by Daphne Maple
My chest tightened up instantly. “Um, yeah, my mom was petting Lily a lot,” I stammered, not wanting to lie but clearly not able to share the truth. “And she’s taking Lily to the Pampered Puppy to groom her.” I hadn’t really wanted to tell them that either, but it was going to be obvious when they saw Lily.
“That’s so nice,” Taylor said. “It’s like how a kid gets a haircut to look their best on the first day of school. Lily’s getting a haircut to look her best in her new home.”
And now it was Taylor who knew just the right thing to say.
“It sounds like it all went great,” Kim said. She had finished eating and was crumpling up her sandwich wrapper to recycle.
For a second I remembered my mom’s scowl this morning, but I replaced it with the memory of snuggling down at night with Lily. “It really did,” I said.
The next afternoon we had a quick stop to make before picking up our dogs. Marisol from Sugar and Spice had left a message for Sasha and we figured it made sense to get the news in person.
“I really hope they’ll make the candy for us,” Kim said as we hustled down Main Street. It was another windy day and leaves swirled around us.
“I know,” Sasha agreed. “It would make our booth a real hot spot.”
“And totally get out the word about our club and the foster program,” I added as we came up to the little candy shop.
“Here goes,” Taylor said, biting her lip the tiniest bit as she pulled open the door and the four of us walked inside.
Carmen was ringing up a customer, but she called Marisol in from the kitchen and a moment later she appeared, tray in hand. “Hello there, members of the Roxbury Park Dog Club,” she said cheerfully. “Want to try some chocolate caramel bars?”
We were all eager to hear their decision, but no one was turning down that offer. We each took a little square. The chocolate was creamy in my mouth, and the caramel was so rich and sweet I nearly swooned.
“Those are amazing,” I said when I’d finished mine.
“Totally,” Taylor agreed.
“I’m so glad you think so,” Marisol said, beaming. “Because this is the kind of candy we’ll be donating to you guys for the craft fair!”
The four of us couldn’t help cheering and Marisol laughed.
“When we realized the benefit of advertising our store along with such a great cause, there was no way we could turn you down,” Carmen said, coming over to join us.
“We can shape them however you guys want,” Marisol said. “We were thinking dog bones, but maybe you have another idea?”
Taylor glanced at me. “Actually, our program has a new logo,” she said. “A paw print. Could we maybe get candy in the shape of a paw?”
Carmen nodded. “That’s easy enough,” she said. “And we can print the logo on the foil wrapper, along with your contact info and a tagline about our store.”
“Perfect,” Kim said with a grin.
It really was.
Lily was beside herself when we walked into the shelter for Dog Club. She was already pretty amped up after the fun of going to Waffles’s and then Coco’s house to pick them up. But being back with all her friends, in the place she’d lived for years, had her racing in wild circles.
“Someone’s happy to see friends,” Alice said, laughing as Lily actually jumped up on hind legs to give Alice a kiss.
Lily wasn’t the only one who was happy. Alice squeezed her extra tight as the other dogs crowded around her, and Tim and Caley rushed over to hug her. Kim, Sasha, and Taylor, who had arrived before us, were right behind.
But as soon as she had greeted everyone, Lily came right over to me, sat at my feet, and looked up as if to say, “Did you see all that?”
“Aw, she loves you so much,” Taylor said. Jinx was leaning against her legs and Taylor was rubbing the back of her neck with her knuckles.
“She does,” Kim agreed from the floor where she’d settled to snuggle with Boxer.
Alice nodded. “Looks like you and Lily are a perfect fit.”
We really were. And if everyone else could see it, my mom had to as well. As I hugged Lily close, then released her to play with her friends, I vowed to stay patient with my mom and do everything I could to show her that Lily was meant to stay with us, forever.
“She sure looks snazzy,” Caley said, observing Lily’s sleekness after her time at the Pampered Puppy. Her fur was extra fluffy and neatly shaped and trimmed.
“How nice that your mom took her to get washed and have a haircut,” Alice said.
“Yeah, she was excited to do it,” I said somewhat awkwardly. My mom had been excited of course, but for the wrong reasons.
“So the craft fair is in twelve days,” Alice said, thankfully changing the subject from my mom. Missy pressed against her leg and Alice crouched down to pet her. “And I think we’re in great shape. You guys did an awesome job getting the Lopez sisters to donate candy for us to sell.” Sasha had texted Alice the good news as soon as we’d found out. “We need to choose pictures and make the layout for the calendar. And then I think we should come up with one more item to sell.”
“I can still make that video of Coach Tim’s doggy basketball tips,” Tim offered from across the room where he was playing fetch with Lily, Gus, Mr. S, Popsicle, Gracie, and Coco.
“We were hoping you’d offer,” Caley teased with an eye roll. She was tossing a tennis ball for Daisy, Waffles, and Hattie.
Tim gave her a mock sour look and then was nearly barreled over by Boxer, who had decided to join the game.
“Maybe we should print our own T-shirts,” Kim said. She’d gotten up and was encouraging Humphrey to chase the blue rubber bone. Humphrey clearly enjoyed sniffing it, but looked at Kim skeptically when she threw it a few feet away. After a moment he padded after it. “We could put Bri’s logo on them.”
“A lot of places will sell T-shirts, though,” Taylor said. “I think we should come up with something more creative.”
“A video would be very creative and—hey!” Tim howled, cut off by Caley socking him good-naturedly on the arm.
“Enough with the video,” she told him.
“Well, that’s just rude,” Tim joked, making us giggle.
“What about some other kind of clothing, like socks?” Kim asked.
“Socks would be cute, but I’m not sure we could just order them from Lester’s,” Sasha said.
Both Taylor and I looked at her, confused. It was nice to not be the fourth wheel for once.
“Who’s Lester?” Taylor asked. Waffles had wandered over and Taylor was rubbing her ears gently.
Kim smiled. “That’s the shop that prints up stuff like T-shirts for local businesses and fund-raisers and sports teams,” she said. “It’s just off Main Street.”
“They do simple things like shirts and banners, but socks might be a bit much,” Sasha said. “Plus it’s not good advertising because no one goes around reading other people’s socks.”
I snickered. “It would be funny if they did though.”
Everyone laughed at that.
“Let’s keep thinking about it,” Alice said, standing up. “I need to pack up the empty bags and boxes for the recycling pick up later this afternoon.”
“Oh, that gives me an idea,” Sasha squealed. “What if we made up special reusable bags, the cloth or canvas kind people bring to the grocery store so they don’t waste a plastic bag?”
“My dad totally uses those,” Taylor said, sounding enthused.
“My parents too,” Kim said. “I think a lot of people do.”
“Yeah, we have some,” I said, thinking of the neat stack of bags my mom pulled out each time she shopped for food.
“I love that idea,” Alice agreed.
“And it’s a nice big space to put our logo and all our info,” Sasha said with satisfaction.
“We could put our logo on one side and something else fun on the other side,” I said, getting excited as I thought about all the design potential on a whole bi
g bag. Lily heard my cheeriness and came over for a quick hug. I was so happy she’d be coming home with me that night.
“That would be great,” Taylor agreed. “What could we put on the other side?”
I thought about it for a moment as I picked up a ball to play with Lily and Coco, who had come over too. “What about something simple, like a black and white silhouette of a person and a dog, maybe walking together?”
Taylor clapped her hands. “Love it!” she proclaimed.
“Me too,” Kim agreed. “The only thing is that bags might be expensive.”
It was a good point. I could tell everyone else agreed because we were all silent for a moment, with just the sounds of barks, yips, and running dogs filling the air.
But then Sasha spoke up. “I wonder if my mom might want to sponsor the bags,” she said thoughtfully. “The way Carmen and Marisol are sponsoring the candy.”
“I bet she’d totally want to do that,” Taylor said. “It would be great advertising for the law firm, since they specialize in environmental law and reusable bags help the environment.”
“And your mom always loves to support the Dog Club,” Kim added from the corner where she was now playing tug-of-war with Hattie. I felt a flash of jealousy at how all the other parents supported the club while my mom just insulted it.
“I’ll ask her tonight,” Sasha declared. “But I’m sure she’ll say yes. And Bri, when she does, will you draw up that silhouette?”
“Sure, I’d be happy to,” I said, pleased to be asked.
“So we have a plan,” Alice said. “And I like it.”
She headed back to the office while Kim and Sasha began to organize a trip to the backyard. For a moment I worried that Lily would get dirty running around out there, but I shrugged it off. There’d be time to clean her, and Lily loved a good romp in the sun.
So the two of us headed out with everyone else, ready for an afternoon of fun.
10
Lily and I were a bit late getting home that night. It had taken me a while to clean her off after she and Boxer had landed in a mud puddle while chasing the ball in doggy tag. And unfortunately my mom was already home when we arrived.
“Hi, Mom,” I called, nearly tripping as I rushed to get my shoes off. “Sorry we’re late.”
My mom was frowning when Lily and I got into the kitchen. “We agreed that your chores wouldn’t suffer if that dog came to live with us,” my mom said.
My back stiffened up at the way she didn’t even say Lily’s name. But I remembered my vow to be patient and took a deep breath before answering. “I’m really sorry I wasn’t here to start dinner,” I said, going to the sink to wash my hands. “But it won’t happen again and I can help now.”
“I already did most of it,” my mom said. “But you can slice the garlic and ginger.”
“Okay,” I said, grabbing a cutting board.
I noticed Lily walk over to my mom and press against her legs. I worried my mom would snap at Lily the way she was snapping at me, but instead she just patted Lily’s head. “You can feed her first,” my mom said. “That way she won’t be underfoot.”
Lily danced around me as I served up her dinner and then stayed in her section of the kitchen while my mom and I finished preparing dinner.
“I brought you something,” my mom said, after we’d sat down and started eating. She passed me a brochure.
I looked down at the pictures of poodles, cocker spaniels, and Irish setters. “Puppy Rescue,” the title said. Just like that my appetite was gone.
“We have Lily,” I said, pushing the pamphlet back toward my mom.
“Yes, but that’s temporary,” my mom said briskly. “I want us to start thinking about a permanent situation with a dog who could stay with us forever. A dog we rescue, who really needs a home.”
How could she not see that that dog was Lily?
“Puppies are so cute and they learn fast,” my mom said, opening up to a picture of a dachshund doing some kind of elaborate rolling over trick. “A dog like that will be a better fit for our home.”
“Lily learns fast,” I said, pushing my garlic beef and rice around on my plate. “And she’s really sweet.”
My mom sniffed dismissively and waved her hand. “She does her best, but she has bad habits from that shelter and because of her age she’s clearly limited in the skills she’s able to master.”
Now I was gritting my teeth.
“Let me give you an example,” my mom said, and then told a long story about Franz from the Pampered Puppy, who had learned to sit, stay, and fetch on his very first day. “See, that’s the thing about younger dogs who haven’t already developed bad habits,” my mom said, scraping up the last bite from her plate. “You know exactly what you’re getting when you adopt one. With a dog like this,” she said, gesturing toward Lily, who was now next to my mom, “it’s an uphill battle.” My mom patted Lily on the head and Lily, having no idea she was being insulted, leaned affectionately against her leg.
“Lily knows how to sit and stay and fetch, though,” I pointed out. “So even if she’s slow to train, she’s got those skills now.”
“Right, but what happens when we want to teach her a new skill to help her fit into our home?” my mom asked, raising an eyebrow. “For example, not coming up to the table while people are eating?”
“But you just pet her,” I said, anger heating up my belly. “You reinforced the behavior.”
My mom looked surprised for a moment, then glanced down to where Lily now had her head resting against my mom’s knee. And where my mom was still petting her. “Well, she’s not here very long,” my mom said defensively. “And I was done eating. The point is, she doesn’t have very good manners and who knows how long it would take to retrain her.”
“It could be—” I began, but my mom cut me off.
“The bottom line is that we’re lucky we don’t need to find out because Lily’s just a foster,” she said, standing up. “In a few weeks she’ll be someone else’s problem.”
It was a good thing she started clearing her place, because it was taking everything in me not to snap at her. I couldn’t believe she’d call Lily a problem, especially when Lily pranced happily next to her as she went to the kitchen.
I stood up to clear my half-eaten dinner. I wanted to go upstairs and start making my design for the reusable bag, since Sasha’s mom would most likely agree to it. Unlike my mom, the other parents actually supported our club.
But just then I heard my phone beep with a text. Normally it was up in my room during dinner. My mom had a strict no-phones-near-dinner rule. But I’d been in such a rush earlier that my backpack was still in the front hall, and I went over now to see who had texted.
“Can u host slpovr this wkend?” It was from Taylor. “We all wnt to hang w/ Lily.”
I bit my lip as I stared at the screen. There was no way they could come here. My mom would complain about Lily and then insult the shelter. And she’d probably manage to do all of it before my friends had even made it inside the house.
“Srry cnt this time,” I typed in, adding a sad emoji. I’d tell them that my mom was doing a weekend cleanup at the Pampered Puppy. Or that she was feeling under the weather.
But I knew that sooner or later my excuses would run out, and then what?
“So I narrowed it down to twenty potential calendar shots,” Taylor said at lunch, taking a folder out of her bag. The cafeteria smelled of overcooked broccoli and the gray day outside matched my mood. But the thought of selecting the pictures for our Dogs at Play calendar cheered me up and I dug into my leftover beef and rice.
“I remember this,” Sasha said, picking up a picture of Mr. S and Hattie touching noses. Hattie was small in the photo—she’d been a puppy when she first arrived at the shelter though she’d grown a lot—so it was obviously from before I’d joined the club.
“Hattie was so shy,” Taylor reminisced. “But you really brought her out of her shell,” she added, nodding to
Kim, whose cheeks turned pink.
“I think we all helped Hattie,” she said.
Though of course that “all” didn’t include me since I hadn’t even been there. My gloomy mood was starting to seep back.
“Here’s a doggy basketball shot, for Tim,” Taylor said, passing me a gorgeous picture of Popsicle dunking the ball.
“Let’s use that one for January,” I said, happy to be back in the conversation.
“Sounds good,” Taylor said as Kim and Sasha nodded. “One down, eleven more to go.”
“So which dogs did you choose for the calendar?” Caley asked at the next club meeting. She was playing fetch with Lily, Boxer, and Gus while Tim and I got things ready for a game of doggy basketball. Hattie, Daisy, Jinx, Gracie, Tuesday, and Mr. S were “helping” us by stealing the ball and jumping into the basket whenever we tried to move it, so it was taking a while.
“I’ll show you,” Taylor said, pulling out her phone and scrolling through photos. She was with Humphrey and Missy, who lazed happily at her feet.
“Tim, you’re going to like it,” I promised as he and Caley headed to Taylor to check out the shot.
Tim cheered when he saw it. “A doggy basketball action shot,” he said. “The best way to kick off the year.”
“Show us the rest,” Caley said eagerly. She cooed over February’s photo of Boxer leaping for his Frisbee and the March group scene of five of our dogs chasing a tennis ball across the big main room.
“We should be sure to talk to dog owners today, to get their okay on putting their dogs in the calendar,” Alice said. She’d come out of her office to see the pictures too. “And then I’ll email everything to Lester’s.”
“I already printed up a release,” Sasha said, taking a stack of papers from her backpack. “My mom helped me.”
“It’s always good to have a lawyer in the family,” Alice said with a grin. Then she turned to me. “Bri, do you have a minute?”
“Sure,” I said, following her into her office and hoping nothing was wrong. I sat down and tucked a few stray strands of hair back into the twisty bun I’d sculpted this morning. Even with a lot of hairspray some bits were escaping.
