She had nearly three hours before The Gingerbread House officially opened at nine a.m. She’d need to shower and dress for work, and it would take about half an hour to prepare the store for opening. That left a couple hours of free time. Wearing the same clothes she’d worn when she fell asleep on the sofa, Olivia took Spunky on a brisk early morning run through the park. After twenty minutes, Spunky was tired enough to curl up for a morning nap. Olivia took a quick shower and changed into chocolate brown linen slacks and a light matching sweater. When she reentered her living room, keys in hand, Spunky lifted one eyelid and closed it at once. He didn’t protest as Olivia quietly locked him inside her apartment. She thought about taking Spunky downstairs to the store’s sales area, where he held court during the day. With an intruder on the loose, however, that might not be the safest place to leave a small dog alone. Of course, if he’d realized a car ride was on Olivia’s agenda, the wily little Yorkie would have found a way to sneak out with her.
