CHAPTER
thirty-seven 
TAMMY SHOWED UP at Hollywoof on Monday. She carried Kale in her arms and asked if I could provide teeth cleaning.
Lowering her voice, she said, “Between you and me, her breath stinks. And I’d like her to smell nice for her upcoming leg surgery.”
“I’m honored to be your dentist.” I rubbed the top of Kale’s head. “Tammy, do you want to drop her off or wait around?”
“I doubt it’ll take very long, so I’ll stay.” She handed Kale over to me. On her way to the waiting area, Tammy halted. A look of horror crossed her face.
She sidled toward me. “Mimi, I think my cousin Scarlet is visiting. Do you think you can help?”
I wrinkled my brow. “I’m not sure—”
“My Aunt Flo has come to town,” she said. “Maybe you have extra supplies in your purse?”
Oh, right. Now I understood about those pesky regular visitors . . . that only women receive. Guess the same euphemism crosses cultural lines, because Ma also referred to her time of the month as when relatives came to visit. “My bag is underneath the counter with the cash register.” I pointed to its location.
Marshmallow must have been following our conversation, because I saw him shudder. He crawled over to me and said, “I’ll tag along. Because sticking your hands into a dog’s mouth—not the brightest idea. Plus, Tammy needs privacy.”
I nodded. Who knew male cats would feel uncomfortable around feminine hygiene talk?
Before we walked toward the back of the store, I said, “Bathroom’s down the hall, Tammy. First door on your left.”
“Okay, thanks,” she said, moving toward the space beneath the cash register.
I marched Kale into the back room, with Marshmallow following me. After easing the puppy onto the table, I said, “This won’t hurt a bit, Kale. Just a regular cleaning. I’ll make your mouth feel fresh.”
Marshmallow translated and then gave a soft, continuous purring that soothed even me as I gathered the tools I would need. I brought out a dog toothbrush and some poultry-flavored toothpaste. Then I proceeded to place a dollop of paste on the soft bristles of the toothbrush.
I knew I only needed to brush the exterior teeth. Kale’s tongue would naturally work the paste around to clean the inside of her mouth. She didn’t even need to spit out the toothpaste like a human would.
I finished brushing and checked her teeth. They seemed clean. “You’ve been such a good sport,” I said to Kale.
When I returned to the front with Kale, her teeth sparkling, I found Tammy sitting on the pleather bench watching a movie play on the flat-screen TV. She looked much more comfortable than when she’d first come in.
“Kale smells so much better,” Tammy said as she paid the grooming bill.
“I’m glad you’re getting out,” I said. “You seem in a healthier place. I mean, emotionally.”
She looked at me with a steady gaze. Her eyes didn’t appear teary or red-rimmed. “Yes, things are improving,” she said. She cradled Kale in her arms and rocked her like a baby. “Everything will be fixed soon.”
No walk-in clients or phone calls came for me the rest of the day. Instead, I handled some lookie-loos who’d walked in because of the local beach volleyball tournament. The curious observers came into my store to check out the fees and riffle through my merchandise. As a result, I did ring up a few collar and doggie pouch purchases.
Around four o’clock, Nicola showed up. True to her word, she actually brought in her résumé. She even wore a proper pantsuit, as though she’d prepared for a formal interview. Seemed like Nicola had really fallen for my excuse when I’d dropped by her apartment. Maybe I deserved an Oscar.
“You look like you rested up,” I said, as she handed me the thick ivory paper listing her recent jobs.
A delicate pink hue colored her cheeks. “Must have been one of those twenty-four-hour bugs. I feel much better.”
I looked at her résumé. My finger tracked her list of recent positions, mostly duties at fast-food restaurants. She’d also listed her crew work on a few local productions. She’d placed them at the end of the page under the “Other Experience” heading.
“Have you worked with animals before?” I asked her.
“Only Sterling,” Nicola said. “But you remember how much he adored me.”
“Actually, I’m not sure I can hire new staff at the moment.”
She grasped my hands with hers. “I know you’re biased against me, what with my sour attitude toward Mrs. Dalton and borrowing her jewelry—”
“It’s not that.” I just didn’t want to hire a possible killer. Plus, I really couldn’t afford it. I decided to tell her my second explanation. “I took a closer look at my finances and can’t justify the expense.”
“I don’t believe that’s your real reason. Please give me a chance.” She squeezed my hands tightly.
I wondered why she even needed an income now. Couldn’t Russ Nolan’s money tide her over? But maybe he hadn’t kept a lot of loose cash in the house. Or perhaps he’d depleted it by bribing too many people. I disentangled her hands from mine and peeked over at Marshmallow.
“Why are you looking at me?” he said. “You’re the one with the psych degree. I can’t tell if she’s a good candidate or not. I wouldn’t know where to begin figuring out that mess you call the human mind.”
“People can become improved versions of themselves.” Nicola’s gaze flitted around the room. “That’s one of the reasons I fell for Russ. I knew I could change him for the better.”
The classic rescuer mind-set. How many people acted in a like manner? Thank goodness I didn’t fall victim to the My Fair Lady sort of thinking that got people into trouble. Besides, my wonderful Josh didn’t need improvement.
Nicola continued, “My personal philosophy is that you can always start over and begin again.”
“Tell you what, I’ll hold on to your résumé,” I said. “Maybe I can use my connections to find an open pets-related position.”
“Thanks, but I guarantee you won’t regret it if you take me on. I can work real hard.” She pumped my hand. Ouch. She had some muscle behind her gazelle frame.
I waved to Nicola as she left. Her words about wanting to “start over” rang in my head. Had she meant with this new job? Perhaps getting fired had propelled her to start looking for different employment.
Likewise, her recent loss of Russ Nolan could lead to a new relationship in the future. The question remained, though: Had the loss been predetermined—one which Nicola herself had caused?