Sneak Peak: "RUFF DAY" by Jayne Ormerod

I don’t want to sound overly dramatic, but today was the day that would make or break me. As the sole proprietor of Ruff Day Doggie Boutique, I’d planned a huge marketing event. And if my big event didn’t go off as hoped/anticipated/prayed for, I’d be back slinging hash on the five-a.m. shift at Breakfast at Stephanie’s. Let me tell you, I am not a morning person. And Mr. Belvedere, my one hundred and forty-five-pound Great Dane, is not a morning dog. Life had been so much better since I’d become my own boss. Well, maybe not better financially, but in every other way.

All the MBAs out there would shake their heads when they heard I’d blown an entire year’s marketing budget on a single event. Not a good business move, I know. I’d told myself that a thousand times.

All the MBAs out there would shake their heads when they heard I’d blown an entire year’s marketing budget on a single event. Not a good business move, I know. I’d told myself that a thousand times.

“Darby Agnes Moore!”

I whipped my bloody thumb behind my back and turned to face the source of the accusing voice. Tianna Platt. My best friend since third grade. She stood in the doorway of my shop, dressed in her usual getup of white t-shirt, black jeans and black Sketchers boots. Her facial expression was one of complete and total irritation. Not unusual for a type-AAA perfectionist. She said the people in her world constantly disappointed her. No doubt my name ranked high on that list.

Tianna crossed her arms over her tiny waist and glared at me. “Where in God’s name are your pants?”

I looked down and sure enough, my fish-belly-white thighs and knobby knees jutted out from beneath my favorite New Leash on Life t-shirt. Just goes to show that mountainous amounts of stress can make one forgetful. “Oops,” I said tugging my shirt down to cover the important parts, lest anyone walking down the sidewalk peeked in the large storefront window and see me half-naked. “I started to change but then remembered I needed to add more items to my list.” I nodded toward a clipboard sitting atop a display of yak-milk treats. The clipboard had been Tianna’s idea to help me get more organized, so it’s kind of her fault I was pantless. She is the most orderly person in the world. I, on the other hand, am not. But I’m trying. Hence the clipboard.

Mr. Belvedere, my silver Great Dane, lumbered out from the back of the shop to see the source of all the commotion. He spotted Tianna, one of his favorite people, and picked up the pace.

Mr. B was tall, even by Great Dane standards, and Tianna was short, even by human standards. They stood eye-to-eye while she rubbed his jowls. “Go get some pants on,” she said to me while gazing into Mr. B’s baby browns. “I’ll take over the list. We’re running three minutes late already.”

Yeah, she’s so structured she schedules her life in one-minute increments.

I snapped off a salute and trotted toward the back of the store.

To clarify, I had not left my home without any pants on. I’m not that addlebrained. But how could I resist the box of oh-so-cute dog-bone-print leggings the UPS man had dropped off late yesterday afternoon? Perfect attire for today’s event. I’d slipped out of my toothpick jeans, and then I remembered I needed to add a few Stop-the-Slop watering bowls to my stash of supplies. And a few colorful leashes to hang by the door of my custom dog house which would be on display for the world—or at least the residents and tourists to our sleepy bayside town—to see. Before the idea disappeared from my mind, I’d raced to find my list, so I could add the items. It took a few minutes, but I located my clipboard right where I’d left it, on the dog-treats display. Which is where Tianna had found me.

“Hey, Darbs,” Tianna called to me. “Mr. B says he needs to go out. I’ll walk. You start loading your stuff in the truck.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I hollered back.

Now fully dressed and presentable, I marched out to the front of the store. My heart swelled with pride, as it always did, when I walked in and saw all the items on display.

I can’t lose all this. I just can’t. Please, please, please let today go off without a hitch.

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To find out what troubles await Darby and Mr. Belvedare, grab your copy of To Fetch a Villain. Print and ebook versions available through the BUY NOW link.