“If I’d known puppy-holding was involved in mall-ratting I might have been more receptive,” she said, taking the dog in her arms. “Just you wait,” Gretchen said, stepping up to Julia. “This might feel weird at first. Just trust me.” She reached out and dipped the ice-cream cone against Julia’s nose. “What the hell?” Julia forced a laugh. Dave stood behind Gretchen, his head tilted. Gretchen just smiled, and within a second or two the mutt had sniffed out the ice cream and was licking Julia’s nose enthusiastically. Julia laughed, which resulted in the dog trying to slip her some tongue, so she
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