Chapter 4

“I don’t know ‘bout this,” said Marty a week later. He spoke from his kennel, safely buckled in the back seat of the Fengs’ Subaru. “You didn’t say anything about getting another spokesdog.”

Vivian turned around in her seat. “I didn’t know I was going to do it until I did it, Marty. It’s called improvising. It’s only temporary!”

“Sure,” said Marty, laying his chin down on his forepaws. “People’ve only been emailin’ ya asking about big dog clothes for a year now. She’ll fade right away.”

Leggo looked up from his chew rope. “Hey! Don’t wish her away. I get to translate for her.”

Marty huffed. “Good luck talking to Mom when Alanna Lu’s around.”

“Trust your mom more, Marty,” said Frank, up front driving.

“Thank you, Frank. Besides, Marty, you’re okay with Freckles getting photographed today, aren’t you?”

Marty looked towards the spaniel’s kennel. “Well, yeah, sure! We got to get him his forever home! It’s for a cause!”

“So’s bringing in Rhoda,” said the witch. She turned to Frank. “You saw how cute she and Tom were together. Love is in the air.”

Leggo dropped his rope and lifted his snout, sniffing. “I don’t smell it!”

“Yeah,” said Freckles, joining in. “Me neither.”

Marty rolled his eyes. “Of course you can’t smell it! Alanna Lu and what’s-his-bucket aren’t around!”

Frank snorted back a laugh.

“Oh,” said Freckles. “But what about Mister and Missus Feng? You’re still in love, right?”

“Absolutely!”

“You got it.”

Freckles furrowed his brow. “Then why can’t I smell it?”

“Old people love smells different,” said Leggo around his chew toy.

“You’re not s’posed to call ’em old, Leggo! They’re senior citizens, like I told ya.”

Frank snorted again. Marty ignored him. “Frecks, you know how right after you come inside from a walk, you can smell the years in the house, but then you stop smellin’ it, ‘cuz it’s all in the walls and everything, all the time?”

Freckles tilted his head. “Yeah.”

“That’s what senior citizen love is like.”

Vivian and Frank smiled.

* * *

Frank stopped the car and turned back to the dogs. “We’re here. Freckles, Marty, we’re going to put on your leashes and walk you up the trail to meet Alanna Lu.”

“The colors of the leaves are going to look spectacular, Marty. We’ll catch a lot of eyes, but try not to get dirty, dear.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“We’ll start on Freckles’ pictures while Frank and Leggo wait for Tom and Rhoda.”

Leggo’s tongue rolled out of his mouth as he smiled.

Marty shook his head. “Oh, brother.”

“Now, Freckles, you’ll be off-leash for the photos. No running into the woods to chase squirrels. You’d make a great dog sandwich for some wild thing out there,” said the witch.

Freckles whined.

“But if you do get lost, sit, stay, and bark your head off. We’ll hear you and come find you.”

“Sit, stay, and bark. Sit, stay, and bark,” Freckles said.

“You’ll be having too much fun to worry about some dumb squirrel,” said Marty.

“Is it fun getting your picture taken, Marty?”

“Well, sure! Just do what you usually do, look at Alanna’s phone when she calls your name, and you’ll do fine. You don’t even have to smile, not all of the time, anyway. Oh, since there are leaves, she might hide some treats under them for us to dig up. Looks great on camera.”

Freckles lit up. “Ooo! Treats!”

“But you can’t go for ’em as soon as you smell ’em. You gotta wait ‘til the shoot starts.”

“When’s that happen? How will I know? What if I miss it?”

“Relax. I’ll tell you when.”

“Thanks, Marty.”

“No prob, Frecks.”

“Everyone clear on the rules?” said Frank.

“Yeees,” chorused the dogs.

“Any questions before we go? Freckles?” asked Vivian.

“No, ma’am.”

The witch unclicked her seatbelt. “Then let’s go!”