He turned to her for a moment, mischief flashing in his green eyes. “No, but I have a surprise for you nonetheless.”

“Nonetheless? Who says nonetheless? And what did I tell you about surprises?”

“Trust me, it will be worth it.”

It was then Harmony realized that she did trust him. Not just a little, not just partially, but all the way. She wasn’t sure when the shift had occurred or what it meant for the future of their friendship—or her job, for that matter—but she’d have to unpack that later.

Right now, they had urgent s’mores business to attend to.

Chapter 29

Harmony

The sun had already begun to set by the time Nolan and Pancake returned to Mrs. Clementine’s house. Sure enough, Virginia had an old fire pit buried in her garden shed that she allowed Harmony to dig out for use in their so-called s’mores emergency.

She fitted Muffin’s newly knit sweater onto his tiny, shivering body, knowing the night air would be too cold for him without the added layer of fuzz. And, really, she was quite proud of her handiwork. She’d alternated two skeins of yarn to create adorable blue and yellow stripes. Virginia had even helped her out by making a tiny hat to go with it. Now Muffin looked too cute for words in this new ensemble, although he seemed to believe his hat made a better chew toy than fashion accessory.

“Sorry it took me so long!” Nolan cried, setting a few very full grocery bags on the countertop.

Pancake, whose massive head reached over the counter without any added stretching on his part, sniffed determinedly at the corner of one of the bags.

His owner pushed the dog aside with his hip. “First Harmony, then you!” he told the Irish Wolfhound.

“I thought dogs couldn’t have chocolate,” Harmony reminded him gently. In fact, she was sure of it. Abigail’s church dog manual had been very clear on the point—no chocolate, raisins, onions, and about a dozen other things as well.

“They can’t.” Nolan drew what looked like a camouflaged fishing pole out from a bag and began to crank its handle. The little metal prongs on the end spun slowly in what had to be the most ridiculous roasting stick in the entire world.

“That’s why they’re having sausages while we have the good stuff. Wouldn’t want to leave the puppers out of this important memory,” Nolan continued, handing her the camo stick rod hybrid thing, then pulling a second matching one from the bag.

There were still two and a half full grocery bags on the counter.

“How much do you expect us to eat?” Harmony asked, tossing a glance at the unnecessarily exorbitant amount of supplies.

“At least three s’mores each,” he answered with a smile. “Since this is your first time, you need to have the classic, the alternate, and the original. That makes three.” He put up three fingers as if this somehow further confirmed his assertion.