Odin looked as if he hadn’t heard her properly. He froze.

  “Down,” Helen repeated.

  That was a word I thought I recognized. Hadn’t I recently heard it?

  Odin dropped to his belly. Helen clapped her hands together. “Oh my,” she exclaimed.

  With that, Odin, feeling her excitement, crawled toward her on his stomach.

  JayB laughed. “Well, that’s technically down,” he observed. “Don’t let him jump up, though.”

  Odin dragged his now-dropped leash across the floor, pulling himself with his front paws, gliding along the smooth hardwood. When he reached his person, Helen said “Down,” again, though it seemed to me Odin was already doing Down.

  Having reached her feet, Odin flopped onto his side, wagging furiously.

  I could sense what he was feeling. He was being good and he knew it. He was so happy to be a good dog for his person, he thought a belly rub would help things.

  Helen’s knees issued cracking noises as she knelt down and stroked his stomach. Odin closed his eyes and groaned. “Good dog, Odin,” Helen murmured, “Good dog.” She smiled up at JayB. “That’s amazing. How did you do that?”

  “He’s a really smart dog. All I did was give him a few treats and he figured it out. The crawling thing is his own invention, though. I only taught him to lie down on the ground.”

  “Could I give them both a treat?”

  “Sure.”

  Odin and I both went alert when Helen reached into a crinkly package and threw two small bits of turkey at us.

  For a dog, almost nothing beats being fed a morsel from a human hand. Usually, we have no idea why treats are being given, but in this case, I thought I knew—this Down thing, crawling on one’s stomach, really seemed to please people.

  Walking home, JayB reached into his pocket and pulled out a small slip of paper that I recognized. Dominique had handed it to him in the park. He put it back in his pocket and smiled down at me. He was happy.

  We strolled past the few houses between Odin’s and ours. As we came to our driveway, I sensed an immediate change in JayB’s mood. His shoulders slumped, and his steps faltered.

  That same car was back in our driveway. The driver’s door opened and the same woman, Maddy, climbed out of it. She looked angry, either again or still.

  “Oh, boy,” JayB muttered.

  “When were you going to call me?” she demanded. “And don’t tell me you dropped your phone in the toilet. Men always think that one works.”

  “But you were just here a couple of hours ago,” JayB protested.

  “Yes, and didn’t I say this is a very delicate time?”

  “No, you never said that.”

  “Well, I shouldn’t have to! I can’t believe I drove all the way over here and you’re still deaf to my tones.”

  “But, I mean, you could have called me, if you wanted to talk.”

  “No, that’s one of the eight simple rules. You’re supposed to call me, JayB.”

  “But, I mean, how often?”

  “As often as it takes!”

  I nosed the pocket with the chicken treats. Things seemed tense and I knew what would cheer us all up.

  There was a long moment of silence. “JayB,” Maddy said softly, “did you ever think maybe you should see a psychiatrist?”

  I turned as another car pulled in our driveway. This one was black and shiny. I immediately picked up the smell of a dog coming from within. Both front doors opened.

  “Look who I found walking around your neighborhood!” announced a man I recognized. I had met him many times before. His name was Walter, though sometimes JayB called him Dad. He was a very nice man, though he’d never once thought to carry dog treats in his pocket.

  I knew the scent of the man standing up out of the other side of the car. He was the person I had smelled from afar when JayB had suddenly pulled our leashes, and Odin and I had run to keep up, bewildered by our change in direction. The strong odor of dog wafting out of the car was familiar too—it was the dog accompanying the man when we all ran down the sidewalk.

  I felt JayB’s posture change. Were we going to run away again? I tensed. JayB seemed even more unhappy than when he’d spotted Maddy in our driveway. “Hey, Rodney,” he responded with no joy.

  The new man—Rodney?—was grinning as broadly as Walter. “Don’t ‘hey Rodney’ me,” he chided. He came walking around the front of the car, his arms stretched wide, and enveloped my person in a broad, backslapping hug. JayB reached a hand up and tentatively tapped some fingers between Rodney’s shoulder blades.

  “You moved back to KC and never thought to call me?” Rodney demanded. “Should I be pissed?”

  JayB shrugged.

  Maddy approached from beside her car and stood with the group of people, glaring like a cat. “Who’s this?” she challenged suspiciously, nodding at the men.

  Rodney held out a hand. “My name’s Rodney Spitz,” he replied. “I’m JayB’s oldest friend. We met in grade school and have been like brothers ever since.”

  Maddy shook his hand. “Maddy Pine,” she stated sternly. She turned an accusing look at JayB. “You never told me about Rodney.”

  “Maybe I was waiting for the right time.”

  Though we could all smell the male dog in the car, no one was making any moves to let him out. I decided he must be a bad dog. I glanced at the house and saw Kelsey in her customary place in the window.

  No one was letting her out, either.

  Maddy turned a fierce expression on Walter. “And who are you?”

  A round of laughter ensued. Maddy scowled.

  “Isn’t it obvious? I’m Jago’s father. Walter,” he boasted, showing all of his teeth. “How do you know my son?”

  Maddy squinted. “I’m JayB’s girlfriend.”

  Walter shot JayB an incredulous look. “You never told me you had a girlfriend. Especially not such a beautiful one.”

  “This is great,” Rodney enthused. “I’m only two blocks over, myself. I’m living in a house rent-free while I remodel the kitchen.”

  “Is that what you do now?” JayB asked. “Like a carpenter?”

  Rodney shook his head. “More like a freelance entrepreneur. This is just my current project.”

  “So, how’s the remodel going?”

  Rodney smiled, “Well, I’m living there rent-free, so you know, no hurry.” He winked. “Hey, I need to introduce you to somebody.” He went to the back door of Walter’s car, and when it opened, out sprang a stocky and strangely wrinkly, light-brown dog about my size.

  “Is he a beagle?” Maddy asked.

  “Shar-pei,” Rodney replied.

  I stared. I had never seen a dog like this before. His face was pushed in and jowly, with folds of skin collapsing over his eyes. His ears looked too small to be functional, his tail too short for his body, almost a stub. “This is Spartan,” Rodney announced proudly.

  “This is Clancy,” said JayB.

  Hearing my name and “Spartan” made me think that Spartan was this dog’s name. He was ignoring me, carefully sniffing where I had marked a post that morning and then lifting his leg with contempt. I wasn’t going to allow this insult to stand, so when JayB dropped my leash, I moved swiftly over to inspect Spartan’s mark and pee all over it. Then the two of us circled each other, his poor excuse for a tail held stiff. We uneasily examined each other between the legs. A ruff of fur rose along the ridge of Spartan’s back. He seemed extremely unfriendly.

  “This is going to be a lot of fun,” Walter proclaimed.

  “I don’t know what would lead you to say something like that,” JayB replied.

  “What do you do, Walter?” Maddy inquired.

  “I’m an investor.”

  JayB looked away, shaking his head slightly, but Rodney brightened.

  “Investor?” Rodney repeated. “Does that mean you invest in things?”

  Walter nodded cheerfully. “I’m diversifying as we speak.”

  “I don’t like financial language,” Maddy interjected. “Better to just tell the truth.”

  Rodney nodded. “Exactly. Walter, we need to talk about this sweet deal I just came across. Put in a million, maybe a million and a half, and get back ten or twenty, easy.”

  “That’s exactly the sort of thing I’m looking for.” Walter beamed.

  “It does sound easy,” JayB agreed cheerfully. “What is it?”

  “Okay, on the surface, it’s a restaurant,” Rodney replied.

  JayB folded his arms. “No.”

  Dear Diary:

  One of the most loathsome sights conceivable is a cat sitting on a window ledge, staring out through the glass. Their cold, unwinking eyes and unloving faces are so different than a dog’s. A dog would be happy, panting, perhaps pawing the glass, yearning to join the fun. Kelsey, however, sits and glares malevolently. She is so bitter not to be a dog that her entire face squints.

  I have no doubt she would be terrified to be outside. All cats I’ve encountered in the out-of-doors have rightfully run away from me, except for one that didn’t. A cat knows a dog is a superior predator. They flee in terror because, for a cat, to leave the house is to be in mortal danger.

  And that’s when it occurs to me: all I have to do is figure out a way to force Kelsey out of the house. Once in the yard, she would have to run away.

  I picture her scampering down the street, a pack of dogs in pursuit, and it makes me wag.

  Love,

  Clancy

  Four

  The word “no” always makes me anxious, especially when delivered with a stern coldness. I did not know what I might have done to have that word spoken by my person. I lowered my head guiltily.

  “Hear me out,” Rodney pleaded.

  “No.”

  JayB said it again. He turned to Walter. “A million and a half? In a restaurant? No way.”

  “Hey, I work in a restaurant,” Maddy objected. “Are you saying I’m a waste of money?”

  “I think,” Walter observed dryly, “you’re forgetting who’s the father and who’s the son, here, Jago. I can make up my own mind, don’t you think?”

  Rodney nodded eagerly. “Walter, it’s like God gifted me to you. We need to talk. Seriously.”

  “Excellent idea. Why don’t we all go out to dinner? I’ll buy,” Walter suggested grandly. He smirked at JayB. “In a restaurant, I mean.”

  “Oh, I can’t,” JayB objected quickly. “I’ve got some things I’ve got to work on.”

  “What are you talking about? You’re unemployed,” Walter chided.

  “Just because I don’t have a job, doesn’t mean I don’t have a life,” JayB responded reasonably. “This is all very nice, but I have plans.”

  Maddy whirled on him. “See, that’s for sure on my list of eight simples. You plan everything. Can’t you for once just go with the flowing?”

  Rodney and Walter were grinning, but JayB was not.

  Maddy turned to Walter. “I’d love to,” she advised, “but I have to work tonight. I only stopped by to reassemble our relationship again.”

  “Aw, I’m sorry to hear that,” Walter replied. “I was so looking forward to getting to know you. I thought we could all go to Pierponts.”

  Maddy brightened. “Pierponts! Okay, for that, I guess I could take the night off. I was going to skip work anyway, but JayB apparently forgot we had a date.”

  I noticed JayB’s hand going into the pocket with the piece of paper Dominique had given him. “Have fun!” he told them.

  Walter shook his head. “That’s my son,” he observed sadly. “Never up for a good time.”

  “Tell me about it,” Maddy affirmed. “Every date we’ve ever had has been a huge disappointment.”

  “Nobody ever said that about me,” Rodney boasted. “I’m the proverbial life of the party.”

  Moments later everyone else, including Spartan the saggy-faced dog, departed—Maddy in her car, Walter and Rodney and his dog in Walter’s shiny black one. JayB and I went in the house and Kelsey dropped off the window ledge, rightly concluding that I had come up with a masterful plot to rid her from our lives. JayB opened a fragrant can of fish and put the contents into a bowl on the counter. He had never learned that when it was up there, Kelsey could reach it, but I couldn’t.

  Eventually, he would place food in my bowl on the floor as well. I could reach that, of course, but the strong fish smells coming from the counter were maddeningly provocative.

  After a time, JayB pulled out his phone and the piece of paper from Dominique. I instantly picked up a gust of nervousness. He glanced down at me. “Okay,” he told me. “Here goes.”

  I wagged, concerned that he seemed afraid. All I ever wanted was for JayB to be happy and maybe cook up some bacon.

  “Oh, hi,” he told his phone. “Dominique.” He listened for a moment. I did not know why he was saying her name. “JayB, you know, from the dog park. Yes, hi. I was thinking … oh. Okay, yes! When? Oh, wow. Yeah, of course. Tomorrow would be great. Sure, it’s a date, noon. Okay. Hang on.” I watched as JayB fumbled for a pencil and paper. He glowed with relief. “Okay, ready.” He listened, and then smiled sunnily. “You live really close by!”

  Then he said, “Oh, sure. Right. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt anything. Okay. Okay. Well, then, tomorrow noon. See you then. Okay. Bye, Dominique.” He lowered the phone and beamed at me. “Clancy, I’ve never had anything in my life go as well as this.”

  I wagged with happiness.

  The next day I sensed added energy in my person’s movement as he took a shower and got dressed. He stood and looked at himself in the mirror, then put on a different shirt. He brushed his teeth and hair and turned to me suddenly. “Oh, you know what, we should go to Helen’s and see if she needs me to take Odin for a quick walk.”

  I heard the name Odin and guessed what was coming—we headed out the door and up the street, JayB holding my leash. I smelled Rodney and Spartan and turned, looking over my shoulder. The two of them slowed as they ran by.

  “Hey, buddy!” Rodney panted. “You should have come out with us last night.”

  “Hi, Rodney. You talk my dad out of a million?”

  Rodney laughed. “I’ll let him tell you.” He passed us, and then started running backward so he could keep talking. “Your Maddy’s a hoot. We did some shots. Walter’s hilarious, just like I remembered him. Want to get together later? I’m not doing anything.” Rodney stopped running, jogging in place now, still facing us.

  Spartan greeted me stiffly. This was a strange dog. We knew each other now, so he should have been much more effusive, but instead, he stared coldly at me through dark eyes concealed between creases of flesh.

  “Actually, I have a date.”

  “Oh!” exclaimed Rodney. “Tell Maddy I said hi, then.”

  “Uh, sure,” JayB said agreeably. Rodney turned and ran, and Spartan followed him without a backward glance at me.

  “Actually, her name’s Dominique,” JayB observed quietly—so quietly that Rodney didn’t turn around. He glanced down at me. “Dominique,” he repeated.

  He seemed so happy.

  Up ahead, Rodney passed Helen, who was in her driveway. Odin was not with her. She was stooped over, trying to pick up some rolling cans that had fallen through a hole in the paper bag she was carrying. Rodney glanced her way and kept running.

  “Rodney…” JayB muttered, shaking his head. We picked up our pace. “Hey, Helen, let me help you there.” Moving swiftly, he snagged loose cans and gathered them in his arms.

  Helen smiled at him. “Right on time! Thank you, JayB. Come on in, I know Odin will be happy to see you. Odin!” she hailed as she opened her front door.

  We went inside and I heard Odin’s nails clicking as he ran toward us, but at the last moment, he fell to his belly and crawled the final little bit to his person. He flopped over for a tummy rub, his tail whapping the floor.

  “Good dog!” JayB praised. I liked hearing those words. He put the cans down while Odin greeted me properly.

  “I have some good news for you,” Helen said, beaming.

  “Oh?”

  The doorbell rang. Odin and I both barked in case the people didn’t know intruders were threatening to come in.

  “Hey,” JayB scolded. “That’s enough.”

  We didn’t know what he was saying, but it was clear he was as angry with the doorbell as we were.

  “In fact,” Helen declared, “that’s probably them now!”

  Odin and I reached the threshold at the same time. The smell of canines came to us through the crack under the door. We both lowered our noses to it. Helen made her way between us. When the door opened, Odin and I were surprised to see two women around Helen’s age standing and carrying their dogs.

  They were little dogs, white with curly hair. The dogs stared at us and we stared at them. I had been picked up off the ground before, of course, but there seemed to be something different about this arrangement. Usually, I’m carried to the bathtub, my body collapsing into dead weight in protest, but that did not seem to be where these two women were headed. They stepped in and laughed excitedly, hugging Helen. “Hello, hello!” Helen greeted.

  They put their dogs on the floor, and the two of them skittered over to sniff Odin and me. They were scarcely larger than Kelsey, but much friendlier, their tiny tails wagging furiously.

  “Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” the shorter woman enthused.

  “JayB, these are my friends, Cindy and Lindy,” Helen introduced.

  JayB smiled.

  “The dog walker!” the taller one exclaimed.

  “Oh, well, not exactly,” JayB replied, which made everyone else laugh.

  “That one’s Tillie and mine’s Millie,” the shorter woman announced. “They’re sisters, just like we are.”

  “We are so thankful for you,” the taller woman said.

  JayB frowned. “Thankful?”

  “We always feel guilty when we leave the dogs alone. Knowing they’re with a reliable dog walker takes a huge weight off our minds.”

  I glanced up at JayB, sensing discomfort.

  “We’re going out to lunch!” Helen told him. “Haven’t done that in ages!”