NELLY GOT MAX SETTLED in the backyard, making sure his food and water dish were full and laying blankets for him to sleep on the grass in case the lawn was too scratchy for his fur.
Max barely acknowledged her efforts and, for all of her fussing, he lay on the ground beside the blankets.
Feeling gloomy and about as depressed as her dog, Nelly trudged upstairs and opened the computer. While the machine booted, her mind skipped back to the strange interaction between Erik and Dominic at the clinic. She was almost certain the vet had been prepared to ask her out earlier. Why did Erik make it awkward and ruin the moment?
Her friend’s strange behavior had continued even after they had left the hospital. He hadn’t uttered a peep in the car and, when they arrived home, he helped Max to the bac
