Get Fluffy Read Online Free PDF Page B

complete once over, including a raised unibrow.
    “Name,” he asked, completely unimpressed I had Mona’s dog.
    “Melinda Langston.”
    He reviewed the clipboard in his hand. Non-residents didn’t just waltz thought the hallowed entrance. Someone had to authorize your visit. I was ninety-nine percent sure I wasn’t on “the list.”
    I slid him a beauty queen smile and fibbed like a five-year-old. “Mona had an unexpected emergency and asked me to bring Fluffy home. She assured me she’d let someone know I was coming.”
    He tucked his clipboard under his arm. “Sorry.”
    I eyed him, considering my next move. “I guess you’re right. I certainly wouldn’t want you to do anything that might get you into trouble.” I put the Jeep in neutral and pulled up the emergency brake. “I’ll just leave Fluffy with you. I’ll let Mona know where to pick her up.”
    He grunted. Looking past his skepticism and the community rules, he let us through the gate.
    I followed the smattering of wispy palm trees to Mona’s oceanfront mansion. I pulled into the circular drive and parked next to the fountain.
    “Let me refresh your memory on the Mel-Rules. I’m the human. No gloating. No dragging. Got it?”
    Fluffy pawed at the door and whined.
    “Good grief. Let me grab my bag and cell.”
    Unlike the dog, I wasn’t in a big hurry. The last person I wanted to see was Mona. If I was lucky, the housekeeper, Camilla, would open the door and take Fluffy off my hands.
    I went around to the passenger side and opened the door. I attached the leash to Fluffy’s diamond-studded collar and released her from the safety belt. The second I stepped back, the crazy dog jumped out and dragged me toward the multi-story Mediterranean-style home.
    So much for the rules. Fluffy could use a visit from a pet therapist I knew. Once we reached the front door, Fluffy stopped and looked at me expectantly.
    “ Hello? I’m the human. I thought we had an agreement?” I could tell from her expression she didn’t care about what I was saying. She wanted in. I wanted to go home. I rang the bell.
    Cathedral-style bells filled the inside of the house. Okay, it wasn’t really church bells, but it could have been. I looked down at Fluffy, who didn’t seem at all bothered by the flamboyance.
    “Really? This is what you come home to every day?”
    We waited. No one came.
    I rang the bell again.
    Bong. Bong. Bong. Bong. Bong.
    Just shoot me now. Please.
    We continued to wait.
    Fluffy grew more restless with each passing second, which made me equally antsy. Having the dog was a perfectly legitimate reason to walk inside, but my southern manners dictated I wait for someone to invite me in. Well, that and the security system.
    I pounded on the door. Fluffy continued to whine and paw. Still, no one came. Forget manners. Forget the alarm. I tried the door.
    Unbelievably, it swung open. And there was no screeching alarm.
    “Wow.” I glanced behind me before I took a couple of steps. As soon as my foot hit the marble entryway, Fluffy lunged forward, taking me for another drag. She stopped in the middle of an ornate foyer bigger than my entire living room and kitchen combined.
    “Hello? Anyone home?” My voice echoed in the empty silence.
    I expected the housekeeper to appear any second. “Camilla? Mona?”
    Fluffy strained against the leash as she edged her way toward the stairs. The moment I unhooked her, she charged up the curved oak staircase leading to what I assumed was her wing of the house. I waited for Mona to make her trademark entrance, descending the staircase like a classic Hollywood actress ready for her close-up, but she was a no-show.
    Then it hit me, Mona was probably at Bow Wow. Her Jag wasn’t in the drive, although it could be in the garage. It would be just like Mona to come when it was convenient for her.
    I quickly pulled my cell from my purse and punched in her number. Within seconds a cell phone rang behind me. I spun around.