Present day…

“Think she will get along with my cat at home?” I said and scratched the puppy’s tummy a little more. “You like that, eh?” I cooed as the puppy pawed at my hand begging for more love. “You’re lucky you’re so cute.”

I left Noir Nightclub around 2:00 a.m. last night. It was starting to become my normal exit time from the place. As I made my way to the car, there was this small whimper off in the distance. I was never a fan of wandering around a parking lot in the middle of the night, unless it involved a furry creature who needed my help. Where the cement ended and the grass started in the back lot of the nightclub, there were two large bushes side by side. As I walked closer to the overgrown shrubbery, the whining got more pronounced. When I bent down, I was shocked to find a small dog curled up in a ball shaking.

“He stayed in my spare bathroom last night,” I said and pried my hand away from the never-ending tummy scratch session.

“They’ll be fine together,” the veterinarian, Dr. Barker, said and took over the tummy rub. The puppy was not the only one distracting me at the moment. The veterinarian taking care of the lost puppy had gorgeous, long blonde hair that flowed around her shoulders and caused my insides to squirm. “I would give them a chance to decide. Cats are grumpy at first but learn to adapt.”

“How old is this sweetie?” I had a feeling the puppy was around six months old. It was definitely a Heinz 57, also known as a mutt. The best kind.

“By the size of her teeth, probably around eight months. All her baby teeth are gone.”

“Did you hear that? You’re eight months old,” I said to the puppy and bent to give her a kiss on the head. Looking up at the doctor. “I never understand people and how they can just abandon little innocent creatures.”

“She’s very lucky you passed by when you did, Zoe,” Dr. Barker said and walked around the exam table to stand just inches from me.

“Yeah?” My hand was resting on the table and my mind had suddenly gone blank.

The doctor very lightly placed her hand over mine. “Well, I’m glad I had that right,” she said.

“What right?”

“You.”

I smiled at her words. “Me.”

“Ahhhh, that,” she said and glanced toward the exam room door.

“So, is your last name really Barker?”

“You think I would purposefully make it up?”

I straightened and shook my head, feeling awful. “No, I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry that was a shit question.”

Dr. Barker placed a finger lightly over my lips. “Relax, I was kidding.”

Okay, whatever was happening in this room sent several emotions through me all at once. “What’s your first name?”

“Amanda.”

She had a sexy name, too. I was so screwed. “Amanda. That’s beautiful.”

There was a knock at the door and Amanda stepped away quickly. The technician handed the doctor a few pieces of paper. “We just need her to sign the bottom.” The young woman pointed at the paper with several words and numbers splashed across the page.

I didn’t know what had come over me. Hooking up with the puppy’s veterinarian was not planned and would be a very bad idea. I needed to focus on my upcoming fights. Then Amanda pushed her blonde tresses over her shoulder, and my focus went out the window for the second time in a matter of minutes.

“Thank you, Carol.” Amanda took the paper and closed the door. “I’m sorry. Where were we?”

“Oh, it’s fine. I better get going.” I was trying to keep myself distracted by carefully placing the new hot pink collar around the puppy’s neck. “Now the rest of my day will be spent figuring out her name.”

Before I had a chance to open the door and leave, Amanda placed her hand on my elbow. “When can I see you again?”

“I’ll be making my next appointment for two weeks.” If I could see her sooner that would be ideal, but I had to keep focused.

The veterinarian visibly pouted. “You sure about that decision?”

I wasn’t sure about anything at the moment. “Yeah.” I winked and reached for my new furry kid. “I’m sure I’ll regret it the moment I walk out the door.” Before Amanda had a chance to protest, I swung the exam room door open and stepped out into the waiting area. From behind me I heard her mumble something incoherent under her breath. I turned around. “What was that?”

“Not you, the guy in the waiting area.”

When I turned back, I noticed three men in the waiting area. My eyes didn’t scan them thoroughly, because I was more interested in their pets. Instead of trying to pry, I reached out my hand. “Thank you. We’ll see you in two weeks.”

“She’s a very lucky puppy to have found you. Well, actually you both found each other.” Then Dr. Barker grabbed a chart and turned to head back toward an exam room.

The puppy hopped into the passenger seat as I sat down in my car. “You knew exactly who to cry out to last night. You’re a very smart puppy.” She climbed over the console and licked my chin. “You need to help me with your name.”

“Where have you been?” Charlie nudged my shoulder. I pointed to the floor. “What? No. I must love and squeeze her all day long.”

After the doctor appointment for my new puppy, I bailed on practice for a few days. “Lucky here is living up to her new name,” I teased and started heading toward the locker room. “Think we can hide her somewhere?” Everything was so new and I felt unsure about leaving her at home alone.

“I’ll watch her while you train. I’m done for the day,” Charlie said and reached down to pick up Lucky around her waist. “What’s her story?”

As I was telling Charlie, I passed one of the TVs in the locker room. After several months of complaining that the men had several TVs in their space and even video games, Julian added four small screens in the sitting area of the women’s locker room. As I passed the one TV by the big overstuffed green chair I loved to lounge in most days, my eyes caught sight of a familiar face. On the screen was Dr. Barker, and in bold font below her name was the word, Missing.

“Holy shit.” I sat down on the edge of the chair. “That’s—”

Charlie plopped down on the floor in front of me and continued petting Lucky. “Are you going to keep me in suspense or finally finish that sentence?”

“That’s my new veterinarian.”

“The one missing is your vet?”

“Um, yeah.” It was a short segment because they didn’t have any leads to her whereabouts. The doctor’s family was offering a reward and a pretty large amount. “Wow, talk about creepy. I just met her two days ago.”

“Zoe, you in here?” I heard Tyler yell from the doorway.

“The slave driver is calling,” Charlie teased.

The news threw me off. My veterinarian was missing. I tried to shake the image from my mind and stuck my head around the divider that separated the door and sitting area. “I’ll be right there.” Mr. Personality, or better known as Tyler, rolled his eyes and left. “He’s in a cheerful mood.”

“Just push those boobs up higher and strut your stuff.” Charlie was now lying on the floor rolling around with Lucky. “You may need to share a parenting schedule with me. I’m already falling in love.”

I blew a kiss and left the locker room. As I passed the seating area in the front part of the gym, the TV was turned to a different channel, and the doctor’s picture was taking up the whole screen. I wasn’t sure how to process this news.