Kim shot Constance a look of annoyance. I suspected that Constance arranged for Kim to be here for our interview, hoping that hearing us talk about Ms. Cupid’s perfect matches would somehow demonstrate to Kim how ridiculous it was to walk away from love rather than adapting her timeline. I suspected that Constance expected me to back her up, but the truth of the matter was that I wasn’t certain Kim was wrong about sticking to a timeline she felt was right for her.
“I don’t suppose either of you has any idea as to who Ms. Cupid actually is?” I asked.
“It has to be someone I know,” Constance said. “The questions asked when I filled out the application were ridiculous. There is no way that the answers to those questions would lead Ms. Cupid to match me with Steve unless she already knew both of us. The date was tailor-made. The food provided by Ms. Cupid in our picnic basket included all our favorites. Nowhere on the application did it ask what my favorite dessert was.”
“And what is your favorite dessert?”
“Cheesecake. Not the fancy kind with caramel topping or chocolate swirls, but plain cheesecake.”
“So knowing that Ms. Cupid has to be someone known to you, do you have any guesses as to who it might be?”
She shrugged. “Sure. I guess. But I’m not telling. The whole anonymity thing adds a romantic element that would be lost if everyone knew who was making the matches.”
I supposed that Constance had a point. The fact that Ms. Cupid really could be anyone did lend a certain mystique to the experience.
The three of us spoke a bit longer, and then I headed toward my interview with a couple who’d been matched just a month ago. As far as I could tell, they were Ms. Cupid’s most recent match. Like the others I’d spoken to, they’d filled out the application and then waited for over a month before being contacted. When they received a reply, they were told that a date had been arranged for a movie and dinner. A movie and dinner seemed to me to be a vanilla sort of date until I found out that the movie was a black and white film from the forties that was being shown as part of a movie festival, and both matched applicants were classic movie fans.
After hearing all the details, it really did sound like the perfect date. I had to wonder how it was that Ms. Cupid had enough information to arrange all these perfect dates. Constance said she was certain the person doing the matching knew her well. Did Ms. Cupid know all these individuals well? Based on what I’d learned so far, if you were lucky enough to go on a Ms. Cupid date, by the end of that date, you were good and hooked up. It seemed to me that there had to be some sort of dating magic at play.
Chapter 7
“Okay, everyone, we’re going to work on blind stays today,” Naomi said to the group of volunteers who’d agreed to take a handful of the shelter dogs through the advanced class. “We’ll do a warmup first to get the dogs into the work mindset, but once we have everyone’s attention, we’ll spend the remainder of the session on advanced commands. The idea here will be to put your dog into a down-stay and then walk around the corner of the back wall so they can no longer see you. We’ll start with just thirty seconds before you reappear and release them, but over the next several weeks, we’ll be working our way up to a thirty-minute blind stay.”
I had to admit that Naomi was going to have people knocking down the door to adopt these well-trained dogs once they completed this course and were cleared for adoption. Naomi had chosen intelligent dogs with a high energy level for the course. The truth of the matter was if trained well, an intelligent dog with a high energy level was the best kind of dog to have as a pet or as a service animal, but an untrained intelligent dog with a high energy level could be a nightmare and was the sort of dog that was most often surrendered. I’d never owned a dog before I’d begun volunteering with Naomi, and I’d certainly known nothing about training, but over the past four months, I’d learned quite a lot. If I ever decided to adopt a canine friend, you could bet that he or she would be one of the best-trained dogs in the county.
By the time the advanced training class let out, Cass had arrived with Milo. Talk about a well-trained dog. Milo was Cass’s partner and seemed to understand everything Cass said to him. He was also able to anticipate his needs without a verbal command, even in the most serious of situations. When he wasn’t working, he was a big goofball the same as any other dog. I truly adored him.
“Long day?” I asked Cass, who looked exhausted.
“A few long days. How’d the training go?”
“It went well. I’m working with a dog named Zak, who is not only very sweet but very intelligent. If I didn’t think Alastair would throw a fit, I’d consider adopting him myself.”
“You don’t think Alastair would welcome a dog in the house?”
I laughed. “No, he would not. He’s most definitely a one animal kind of cat. Not that I’m complaining. He has been so great since I’ve been home. He provides support, comfort, and companionship. And he is one heck of a sassy and opinionated editor.”
“He does seem to have his own opinions.” Cass opened the gate to allow the dogs we’d chosen into the playroom. “I suppose if you really want a dog, you can start looking for one after you move out.”
I frowned. “Yeah, I guess. Although, to be honest, it has never once entered my mind to move out. Gracie seems to like having me, and living with her does make it convenient for the two of us to help out with Paisley. Tom and Alastair seem okay with me being there as well, and it’s lovely being right on the lake. I really don’t know why I’d want to leave such a perfect situation.”
“I guess maybe you wouldn’t. For some reason, I had the impression that staying with Gracie was a temporary thing until you could figure out what you wanted to do, but if it’s working for both of you, maybe you do want to make it a more permanent situation.”
“Maybe. I guess I should speak to Gracie about it just to make sure she’s as okay with things as I think she is.” I picked up a rope throw and tossed it across the room. Half the dogs in the room went after it.
“So, how was the town council meeting?” Cass asked after he sent his group running after a ball.
“Intense. Half the members spoke out in support of inviting large corporations to visit Foxtail Lake in the hope of convincing them to build resorts in the area, and the other half threatened bodily harm if they did such a horrific thing. I have to say this is a very dysfunctional group. I don’t know how they are ever going to get anything done if they can’t even have a civil conversation.”
“They aren’t always that way, but expansion is a very hot topic item.”
“Bringing in large resorts would change the culture of the town. I get the fact that an increase in tourism would bring money to the area, but I’m not sure I’m willing to give up everything that makes Foxtail Lake so special. Not that I have the right to have an opinion about things after being gone for so many years, but I love our rustic little town, and I’d hate for Foxtail Lake to become another resort town with glitz but no heart.”
“Yeah.” He tossed the ball again. “Me too. I’m pretty happy with the way things are, but it would be nice to have a budget that would allow for some new equipment. I’m afraid our little sheriff’s office is pretty outdated.”
“So have a fundraiser.”
“We’d have to sell a lot of cupcakes or raffle tickets to afford a new dispatch system or a new squad car,” Cass pointed out.