His… his name is Fillmore?” the stranger asked, blinking.

“Oh… yes,” Luna said, faintly embarrassed. “I was just… I don’t know, don’t you think it suits him?”

“I –” the stranger began, as Luna finally managed to grab hold of Fillmore’s struggling body – whatever had gotten into him, he really didn’t want to leave this guy! – and, without meaning to, brushed hands with the man, who was still trying to keep Fillmore away from the cake that was plastered across his chest.

“Oh – ouch!” Luna said, jerking her hands back. A little static shock had jumped between them at the moment they’d touched – no big deal, but Luna couldn’t help but feel like she was just making an already stupid situation worse.

Great, my dog ruined his delicious cakes, and now I’m electrocuting him.

“You – you have to let me replace those cakes,” Luna said, trying to find some way to make it up to him. She pointed at the shop behind him, which bore a sign reading Sylvie’s Sweets and Bakery. “Are they from this bakery here? Please, just let me know what you ordered and I’ll go buy it all for you again. It’s the least I can do to try to make things up to you. I just can’t believe Fillmore would do a thing like this!”

“Oh… no, don’t worry about it,” the stranger said – and Luna couldn’t help but notice his voice sounded a little stunned. Looking up at him – and geeze, he somehow seemed to be getting better-looking by the minute – she saw he had a kind of stunned-looking expression on his face, too.

Well, she could hardly blame him for that; he was probably still getting over the shock of having Fillmore throw himself into his arms and his cake ruined.

“No, I insist,” Luna said. “This was completely my fault – I should have been watching Fillmore better, and I think he’s just… over-excited or something. He really is usually much better behaved. I don’t understand it at all.”

“No… no, like I said, please, you don’t need to worry,” the stranger repeated himself. “It was my fault, I knew it was a – I mean, he’s just a dog, he probably smelled something he liked. Don’t worry though – I grabbed him before he could lick anything. Well, before he could lick the cake, anyway. He didn’t eat any chocolate or anything like that.”

“Oh, thank you,” Luna said, realizing that in amongst everything else she hadn’t thought of that possibility. “You’re really being so, so good about this. If you were yelling at me in the middle of the street right now, I totally couldn’t blame you.”

Luna really wouldn’t have, either – from the smells wafting out from the bakery, she bet that cake would have tasted really good.

She really felt like she had to do something to make it all up to the man – she’d definitely buy him new cake, no matter what he said. If he wouldn’t accept it from her now, she’d just have it delivered to his door – or take it there herself if she had to, with a note of apology. She didn’t think she could look him in the eye again, so she’d just leave it on his doorstep before running away, hanging her head in shame.

But first, she guessed, she had to find out where to take the cake.

“Are you staying in town for the festival?” she blurted, unable, for the moment, to think of any subtler approach. “Or are you a local? Do you live in town?”

“Staying?” the guy asked, both his voice and his facial expression still kind of weirdly stunned and dreamy. “I’m… no, I’m not staying anywhere. Just my car.”

Luna blinked. She hadn’t been expecting that – not that it was any of her business why he was living in his car, but it made things a little more difficult in terms of cake delivery. “You… you live in your car?”

He shook his head, holding up his hands. “That’s not what I meant,” he said. “I was just… planning on staying in the mountains, with my car. So I haven’t booked any place to stay. I was just going to, uh, roam around a bit, I guess.”

“Oh, I get it,” Luna murmured. To be honest, he looked like the kind of guy who could look after himself while roaming around a mountainside. Aside from all the scruffy masculinity, he just had some air of… competence about him, like he was a guy who knew how to handle himself in any situation. Well, almost any situation, since being attacked in broad daylight by an inexplicably infatuated tiny dog had clearly taken him off-guard, but Luna couldn’t say she blamed him for that.

It did make it kind of hard to order some replacement cake for him, though.

Or meet up with him again. I guess there’ll be no serendipitous meetings over the hot dog stand if he’s heading up into the wilderness.

Luna shook her head, trying to push the thought from her mind, reminding herself that her dog had just made a complete mess of his day – it was pretty unlikely he’d want to see either of them again anytime soon, no matter how nice he was being about it.

“But… if you’re in your car, then won’t it be hard to get yourself cleaned up?” she said, the desperation in her voice clear even to her own ears. For some reason, she really didn’t want to let this guy go without at least trying to improve on the disastrous first impression she – and Fillmore – must have made on him. “I can at least help you with that, if you don’t mind staying in town for a couple more hours – the place I’m staying at won’t mind doing your laundry for you, it’s included as part of the cost of my stay! Look – you have chocolate all over you! Nothing gets chocolate out!”

The guy – Oh my God, I haven’t even asked his name, I really should do that – only seemed to look vaguely down at the mess on his chest, blinking at it as if he’d somehow forgotten all about it in the last five minutes.

“Oh, right,” he said after a moment. “It’s no problem – it’s an old shirt. A few stains won’t make much difference.”

“No, I really do insist this time,” Luna said firmly. Maybe she couldn’t get this guy some new cake – though she really hadn’t quite given up on that yet – but she couldn’t let him go without getting him clean. “You’ll attract ants, apart from anything else. There must be at least a gallon of sugar on you right now. I promise I won’t keep you long – but I really, really want to make this up to you somehow. Won’t you let me get your clothes clean?”

She bit her lip, hoping she didn’t sound too forward… or weird… or desperate.

She was desperate, but that was beside the point!

The stranger seemed to hesitate a moment longer, but something about his expression told her that he was giving in.

I mean, even if he never wants to see me again, surely he also doesn’t want to have to drive around all sticky and… uh… sticky…

Luna blinked. Her mind had wandered off for a moment, and she forcefully wrenched it back.

“Well, okay,” the guy said at last, giving in. “But only if it really won’t be any trouble.”

“Of course it won’t!” Luna beamed at him. “Oh! But I never told you my name – Luna Hayes. And… well, I guess you already know, but this is Fillmore. He’s my dog. Obviously.”

“Henry Grant,” the man said, nodding to her. “It’s nice to meet you. And Fillmore.”

“Well, it probably wasn’t,” Luna said sheepishly. “But thanks for finally letting me do something to make it up to you. Do you, uh, want to grab a spare shirt from your suitcase while I’m getting this one cleaned?”

A slightly conflicted look flickered across Henry’s face. “I’m afraid this is the only shirt I brought.”

“Oh, right,” Luna said, blinking. When Henry had said he was planning on roughing it in the woods, she guessed he’d really meant it. “Well, no problem. We’ll have this one cleaned and dried in no time. So come on – let me take you back to where I’m staying. If we hurry, we’ll still have the whole afternoon to… to go our separate ways and do whatever it was we were going to do!”

Nice save,she mentally berated herself as, shifting a now-calm Fillmore to her other arm, she reached out, grabbing Henry by the forearm and towing him toward where she’d parked her car, trying to suppress her shiver at the electricity that thrilled through her once more. But it’s probably the truth.

After all, who’d want to spend any more time with someone after all that?