Vera shook her head. “Bless his heart. A flat in this kind of weather.”

“I think I want a burger, fries, and a vanilla malt,” Vesta said.

“I want the same, except make my malt chocolate,” Vera added, and then tapped her client on the shoulder. “Time’s up, sugar. Let’s go rinse out that perm solution so I can get the neutralizer on you.”

Mabel Jean had already finished the mani-pedi on Clara and walked her to her car holding an umbrella over the both of them. But now she was chilled and nursing a cup of coffee.

“I’ll take one of their chili dogs and a package of potato chips. Thanks to the weather, I’m too cold for a malt, so I’ll stick to coffee.”

“Duly noted,” Ruby said. She’d just finished the shampoo and style on Rachel Goodhope. Ruby reached for the hair spray and gave Rachel’s hair a quick once-over, then removed the cape and handed her a mirror. “What do you think?”

Rachel took a few moments to check out the back of her hair and then nodded.

“Love it, but then I always do. Thank you, Ruby. I’d better get home. We have someone due to check in at the bed and breakfast around 1:00 p.m., so I need to make sure Bud remembered to put cookies in the guest room.”

As soon as Rachel was gone, Ruby texted their lunch orders to Peanut, and then went to clean up her station.

* * *

Peanut got the text with their orders and was grateful they’d chosen the Dairy Freeze. As he drove into line at the drive-through, he saw several cars coming in behind him. It appeared everyone had the same idea in this miserable weather.

He’d already called in the order on the way down Main, and when he pulled up to the window, the woman working saw him and smiled.

“Hey, Peanut! We got your to-go ready. Do you need to add anything to it?”

“No thanks,” Peanut said, and handed over his credit card.

He got the card back and his order, and waved as he drove away.

He was just about to drive back out onto Main Street when a small rain-soaked dog ran across the street in front of him.

“Oh crap!” he muttered, wincing when the dog barely missed getting hit by a passing car. Then it dawned on him he knew that little dog. Everyone in Blessings knew that little red King Charles Spaniel. He rolled down his window and whistled.

“Mister! Hey Mister! Come here, boy!” he called.

The little dog stopped, then turned around and looked back.

Peanut whistled again, and then got out in the downpour and opened the back door to his car.

“Come here, Mister. Come here, boy. Wanna go home? Let’s go home.”

The little dog took off running toward Peanut and once again, Peanut was soaked, but this time for a good reason. Despite very short legs, Mister cleared the leap in one try, hunkering down in the floorboard, shaking.