“That’s why I haven’t met him. I’ve been gone at least that long.”
“He’s not the Parsons’ kind of people. Works from home, so they are convinced he’s a drug dealer, which they’ve informed me of many times.”
“Is he?” She knew there were some old potheads in the area, who grew marijuana in their back yards for their own use, but a drug dealer?
“No. He telecommutes. He’s a programmer.”
“What was the confrontation about? His alleged drug dealing?”
“His vicious dog.”
“You can’t blame the dog, you have to look at the owner,” she said, parroting one of their mother’s sayings.
“Yeah. And they did look at the owner. Harsh words were exchanged, some ugly insults, and they threatened to sue him.”
“They wanted to sue their neighbor for a barking dog?”
“Yep.” He was starting to grin, and she couldn’t help but join in even though she didn’t yet know why this was a grinning matter. “He called me and wanted to press charges. Trespassing and harassment.”
His eyes were twinkling. “I went over to try and talk some sense into both of them. And you know what?”
“I’m on the edge of my seat.”
“There is no dog.”
“What? Did he get rid of it?”
“No. He never had one. He’s working on a home safety device. Dog barking sounds that get triggered if he’s not home and anyone approaches the house.”
“Kind of like a motion detector light?”
“Exactly like that. And the longer the intruder hangs around, the fiercer the dog barks.”
She was beginning to realize how much she missed Hidden Falls. “And the Parsons were snooping around his yard when he wasn’t home, triggering the frenzied barks.”
“Yep.”
“Sometimes, I really miss that place.”
“You could always move back. You know we need a local doc.”
“Not that much.”
He sipped coffee. “So? What’s up with you?”
She told him about Belinda’s terrifying birth ordeal and he was duly impressed. “That is the single grossest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“It was terrifying at the time.” She thought for a second. “I never realized how similar our work is. Both involve a lot of boring, routine days punctuated with spells of action and terror.”
“Yep, pretty much.” He sipped some coffee then said, “So, you dating anyone?”
“Nope. You?”
He shook his head. “I got my heart broken when I fell for Holly Legere and she chose my decamillionaire architect brother over me. I may never recover.”
Her lips twitched. “I was there, remember? You were flirting with her like crazy under Scott’s nose, being a shit disturber.”
He chuckled. “Haven’t had that much fun since we were kids. Man we used to pull some pranks on each other, didn’t we?”
