Second Chance Girl. Susan Mallery

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?”

      “Sure.”

      They made their way to a table. Seconds before they arrived, Carol remembered that Pallas would most likely be sitting with her fiancé. Nick was a great guy—Carol liked him a lot. The problem was his brother. Because Carol wasn’t sure she wanted to spend the evening sitting next to the ever dreamy Mathias.

      Not that he would notice her, she reminded herself. She wasn’t glamorous or special—in the animal kingdom, she was the female who would be overlooked by the alpha male. While she teased Mathias about his love of bridesmaids, the truth was his type was more specific than simply anyone who was in a wedding. He gravitated toward the most beautiful, most feminine, most alluring of the single women in town to attend a wedding.

      In a word or two—not her.

      She and Pallas took seats across from each other, then glanced at the menu. On tournament nights there were special drinks in honor of the game du jour, along with easy-to-eat food. Carol generally stuck with herbal iced tea rather than one of the cocktails. She had to be up early to feed her animals.

      Pallas was facing the door. When Carol saw her friend’s face light up with happiness, she sighed. “Let me guess. Chris Pine just walked in?”

      “Better.” Pallas rose. “Nick’s here.”

      The engaged couple embraced. Nick’s kiss lingered a second more than was polite, then he grinned at Carol. “How’s it going? Did you hear about Mathias?”

      He seemed too happy for whatever it was to be bad, she told herself as she shook her head. “I’ve been out on the savanna all day. What happened?”

      Pallas rolled her eyes. “Ignore him. He’s being mean.”

      “I’m not,” Nick protested as he sat next to her. “But I will admit, better him than me.” Nick’s grin returned. “Our mom stopped by with Sophie.”

      Carol tried to figure out what was funny. While she’d heard about Elaine Mitchell, she’d never met her and she had no idea who Sophie was. There was no sister, so a cousin maybe? A chill raced through her as she considered the possibility of an ex-girlfriend delivered to Mathias. For reasons she couldn’t explain the thought of that was incredibly unsettling.

      Pallas put her hand over Nick’s. “She has no idea who Sophie is, sweetie, so she’s not going to get the joke.”

      “Sophie’s a beagle. She’s Mom’s dog. My parents are going to be traveling for a month, so Mom brought Sophie to stay with Mathias.” Nick snickered. “I’m in love, so I was spared.”

      A dog? Wasn’t that nice? Carol liked dogs. “Why is this so funny?”

      “You haven’t met Sophie,” Nick told her. “She’s sweet and friendly as could be, but don’t let those big eyes fool you. Sophie’s also a terror. She’s an escape artist, a food hound and all-around troublemaker. Mathias doesn’t have a chance. The dog was in our studio for maybe ten minutes and she broke a dozen of his pieces. That was without trying. Imagine what she can do if she makes an effort.”

      Carol winced. “Is she okay? Did she get any glass in her paw?”

      “She’s fine. She’s lucky that way. Nothing bad ever happens to her. Everyone else gets sucked into the vortex, but Sophie emerges unscathed.”

      “He’s exaggerating,” Pallas said. “I’ve only seen pictures, but she looks adorable. Mathias will be fine.”

      Nick snorted. “Tell him that,” he said, jerking his head toward the door.

      Carol turned and saw Mathias, a small beagle at his side and a fluffy dog bed under his arm. Sophie’s eyes were bright, her tail wagging. She was every inch a happy dog.

      “Oh, yeah, she’s the devil,” Carol murmured. “We should run while we can.”

      “You mock me but you’ll see.”