“Got to go,” he said. Then he turned and walked up toward the porch.
"Trevor sure took off fast,” Mindy said. “I hope I didn’t upset him.”
"I saw that," Shelby said. She wondered the same thing. Perhaps he just couldn't handle all the emotions coming at him at the thought of Mindy possibly leaving. Shelby knew what that was like. "I'm sure, like all of us, Trevor just wants you to be happy. And he’d miss you if you go."
The gate sprang open and Steph with her corgi Oscar arrived. His fluffy coat shone in the sun and he was wearing a checkered bow tie. Right behind them, Eleanor entered with her two barky girls. The puffballs had matching pink bows in their hair today.
“Hello, everyone,” Eleanor called out as her girls raced across the yard.
Joann was right behind them, a big smile on her face as Scarlett rushed over to greet her. Shelby appreciated her show of support.
Shelby greeted each dog and then watched them take off to play. Their antics never ceased to amuse her as she watched their owners diligently follow their pups around with plastic bags, cleaning up and laughing. Even Wally got up for a while and chased a ball for Joann.
It was almost back to normal now. Almost, Shelby thought. Her mother's words echoed in her mind. She looked from person to person, from dog to dog. She did not want to lose all of this. She remembered her teacher, Mrs. Warren, telling her about choices, that she always had one, and this time she was going to make the best one possible.
Chapter 30
It had been a few days since Shelby had spent time with Logan at the lake. Every time she thought of their conversation, it reminded her of the instability of her own life. Her grandmother had long since gone to sleep, and she was reading in bed trying to sleep, when suddenly there was a knock on her bedroom window. Her heart raced. She tiptoed over to the window and opened the blinds, and there stood Gabe, his face barely visible in the light from the front porch. Tears ran down his cheeks. In his arms was Mutt. He held up the ragged dog, who was panting heavily.
Shelby motioned for Gabe to come around to the front door. She quietly opened the door so as to not wake her grandmother.
"Come in, come in,” Shelby whispered. The night air was cold and misty. It was hard to imagine how hot it would be later in the day.
Gabe started to explain.
"Shh." She held her finger to her lips, motioning for Gabe to be quiet as they crept back into her room. She shut the door and turned on the light.
Gabe plopped on her bed, cuddling Mutt to his chest. Shelby sat beside them.
The dog was quivering. Shelby took her blanket and wrapped it around the dog and Gabe. "Poor little, Mutt. It's okay. You're safe,” she said. “What happened?”
"I was sleeping outside in the screened-in porch,” Gabe said, “when I heard Mutt crying and scratching on the door. I let him in right away. He looked awful. All shaky. I snuck in the house and got him some food and he gobbled it up. I don't know how long he'd been out there or when he last ate."
"Oh no," Shelby said. "We probably need to check on Mrs. Williams too." It was after two in the morning and she hated to wake her grandmother and it was so dark out. The minutes ticked by while her mind raced. Perhaps the dog had just escaped again.
She checked Mutt thoroughly. Nothing was broken, it seemed. There was no blood. He laid his nose down on the covers and his eyes drifted shut. They sat for a while warming up while Shelby tried to figure out what to do.
"Leave him here," Shelby said. "You go home, I'll watch you from the door. In a few hours when people are awake, my grandmother and I can go check on Mrs. Williams. We’ll let you know right away when we return.”
"Are you sure?" Gabe asked.
"I'm sure. My grandmother won't mind. Scarlett's locked in the room with her right now. Scarlett loves everyone. It will be fine."
"But what if Mutt—?"
"Don't worry," she whispered. Mutt was asleep now. Leaving the dog on her bed, Shelby pulled on a robe and walked Gabe quietly to the front door. She left the porch light on so he could see better