"Please remember, just because Oscar likes chocolate doesn't mean it's good for him," Louise reminded a young girl. Louise had just spent a great deal of time and energy pumping out the dog's stomach after the young child had decided it would be a good idea to share her candy with her pet. The dog would be fine, but Louise worried as she escorted the family out into the lobby. From the looks of it they didn't know much about taking care of animals.

After the family left, she scanned the lobby to find a man sitting in the far corner with his face hidden behind an old copy of Highlights. She snickered at that, while passively noting that he was wearing a business suit and had a briefcase next to him on the floor. Next to that briefcase was an adorable chocolate lab puppy, patiently sitting and wagging his tail while looking at her. Louise walked up to Cal, who was lounging behind the counter.

"Who's my next patient?" she asked, gesturing to the man in the corner.

"No idea."

Louise audibly sighed and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Really? You didn't think to ask him? What do I even pay you for?"

"I swear. He wouldn't tell me. Just shrugged it off when I asked and sat down."

She walked over to the man and bent down to pet the puppy. The dog started jumping all over her and licking at her fingers. She reached to scratch him behind the ears.

"And who is this handsome young gentleman?"

"You should know my name," the man replied, closing the magazine.

Great, an egotistical smartass, she thought to herself.

"I wasn't talking about you," she said dryly as she rolled her eyes. She looked away from the puppy and up at the man. Her mouth fell open and her next words caught in her throat.

"Well that's no way to speak to a client! You're gonna have to do better than that, Four Ears."

"Logan?! Logan Berry Bush?" She recognized him in an instant. He had matured more but he still had the same smug smile as always. His blond hair was slightly less disheveled than when he had been in high school. "You have got to be kidding me. What the hell are you doing here?"

"You're the only vet in town," he said as he laid down the magazine, shrugging. "But that's not the only reason. I read in the newspaper that a certain someone is looking for a roommate. I'm here to apply!"

"No. No no no no no. Absolutely not." Louise immediately stood up and walked away from him.

"Wait, you haven't even heard me out!" Logan jumped to his feet and followed after her. "Listen, I'm in a pinch. I wouldn't ask you if I had another choice. I've been staying at the Sand Flea for the past month and I can't take it anymore. The air conditioning doesn't work and it reeks. I can't sleep worth a damn. Neither can Blue."

"Blue? Who's Blue?"

Logan motioned to the puppy that had followed them across the room. Louise looked down at the dog and they stared at each other for an excruciatingly long time. Whether he knew it or not, Blue was giving her puppy-dog eyes. "Blue… as in Blue Berry Bush?"

Logan's eyes immediately lit up and he smiled. "I'm so glad you get it! You're the first person to actually understand!"

"That's such a lame name! That poor dog is going to get bullied by all the other dogs at the dog park!" She turned to him, sticking her finger in his face. "And speaking of bullies, you tormented me in elementary school." She caught herself and folded her arms across her chest. "Not that you were any good at it, but you still tried. Because of that you don't get the room."

"Oh come on Louise! I'm a changed man, I promise! I can give you references!"

"Who? From the likes of Scotty or Jacob? I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them!"

"No! From my college professors! And my boss! Besides, your ad specifically said "people with pets get priority"."

"No. Absolutely not. Now fuck off." How could that line come back and bite her in the ass like that?

Logan bent down and picked up Blue. He turned the puppy towards Louise and gave her the saddest look possible. "You don't want to be the reason this adorable puppy is homeless, do you?" Both Logan and Blue looked at Louise with pitiful looks.

She stood there for a moment, trying to resist the looks. She pursed her lips and tried to stare Logan down. She had to prove she was stronger than that. But she broke. Her one weakness was animals. She threw her hands up in the air and with an exasperated tone yelled "Fine! I'll let you look at the room. But this is not an agreement." She had already started walking toward the front door of the office. "Cal, watch the front counter. I'll be back before my next appointment."

"Wow, you actually remembered that I'm in the room? I'm honored," he declared sarcastically. This earned a death stare from Louise, but she didn't break her stride. Cal turned to Logan. "I'm Cal, in case you didn't get that."

"Got it now," Logan saluted to the man. "I'll be seeing you around quite a bit."

"No, NO. Stop that right now. You two are not friends and you won't ever be friends. I forbid it. I haven't even decided if you get the room yet."

Logan skipped after Louise and out the door. She motioned to the briefcase in his hand. "That's absolutely ridiculous. Why the hell do you have a briefcase?"

"For my snacks, of course," Logan quipped back. "It makes me feel like an adult."

"Just like that clown suit you're wearing?"

"Hey, this is a tailor made work of art! A work of art that you took notice of, might I add." Logan sneered as he jabbed Louise in the side. "Keep your eyes to yourself. My heart belongs to Blue."

"Wait," Louise turned toward Logan with a phony confused look. "You have a heart? Since when, Tin Man?" She rapped her knuckles on his chest where his heart should be pretending to listen for a hollow echo. She quickly turned around as she flushed and made her way up the stairs to her apartment. She had accidently taken a mental note on how firm his pecs were. What the fuck Louise, cut that shit out right now.

They had reached the top of the stairs which led into the living room. There were two old but comfortable looking couches facing a giant tv. A stuffed bookshelf stood in the front corner of the room, and two armchairs sat next to it, facing the windows looking down on the street. She motioned around her. "This is obviously the living room. I like my movie nights so my tv is one of my most prized possessions. And the surround sound system too."

"Wow," Logan said, "I'm kinda surprised. This is… homey."

"What did you expect, a jail cell?" Louise scoffed. She kept walking into the next room which was a joint dining room and kitchen. There was a large beaten up dining table stuffed in there alongside a small metallic cabinet with glass doors. Inside were organized glass vials, prescription bottles, and boxes. The most notable item in the room wasn't the cabinet, however, but the framed painting hanging above the table. Logan stopped in front of the painting, contemplating what he was looking at with a tilted head and quizzical look.

"What the fuck am I looking at right now?"

Louise smirked and proudly stood next to him. "This is the finest piece of artwork you'll ever lay your beady little eyes on, that's for sure. This masterpiece is a family portrait of the Fischoeders!" She held out her hands in a 'ta-da' motion and looked at Logan with the most ridiculous smile on her face.

"Since when are you and your family part of Mr. Fischoeder's family?"

"When I was in elementary school Mr. Fischoeder asked us to pretend to be his family so he could get into some woman's pants. We had a competition to see who was the best kid. Of course I won, so I chose this as my prize!"

"Did it work?"

"Nah, my dad got drunk on absinthe and ruined the dinner. The woman wound up trying to shoot him. She missed, and hit Lance the turkey instead."

"WHAT?!" Logan stood there incredulous with his mouth agape.

"Swear to God, you can ask him to confirm." She smirked and headed towards the kitchen. "That cabinet is full of all the good stuff; it's for the animals only. So don't even think about it."

"Why don't you put it in the office downstairs?"

"Are you still as stupid as you look? You and I both know that the hooligans around here would break into it in a heartbeat. You can't hustle a hustler. I know all the tricks in the book."

""Hooligans?" Really? When did you become such an old lady?" Logan raised his eyebrows.

"Shouldn't you be trying to brown nose me? I might be your landlord soon. You need to up your game."

"Oh, you're taking me seriously now?"

"No, just trying to milk this for all it's worth. I accept bribes as well. Chocolate and wine."

"That runs in the family I guess? Your mom drinks wine, right?"

"Do you really think that comparing me to my mother is a good idea? You're not winning any points, ya know." By this point they had made their way to the third story. "So, the door to the left is my room. The second door is my office. The third door is the bathroom. That will have to be shared. And door number four is the room for rent. It looks out into the alley." She smiled at that as she swung the door open.

The room was empty and clean. The walls had faint yellow paint that appeared old and sunlight filtered into the room, making it warm. It looked like the carpet had just been cleaned. He walked into the room and looked around, Blue following close on his heels. "What do you think Blue? Like it?" he asked. Logan walked up to the window and opened it, sticking his head out and looking down. He smirked and looked back at Louise. "This brings back memories! Remember that moldy cantaloupe you threw at me?"

Louise scowled at him. "For the last time, I didn't throw it at you. You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. If I had thrown it at you, it would have hit you on the head. I don't miss."

Logan turned around and casually leaned back against the windowsill. "I'll take it."

This immediately put Louise on the offensive. She crossed her arms and stared him down. "That's not how this works. I'm very picky you see. I'll need to see your resume. And I'll need those references. I'll have to run a credit check and a background check too, of course. And I want a copy of your fingerprints."

"You can't be serious. You don't need all that. You know me."

"That's my offer. Take it or leave it." Louise was sure that he would walk away. There's no way he would agree to that. That's why his next actions surprised her.

He leaned forward so they were almost nose to nose and smiled wickedly. "Okay, deal. I'll bring you everything tomorrow."

Shit, he called my bluff.