Fetch Man and Food Lady listen, exchanging curious looks. Fetch Man speaks to Hattie in a questioning voice.
Hattie takes in a loud breath. She goes back to chattering. But this time, she sounds sure and strong. She says “Angel” and “Zahra” again. Her voice is hopeful.
The tall humans are clearly impressed. Fetch Man rubs Hattie’s bushy hair. Food Lady cocks her head, smiling brightly.
Back at home, we’re gathered in the Eating Place with turkey sandwiches and pretzels. When all the food is gone and every crumb on the floor has been scarfed down, Angel’s voice calls through the back door. “Hattie?”
She slides the door open, and I race to greet her. “I’m so glad you’re here!” I bark, leaping on her legs as she joins the other humans in the Eating Place.
She scratches my neck. “Aw, Fenway,” she coos.
Angel reaches into her pocket and whips out the two stiff strips from before. Her face beaming with hope, she offers one to Hattie like it’s a treat. “Fenway park?” she asks after a quick glance at Fetch Man and Food Lady.
Yippee! I jump on Angel’s legs. We’re finally going to the park!
But Hattie doesn’t seem like she’s up for it. She shakes her head. “Zahra,” she says.
Angel’s forehead scrunches.
Hattie sucks in a shaky breath. She speaks to Angel in a voice full of remorse. “Fenway,” she says, and my ears perk. “Ript-it,” she adds.
Angel’s eyebrows arch. But her face immediately falls, clearly disappointed. She gazes down at me, frowning and wagging her finger.
I take a few steps away from the table, my tail drooping. What’d I do?
Hattie chatters at Angel some more, but this time she sounds steady, like she’s got a plan. Fetch Man and Food Lady give Hattie nods of approval.
Next thing I know, Angel disappears out the sliding door, then quickly returns carrying her jacket.
She hands it to Hattie and Food Lady. They head upstairs.
The next morning, I’m chasing Hattie down the stairs when we hear loud, happy noises coming from outside. We run to the front door and peer out.
Angel and Zahra, in caps and gloves just like Hattie’s, bounce up and down in the driveway next door. Tool Man and Muffin Lady appear. They all pile into the car and zoom up the street.
Hattie smells sad for a moment, but then she smiles and scratches my ears. “Ready?” she says.
“I’m so ready! I’m so ready!” I bark, jumping on her legs.
I chase her into the Lounging Place. Hattie makes a pile with cushions from the couch and hides my squeaky toy behind them. While I sniff it out, she squirts smelly cleaner on the carpet and gives it a vigorous rub. I wave the squeaky toy in front of her face, and she pretends to shoo me away with her towel. I dart one way, then the other, as she laughs and laughs.
Next we go upstairs and play hide-and-seek with the clean clothes and books and toys in Hattie’s room until they’ve all disappeared inside the closet or drawers or on shelves. Then we play chase on the back porch with the broom. It’s the Best Day Ever.
And the most delicious! At lunchtime, we head out into the Dog Park. Fetch Man fires up the new barbecue and grills hot dogs. Hattie drops two of them right into my mouth. Mmmmm!
After lunch, me and Hattie run around the Dog Park, ready to play some more. The grass is littered with so many small branches and twigs, I hardly know which one to grab for a game of keep-away! But apparently, Hattie has an even better idea.
She snatches the nearest stick and flings it across the Dog Park. “Fetch, Fenway!” she cries.
Wowee! I love to play fetch! I tear after that stick, snatch it up, and race back to Hattie. I gaze up at her happily and drop the stick at her feet.
“Attaboy!” she says, patting my head. Food Lady nods approvingly as Hattie stuffs the stick into a black plastic bag. It’s so much fun, Hattie rushes all around the Dog Park, grabbing more sticks and twigs and branches to play with.
For a Long, Long Time, me and Hattie play fetch with stick after stick after stick. When we run out of things to fetch and the bag is full and bulging, Fetch Man hauls it off to the garage.
Next we crowd around the hole under the back fence. Food Lady finds a couple of rocks and shoves them into the hole while I help Hattie dig up a little mound of mud. She packs it around the rocks until the hole is completely covered. Food Lady puts one hand on Hattie’s shoulder and rubs my head with the other. She smells awfully proud.
Right when I’m wondering what we’re going to play next, I hear jingling sounds through the fence. I run over to the Friend Gate and start pawing. “Great news, Hattie!” I bark. “Our friends are coming!”
The Friend Gate clicks and swings open. Goldie and Patches barrel in, and the sniff-circling begins.
Angel and Zahra burst through, too. They run up to Hattie. Even though the other humans have bare arms, Angel is wearing that jacket again. Her hands on her hips, she twirls in the grass. Hattie and Food Lady murmur admiringly and clap their hands.
“Just look at our precious Angel,” Patches says dreamily. “She sure is happy.”
“Yeah,” Goldie says. “Must’ve been all the snuggles we gave her this morning.”
Patches cocks her head. “I hate to disagree, but I’m pretty sure it was that growly game of tug-of-war we played after breakfast.”
“You’ve got a point,” Goldie says. “She’s got a fierce growl on her, that girl.”
“Actually, I meant it was terribly sweet of her to let you win,” Patches says in her lovely voice.
I prance from Patches to Goldie and back to Patches again. Hooray! Hooray! “You ladies aren’t mad at each other anymore. What happened?”
They exchange sisterly looks, then Goldie sighs. “You’re going to make us say it? All right. We owe it all to you, Fenway.”
“Huh?”
“We may be different,” Goldie says.
“And we may remember things a little differently,” Patches adds.
Goldie gives her a playful nudge. “But we’re family.”
“We both love our Angel. And nothing’s more important than making her happy,” Patches says, dropping down in the grass.
“Besides,” Goldie says. “If you can accept a bunny, anything is possible.”
“Wow,” I say, romping with glee. “That’s amazing.”
“Awww, Fenway,” Zahra coos. She stoops down to pet me.
I lick her hand. She tastes like popcorn and peanuts.
Zahra laughs, then nuzzles Goldie. Hattie bends down and gives Patches a belly rub.
I bound up to Angel, who caresses my ears. She smells like the exact same popcorn and peanuts that Zahra does. But Angel has extra scents on her. My nose sniffs its way to her pocket. It smells like leather and dirt.
Her face grinning, Angel pulls out a white ball, like the one she and Hattie are always playing with.
Angel presents it to Hattie, and she and Zahra both start speaking at once. “Fenway park!” they both gush.
I snuggle against their legs. From the tone of their voices, it’s clear they’re not talking about a new plan. They’re obviously just appreciating a heroic dog in a very happy Dog Park. Aw, shucks.
Apparently Hattie feels the same way. She sucks in a breath, her eyes wide with joy. “Ahhh!” she cries, taking the ball and clutching it to her chest.
Angel and Zahra gaze at Hattie, beaming. Fetch Man and Food Lady share a proud glance.
Hattie reaches out and hugs Angel and Zahra at the same time. “What?” Hattie cries, stepping back. She grabs Angel’s wrist and examines a sparkly bracelet. Hattie’s eyebrows arch.
Angel shrugs. She and Zahra exchange a smile.
Hattie laughs.
“Your short human looks awfully happy, too,” Patches says. “See, I told you accepting the
bunny would work out for the best.”
“Yeah, about that,” I say. “Funny thing . . . he’s gone!”
The ladies gasp. “But you brought him back!” Patches cries.
“Don’t tell us he ran away!” Goldie says.
“Nope.” I thrust out my chest. “Hattie gave him back to the neighbors. Turns out she didn’t want him anymore. Like I said, she loves only me.”
Patches looks like she’s about to say something but changes her mind when there’s a commotion in the vegetable patch. We trot over to check it out.
Food Lady’s bent over the wire fence, yelling and pointing. Fetch Man is running alongside the leafy lettuces and snaky cucumber vines with Angel and Zahra, their hands outstretched and grabbing. Hattie snatches Fetch Man’s cap right off his head. Squatting down, she waves it over a rip in the wire. “Aha!” she shouts.
We all huddle around Hattie. Her face full of surprise, she reaches into the cap and pulls out . . . a bunny? Whoa! Another one?
Everyone gapes at Hattie and the terrified bunny, who squeals and kicks his muddy paws like the coward he clearly is. Fetch Man and Food Lady glance down at the vegetable patch. Their eyes widen with realization. “Not Fenway!” they cry. Their faces look kindly and apologetic.
Suddenly, I’m the focus of the humans’ attention. I’d like to think I’m the hero here, but this time all I did was watch.
Hattie passes the squirming bunny to Fetch Man, then whisks me into her arms. “Oh, Fenway,” she sings. She burrows her face into my fur and sways from side to side. She obviously can’t get enough of me.
I sigh with happiness. Hattie loves me more than anything in the world. No matter what happens, I’ll never doubt her again. I nuzzle into her chest. I sure hope the ladies are enjoying the show.
Acknowledgments
In the summer of 2011, a dog named Fenway popped into my imagination. Four and a half years later, Fenway and Hattie became a real live book. Even though Fenway and Hattie and the Evil Bunny Gang came to life in roughly half that time, there are way more people to thank. And way more delicious delights to dish out!
A lifetime supply of treats for my exceptionally passionate agent, Marietta B. Zacker, who sank her teeth into this second Fenway and Hattie book and never let go. And for the rest of the incredible Gallt & Zacker team—Nancy Gallt, Ellen Greenberg, and Erin Casey—keep your eyes out for the mail truck. You never know when a wicked surprise is coming your way!
Unending boxes of evil bunny cookies for my wise and talented editor, Susan Kochan, for her brilliant insights, abundant sense of humor, and eternal patience. Her enthusiasm for all things Fenway continually blows me away. My characters truly could not be in better hands.
Heaping helpings of goodies for the rest of the astounding team at G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers and the Penguin Young Readers Group, especially Katherine Perkins, for countless hours sniffing through the manuscript, Ryan Thomann, for digging up fresh designs, and Rachel Wease and Catherine Hayden, for unleashing Fenway into the world with gusto. The fact that all of you have already moved on to Bigger Things is clearly not a coincidence. May icky vegetables never touch your plate!
Loads of yummy snacks to the many generous friends who graciously read this story and offered feedback that was helpful beyond measure—Hillary Hall Debaun, Joe Lawlor, Cynthia Levinson, Cheryl Lawton Malone, Theresa Milstein, Judy Mintz, Patrice Sherman, and Donna Woelki. And a special vegan treat for Jeff Garvin, who gave this book its name.
Sweets upon sweets for the gang I’m so lucky to bea member of—the Sweet Sixteens debut middle gradeand young adult authors—whose unwavering supportand friendship I’d be truly lost without. Sharing thewriting journey with these outstanding authors and“best buddies” has been an unbelievable honor.
A whole library of chocolate squirrels for rock-star teacher and librarian friends of the Nerdy Book Club, particularly those who hungrily embraced Fenway and Hattie long before it ever hit the shelves—Margie Myers-Culver, Jason Lewis, Jennifer Kelley Reed, Lesley Burnap, Jana Eschner, Kurt Stroh, and Michele Knott, just to name a few of Fenway’s very earliest champions. These educators not only have an insatiable appetite for books themselves but are dedicated to nourishing the next generation of Book Nerds in the classroom and beyond. I am continually impressed and inspired by these friends, as well as every new Nerdy friend I make.
And finally, an all-you-can-eat buffet for my family, who deserves extra rewards every day. Even Kipper.
Victoria J. Coe is a voracious reader, writing teacher, and Jack Russell terrier impersonator. She lives with her family on the outskirts of Boston, where she and her dog are always ready to track down evil.
www.victoriajcoe.com
instagram.com/victoriajcoe
Twitter: @victoriajcoe
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Fenway and Hattie and the Evil Bunny Gang Page 11
