“You heard me. Now let go.”
Zoey numbly gave him the leash. “I didn’t dognap Buster. I found him in front of the building yesterday.”
“You refused to let the vet have your number so I could contact you.” The broad-shouldered owner tried again to get his dog off Grace’s lap.
Zoey tried not to become upset when the dog reluctantly jumped off to go to him.
“I told the vet that I wanted to return Buster myself. I didn’t want him to have to stay in the vet’s office last night and—”
“His name is Hannibal. Quit calling him Buster.”
“Okay….” Zoey could see the man was too angry to listen to any of her explanations.
“Stump, quit being rude because you were busted for letting Hannibal get away.” Grace’s eyes went back and forth between Ice and Stump.
Zoey just wanted out of the office and away from the conflict she had somehow created.
Buster’s owner was easily the tallest in the room. Casey’s husband was big, but Stump was taller and leaner. And with his brown hair pulled back in a ponytail that highlighted his copper eyes under a stern brow, it had her feeling awkward at his glower.
“I didn’t let him get away from me. Tilda let him outside before I could stop her.”
“It doesn’t matter how it happened, only that it did. And to make matters worse, neither you nor Ice told me. Did you even bother looking for him?”
“Of course I did. I lost my job because I was searching for him.”
“That’s not why you lost your job,” Max told him, wiping his daughter’s chin.
At her father’s voice, Sky wiggled out of Penni’s arms to go to him.
Max picked her up, holding both girls in his arms. “Leroy fired you because he saw Zoey’s tweet.”
Zoey swallowed hard as she looked back at Stump. “You’re the one who splashed me yesterday?”
“You the bitch who’s been tweeting about nothing?” Stump fired back.
Zoey started to mentally chant her favorite mantra to keep from yelling at the man who not only used profanity in front of her but the children. She was beginning to dislike Stump the longer she stayed in the room that was now claustrophobic.
Penni stormed past Ice to stand in front of Stump, her hands going to her hips. “Don’t call her that!”
Grace and Casey looked just as upset as Penni, giving their husbands retaliating glares.
“Apologize now!”
Penni’s furious demand had Zoey wishing she could magically disappear. She made it a point to avoid heated arguments like these.
Taking a step to the side, she tried unobtrusively to place more distance between her and Penni and Stump.
“She got me fired for an accident! I didn’t even see her there!” Stump yelled back, despite Jackal moving to stand in front of his wife.
“A Predator never does anything by accident!”
“How did the Predators get dragged into this argument?” Jackal clenched his jaw at his wife’s accusation.
Grace stood, placing her hands on her hips, also confronting the men. “Because, obviously Ice and Stump tried to cover that Roo was missing.”
“His name is Hannibal!” Stump shouted out over Penni’s and Jackal’s heads.
“Can we please calm down? This shouting and yelling isn’t good for the children.” Zoey raised her hand to get the attention of the bickering adults.
Casey took Sky from her father’s arms. “Walk me to my car.”
“I need to get to work anyway,” Max commented as he docilely followed his wife.
Zoey bit her lips to keep from smiling at Max’s attitude. He had no intention of being drawn into an argument with his wife, unlike Jackal and Ice. However, Max, Casey, and their children leaving didn’t lessen the hostility between the other adults.
Before an argument could get started again, Zoey gathered her courage to deliberately walk toward Stump and the quarreling adults, placing a hand on Penni’s arm. “There’s no need for an apology. It’s just been a big misunderstanding.” Lifting regretful eyes over her head, she met Stump’s head-on. “I’m the one who should apologize. I was just trying to give encouragement to my followers not to let the dreary day get them down. If something I tweeted cost you your job, I’m truly sorry. I will call your former boss and tell him it was all my fault.
“And I should have left Hannibal at the vet when I found he was microchipped. I can understand your anger. Hannibal is a very lovable dog, so I can also understand your concern at not finding him. And I’m sorry for by my misguided attempt to keep him a little longer. I hope that you will be able to forgive me for the position that you are now in—having to defend yourself against your friends and your boss. Please leave the number of your boss with Grace. I have a client due, but as soon as she leaves, I will personally try to repair the damage I’ve done.”