Second Chance Girl (Happily Inc. #2)

“Hey, Sophie,” he said as he crouched down to greet the dog.

She ran in circles around him before jumping up to put her paws on his shoulders and thoroughly kiss his face. He laughed, then stood to get out of the wet zone.

Nick stepped out of the studio. He looked at Mathias, who shook his head. His brother relaxed as he approached their mother.

“Mom,” he said warmly. “You’re a surprise.” He bent over to greet Sophie.

“I know. I should have called, but I didn’t.”

Mathias had the uncomfortable thought that she’d deliberately not given them much warning because she’d known they would scatter if given the chance. Which sure didn’t say much about them as sons.

The problem wasn’t her, he thought grimly. It was their father. The man they wouldn’t have to ask about because Elaine would happily tell them everything and more.

The three of them walked into the studio, Sophie bringing up the rear. At the last second, Mathias thought about all the tools, glass and ovens in the room and grabbed Sophie’s trailing leash. Elaine glanced around, as if looking for someone, then her happy smile faded a little.

Mathias silently called Ronan five kinds of bastard for hurting the woman who had always loved him. But his brother wouldn’t see it that way and no one had been able to get through to him, despite how they’d all tried.

“This is nice,” she said with false enthusiasm. “Big and open. You all work here?”

Nick and Mathias exchanged a glance, as if hoping the other would speak first.

“Ronan has his own studio at his place,” Mathias finally said. “He works there a lot.”

“I see. And the gallery is close?”

“Across the parking lot. You should meet Atsuko before you go. She’s the one selling our work.”

“I will next time. I’m on my way back to the airport to catch a flight.”

Before Mathias could ask why she’d bothered to come by, she continued, “Your father and I are heading out on tour. He’s going to be lecturing and giving demonstrations. It’s all very exciting to see him get the attention he deserves.”

Mathias did his best not to roll his eyes. The last thing Ceallach Mitchell was lacking was attention. In his universe, he was the sun and everyone else revolved around his greatness and light.

“We’ll be gone about a month and then come back here in time for Del and Maya’s wedding.”

“That’s great, Mom,” Nick said. “So, ah, why did you stop by?”

Elaine turned to Mathias as if it was obvious. “Someone has to look after Sophie while we’re gone.”

Mathias dropped the leash he was holding. The dog immediately took off exploring. “No. No way. I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. She’s adorable and you love her.”

Love was strong. He liked the dog...from a distance. It wasn’t that she was a bad dog—not exactly. It was more that she had an adventurous spirit and only listened when it suited her purposes. If there was trouble within a five-mile radius, Sophie found it, rolled in it, then brought it home as a prize.

His mother’s gaze sharpened. “Nick can’t take her. He and Pallas are newly in love and Sophie would only get in the way.”

Nick’s expression turned smug. “That’s true.”

“You have that big house,” his mother went on. “With a yard. Sophie will be fine with you and it’s only for a month. Besides, taking care of her would be good for—”

The sound of glass shattering cut through the afternoon. They all turned to stare as Sophie yelped and raced away from the rack filled with finished plates, bowls and glasses. Mathias hadn’t seen what had happened but he would guess Sophie’s ever-wagging tail had been the culprit.

Elaine hurried toward her dog. Mathias swore and followed. They had to keep Sophie away from the glass so she didn’t hurt herself. But as they approached, the happy beagle decided this was some kind of glorious game and darted away.

“I’ve got her,” Nick called as he lunged.

Sophie sidestepped, whacked one of the two bowls Mathias had completed that morning with her tail and then took off for the other side of the room. Mathias managed to get close enough to stomp on her leash, which brought her to a quick stop. He grabbed her in his arms and hauled her up to safety. Sophie relaxed and gave him a doggie kiss on the chin.

Elaine smiled. “See. You’re going to do great with her.”

Not exactly the words he would have used. Still, he was smart enough to know when he’d been bested. He could yell and complain and generally make a fool of himself but at the end of the day, Elaine was his mother, he loved her and there was no way he could tell her no. Which meant today, it sucked to be him.

*

MONDAY NIGHTS WERE tournament nights at The Boardroom Pub. With weddings running the local economy, Happily Inc worked on weekends. Monday was the town’s traditional party night, such as it was, and many of the residents made it a point to get out for a little fun before the next batch of wedding folk blew into town.

The Boardroom, a pub devoted to every board game known to man, celebrated Mondays with different challenges. There had been a Monopoly Junior competition over the summer. Hungry, Hungry Hippo night, along with board-based trivia games, checkers, chess. If there was a board used at any point in the game, it could be found in The Boardroom.

Carol liked Monday nights. In the past, she’d enjoyed the chance to hang out with her friends and have fun. Lately, she was just as interested in the big crowd that showed up for the tournaments. Ever since she’d come up with the idea of buying a herd for her lonely giraffe, she’d been in fund-raising mode. There were donation cans all over town and on Monday nights, a percentage of the proceeds at The Boardroom went to the “buy Millie a herd” cause.

As she wove between the tables, she called out to people she knew. Once she reached the bar, she shook the giraffe-print-covered can and was delighted to feel the weight of it. Yes, the money was flowing slowly, but at least it was flowing. Buying giraffes wasn’t cheap, nor was the very tricky transportation to get them to the animal preserve. There would be the costs of additional housing, not to mention feeding. Millie’s favorite marionberry leaf-eater treats were pricey.

Still, progress was being made and that was what mattered. Carol needed her favorite girl to be happy.

After confirming the full can, she looked at the chalkboard to find out the challenge of the week, then grinned.

“You look happy,” her friend Pallas said as she approached. They hugged.

“I love Clue.”

Pallas, a hazel-eyed brunette with an easy smile, groaned. “Let me guess. You can always figure out who did it and where. I never can. There’s too much to keep track of.”

“That’s why you take notes.”

“It’s not a game if you’re taking notes. Want to sit with us tonight?”