over to their downstairs neighbor’s apartment, where she could hear GiGi yipping behind the door, but no one answered. The neighbor sometimes paid Shelby to pet-sit the little white Chihuahua when she was working a late shift.
“Hi, GiGi,” Shelby called through the door. “How’s my little girl?”
The dog moved from the door to the window and cast aside the drapes to see Shelby. Her little nose pushed against the window as she continued to bark.
Shelby leaned over and kissed the dog through the window. “Love you, little sweetie.”
The one time Dana had let Shelby get a dog a few years ago, it had gone back to the shelter when they’d moved. It had broken Shelby’s heart to have to say goodbye. But at least it was a no-kill shelter and they’d promised to find Suzy a good home. Shelby had cried for days, but her mother had said, "Oh, it's just a dog. We can always get another one when we get settled." And of course, there was never another one. At their last place, Shelby had befriended a stray tabby she’d named Tiger. He’d hung out behind their apartment and she’d left food for him when she could. He’d purr and rub against her. She’d made sure one of the neighbors agreed to feed him before they moved that time.
Shelby decided to just go upstairs and face what was happening. She rattled the doorknob to announce her presence before opening the door. Voices drifted over from the sofa.
"Come on in," her mother said.
After dropping her backpack on the kitchen table, Shelby joined them in the living room. Her mother’s freshly bleached blonde hair tumbled loose around her bare shoulders, exposed by a strapless sundress. Her makeup was even heavier than usual. There was a half empty wine bottle on the table and Gus had just arrived. It was only three o'clock in the afternoon; obviously her mother had started celebrating early.
"Come join us,” Dana said. She patted the worn couch next to her.
"What’s the occasion?" Shelby forced herself to ask.
"Well…Gus has asked me to go on a trip with him this summer. We're going to drive cross country. He got a brand-new, fancy camper that even has air conditioning.”
For a moment, Shelby imagined all three of them packed in that camper. It was a worse nightmare than this apartment.
“We're going to see the sights,” her mother continued. “All the way to Florida where Gus’s family lives.” Dana rested her head on Gus’s shoulder. “Right, honey?”
Gus put his arm around Dana’s shoulder. “Anywhere you want,” he said. “The beaches in Miami are warm enough to swim in. You’ll love it.”
In his bright Hawaiian shirt and shorts, he looked like he was already headed for the beach. With his thinning hair and being at least ten years older than her mom, he was no Prince Charming, but to Dana he obviously was. Shelby hoped he was a nice guy at least.
"Oh, that sounds exciting," Shelby choked out.
Shelby thought about Disney World. She’d always wanted to go since she was a kid. But when she glanced up, her mother was giving her the sympathetic I-have-something-to-tell-you- that-you-won’t-like kind of look.
Dana’s eyes flashed back at Gus for support. Shelby recognized the expression on her mother’s face when she turned back around. The guilty, pleading look that meant Shelby had to be the adult again.
"You're going to be very excited to hear," her mother said. "You'll be spending the summer with your Grandma Alice at Moonwater Lake. You know how much you love it there, and she's got a cute dog you can play with.”
Dana took a breath, staring expectantly at Shelby. When Shelby did not reply, she continued. “You know your grandmother's been so lonely since Grandpa died. We're going to drop you off there, and you'll have the whole summer. No school, just swimming."
Shelby stared at them. So far Gus had been silent. They both looked to her, obviously hoping for approval. All she could think was that she was being dumped at her grandma's so her mother could have another adventure. They would lose their apartment and probably never come back. And Nick…she’d have to say goodbye to him on Monday.
"When are we going?" Shelby asked.
"We were thinking of leaving tomorrow, so you’d better hurry up and pack your stuff."
“But my last day of school is Monday. Can’t we at least wait until then?”
Gus finally spoke up. "If we leave tomorrow, the pressure will be off your mother to have to come