Song: “Puppies are Forever” by Sia

Arms heaping with discarded leashes and chew toys, Leah made her way to aisle three. A woman called to her, and as Leah glanced back, she tripped on a plush hedgehog. It gave a prolonged squeak as Leah tumbled to the ground and the contents of her arms flew everywhere.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” the woman said, scrambling to help Leah to her feet.

“It’s okay, ma’am.” Leah stooped to gather the scattered leashes and chew toys. “How may I help you?”

“My husband and I would like to buy the little Labrador-mix in the window.”

“Oh, Joey. Excellent. I’ll help you in a—thank you—” Leah nodded gratefully to the woman as she handed Leah a purple leash. “—I’ll be right over to help you.”

After returning the leashes and chew toys to their proper places, Leah met the customers at the cash register and completed the sale of Joey, who had been brought to The Puppy Patch after his time at the local kill-shelter had expired.

Leah was stacking the day’s receipts when Alan came in with three animal carriers stacked on a red hand truck.

“Hey, Alan. Who’ve we got this week?” Leah walked around the counter to greet him.

He patted the top carrier. “A shy Rottweiler-mix named Daisy, a snappy little guy—don’t know what breed he is, really, but we call him Casper—and a sheepdog-mix puppy with a funny little black spot over his eye—looks like Texas—”

“What?” Leah bent to peer into the bottom carrier. “Lonestar?”

“You’ve seen him before?”

“I sold him to a woman about a month ago. He was supposed to be a Christmas gift for her daughter.”

Leah and Alan got the shop’s new dogs settled in their cages before Leah finished her closing duties. Then, scooping Lonestar up in her arms, she went to pay a visit to a certain liar.

She slipped past the downtown apartment building’s doorman by telling him that she was Julie’s dog walker, and the doorman must’ve recognized Lonestar because he gave them no trouble. At the door to the penthouse, Leah punched the doorbell three times and propped the shaggy puppy on her hip while she waited.

“He’s not a scarf you can just return, Julie!” Leah said when the pearl-necklaced, fur-decked, Prada-boot-wearing woman opened the door.

“I—What?”

“He’s a living being that you agreed to take care of,” Leah said as Lonestar licked her cheek and panted on her ear. “You can’t just discard him when you get bored!”

“How did you get in here?”

Leah pointed accusingly at Julie. “Don’t get an animal if you’re not prepared to care for them.” Then, she spun and headed for the elevator before Julie could dial the number for security.

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