made us dinner. All I have to do is heat it up. You’ll like it. A recipe my mom used to make. She was a really great cook.”
Jen glared at her, her eyes darts. “Is a really great cook, Kate,” she said. “Is.”
Was this a hint about what a crap job I was doing of feeding them properly? “Thank you, Kate,” I said. “That’s so thoughtful of you, I can’t wait to taste your mum’s lovely recipe. I’m sorry, but I am very—”
“Sad about not being able to keep Beanie? Me, too.” Her head bowed, she made towards the door.
But Jen was grinning. “Let’s go find Beanie. I’m so psyched! He’s the cutie we saw in the photo?”
“No, that one was gone already.”
I hoisted my hands on my hips. “You planned this?”
Kate looked up at me, her lashes wet. “We wanted to surprise you. Thought he’d be perfect for you. Picked him out specially for you.”
“What kind of dog is he?” Jen said.
“A mutt—you’ll see. Beanie? Beeeen-ie!”
The door clunked shut.
I ransacked every bathroom cabinet downstairs until I found what I was looking for: antihistamine pills to guard against runny eyes and nose, to protect me from animal dander. I had suffered for years, even without touching an animal, even if an animal had been in the room several days before.
I made my way back upstairs and felt a chill from the open front door, and the dog, a little terrier “Heinz 57” with wiry russet hair, elongated body, floppy ears, and a cheeky face, came bounding into the living room, jumping up with excitement on us and every piece of furniture in sight. His genuine and instant love for his surroundings, for Dan, and not least for me, made my heart melt, and I knew I didn’t have the resolve to send the little thing back to the shelter or wherever they’d rescued him from.
Jen’s snappy “Get a life” words were prophetic. They had just gone and got a life. And I felt horrible about this little thing being taken back to the shelter. This was what family life was all about, wasn’t it? Going with the flow, accepting the unexpected? The sisters, I noticed—re-bonded by Beanie—were now the best of friends again, cozying up to each other like little kittens, their claws retracted, their paddy paws soft as silk.
Twenty-Three
Beanie slept on my bed that night, his trusting eyes laying his vulnerable little life in my hands. Lucky for him I was such a softy and my allergy meds seemed to work. And, the truth was, it had been my lifelong dream to own a dog, but I had never dared. My father had forbidden pets. Keeping Beanie was the ultimate F-you to Dad. It made me feel empowered.
But I couldn’t deny that I began to have my doubts about the triplets, not so much because of their cheek of bringing Beanie into my life without discussing it first, but the way Jen had spurned my offer to go and visit her mother in Zurich—all expenses paid by me. It got me wondering.
Why?
A few days later, at breakfast, my question about Jen’s reaction to the Zurich invitation was answered. I had a morning meeting with Mr. Donner, so I got up bright and early to face the day with enthusiasm. I was even making pancakes (from a mix, but still) for Dan and Kate. Beanie was wolfing down his breakfast and looking up every now and then as if to thank me. My meds were doing the trick. He was my dog now.
“We’ve been thinking about your offer to see our mom and would love to take you up on it,” Dan began. “It’s an awesome offer.” He came over to me—I was standing at the fancy stove, mixing away—and hugged me, his piercing green eyes intense, his face somber. “Thank you.”
Kate had her laptop open. She was sitting at the breakfast bar. “Look, come and check out the clinic where Mom’s staying.”
“Let me just get this on,” I said, pouring the mixture into the pan and turning down the heat. “I don’t want to burn these.” I wanted to impress them with my pancake-making skills. “Where’s Jen, by the way?”
“Sleeping,” Dan said. “Look, I know Jen was a little weird the other day about going to see Mom.”
“Yes, I was surprised by that.”
“She’s freaked out about flying,” Kate explained. “It’s like a phobia, not just a silly fear. She’s even been to see a hypnotist about it.”