"Stephen King," she observed with approval, nodding slightly at the reference. And then — oh, hello, a...shoe. From the most delightful puppy in the world.

Why, in the face of such generosity, how could she do anything but accept?

Taking the shoe carefully from his mouth, she made a production of fussing over him, stroking his fur and scratching behind his ears in reward for the token of his appreciation. Admittedly, she was more of a cat person than a dog person, but such friendliness had its advantages.

Namely, that one of Heather's shoes now belonged to her, by gift of dog, and it was going to take some negotiating before she got it back.