Pepper stood there looking gorgeous as usual. Dark black hair fell in a shower of curls down to her waist. Big blue eyes were staring at me, but my friend, usually one to have a quick grin for anyone, wasn’tsmiling.
“Pepper?” I held the dooropen.
She brushed past me and came inside, not seeing the large puppy waiting for a pat on itshead.
When I closed the door, Pepper spoke. “You hired Hank?” she askedquietly.
“Uh, I’m considering hiring Hank. Why?” I pointed to the kitchen. “Waffles?”
Her gaze brightened but she frowned. “Don’t try to seduce me with your delicious food. Why in the world would you hire Hank overme?”
I had started to head back to the kitchen but stopped so quickly, Pepper ran into the back of me. “Wait. You never claimed to have any interest in landscape design. Why in the world would I know to hireyou?”
“Because I’m a gardener! Because I love plants! Because I’m your best friend!” Pepper stepped out from behind me and walked over to grab a bottle of wine from the top of my fridge. She rummaged through a drawer for an opener and went towork.
The waffle iron beeped. “I didn’t think about it, Pepper. Honest. Plus I hadn’t planned to hire anyone. Hank dropped my plants by when I missed my pickup time and he shamed me into looking intopermaculture.”
Pepper’s hand stilled as she was pouring wine into a red plastic cup. “So,” she drawled, her voice a little more relaxed, yet sharply interested in the subject. “Hank’s going to be spending some time around here, ishe?”
I rolled my eyes as I sprayed the waffle iron with olive oil. “Don’t even go there.” But I gasped as I realized I hadn’t told her what happened. I poured the first batch of batter in, shut the iron, flipped it, and poured more batter into the second waffle holder. I flipped that back over and clapped my handstogether.
“OH MY GOD!” Pepper shouted, her wine forgotten, as she got down on her hands and knees and rubbed her hand through Margo’sfur.
“Who is this adorable little baby? And how did I not see her when I walkedin?”
“Because you were boiling angry at me and I’d never had a dogbefore.”
“Who’s a cute little girl?” Pepper cooed. “I wasn’t boiling,” she corrected. “I was annoyed.” She tore her eyes away from Margo. “Where did she comefrom?”
I told her about the note from theagency.
Pepper’s hands stopped rubbing Margo. “Uhh. That’s unheard of. They brought you apuppy?”
Margobarked.
“Yes, you’re adorable,” Pepper said in her baby voice. “But of all the people you chose, you decided to stay withHelen?”
“Hey!” I glared at her as the waffle iron beeped. “No waffles foryou.”
“You wouldn’t deprive your very best friend of waffles, wouldyou?”
I carefully lifted out the waffle and put it on a plate. “I certainly would. But not today.” I slathered it with butter and maple syrup and pushed it her way. “As long as you’re nice tome.”
“I’m always nice. You just don’t like the truth.” Pepper stood up, washed her hands, and dug into the waffle with the fork I handedher.
“I love the truth. What’s so weird about me having apuppy?”
Pepper’s mouth was full but her answer was rolling her eyes. She chewed for asecond.
“You have dead things here all the time! Haven’t you seen a singlemovie?”
“I’m a necromancer! I can’t helpit.”
“Has Margo seen anything dead come back to lifeyet?”
I glanced down at the puppy now lying on the floor staring up at my best friend like she was the best thing since beef jerky. “Notyet.”
Pepper harrumphed. “Well, let’s see what happens when shedoes.”
