The total upside was all the time I got to spend chatting with telemarketers about my insurance needs and potential credit card applications.

“Hello?” I asked, my mouth full of popcorn.

“Hi, is this Juliet?”

“Yep.”

“This is Noah. Noah Douglas? We met the other night.”

I sat straight up and shot all the popcorn out of my mouth, dropping the bowl to the floor. Then I fumbled with the remote, trying to hit the pause button. The last thing I needed was him hearing his own voice coming from my TV.

“Yes, hi. Noah. I remember. What can I do for you?” I cringed. I sounded so stupid.

“I know this is last-minute, but . . .” He trailed off, and my whole chest constricted. What if Shelby wasn’t misguided by her pretty-girl vision filter and had called this correctly and he wanted to go out with me? “I find myself in need of some emergency dog-grooming services. Could you help me out?”

My shoulders caved in. Oh. “Emergency dog-grooming services? You know that’s not really a thing, right?”

“In this case it is. My dog, Magnus, is obsessed with mud, and he managed to find some. Problem is that we have an interview and photo shoot we’re doing together tomorrow, and we both need to look our best. Can you come over?”

It felt like a heavy weight was pressing down on my chest as my heart thumped loudly. This was a job, and someone like Noah Douglas was well connected in Los Angeles. This could lead to more clients and more money.

So why wasn’t I saying yes?

As if he sensed my hesitation, he said, “I don’t want to be that guy, but you do still owe me one, and I’m calling it in.”

That was true. It didn’t make that panicky feeling go away. “Okay. I’ll do it. Where am I going?”

“I’m in the Hollywood Hills.”

“Text me the address and hopefully I’ll be there in about forty-five minutes.” I shared an apartment with Shelby in Pasadena, and given that it was a Sunday evening, I didn’t anticipate a ton of traffic.

“Sounds good. See you then.”

He hung up, and I just stood there in my living room, phone in my hand, trying to process what had just happened. Why would he call me? There were a million other mobile dog groomers. This made no sense.