Mavis dropped onto the stool with a big, heaving sigh.
She made a pouty face.
She let out another big, heaving sigh.
But it was no use.
Mr. Duffy called Wonderland to come get Henry.
Mavis went over to where Henry was still sleeping on Queenie’s bed and lay on the floor beside him, trying her best to look pitiful.
She was glad to see that Rose was doing a pretty good job of looking pitiful, too. She sat slumped in Mr. Duffy’s desk chair, spinning it slowly in circles with her toe.
Mr. Duffy stood at the gatehouse door, watching for the van from Wonderland.
It didn’t take long for the van to arrive and Roger to come into the gatehouse carrying a leash.
“I swanee, Rocket Boy,” he said. “What are we going to do about you?”
At the sound of Roger’s voice, Henry opened his eyes and sat up.
Mavis threw her arms around him and hugged his neck. Then she turned her pitiful face to Roger and asked, “What’s going to happen to him?”
“He’s gotta go back to Wonderland,” Roger said. “I’m trying to find a foster home for him, but no luck yet.”
Mavis forgot about making her pitiful face and jumped up off the floor.
“Foster home!” she said. “Really?”
“Sure,” Roger said. “We always try to find foster homes for our rescue pups. It’s better for them to be in a home instead of cooped up in that adoption center.”
Mavis whipped her head around to look at Mr. Duffy. “Did you hear that?” she said.
Mr. Duffy held up a hand and said, “Hold on now, missy, I don’t—”
“But it’s perfect!” Mavis said. “Right, Rose?”
Rose looked at Henry and then at Mr. Duffy and said, “Yes! It’s perfect!”
Mavis grinned. Finally Rose wasn’t being wishy-washy and hemming and hawing like she usually did. Now it was time to try the old guilt trip again.
“You won’t be keeping him,” Mavis said. “You’ll be giving him a nice place to live until somebody whose heart isn’t a thumping gizzard comes along to help a sad, homeless dog.”
Mr. Duffy frowned. “Don’t be pulling that on me, Miss Mavis.”
Mavis tried to look innocent. “Pulling what on you?”
Mr. Duffy cocked his head at her and narrowed his eyes.
“Just think what good company Henry would be,” Rose said. “I bet he’d like to go fishing with you down at the lake and—”
“Now don’t y’all go ganging up on me,” Mr. Duffy said. He stroked his chin and looked down at Henry.
“See how quiet he is?” Mavis said. “He hasn’t barked one single time since we found him.”
“And I bet he’d love your trailer,” Rose said. “And he could ride in the truck with you and stay here in the gatehouse with you while you work.”
On and on they went.
Mavis, then Rose, then Mavis again.
Working on Mr. Duffy until he finally turned to Roger and said, “So, tell me what I’d have to do to foster this dog.”
Roger told Mr. Duffy about filling out some paperwork and having a home inspection to make sure Alabama Rocket Boy would be safe.
“Then just take him home, feed him, and love on him a little,” Roger said, “until I find someone to adopt him.”
Mr. Duffy looked down at Henry. “So, it’s only temporary, right?”
“Right.”
“And I can take him back to Wonderland if it don’t work out, right?”
“Right.”
Mr. Duffy scratched his chin. “Well, I reckon I can take him for a little while.”
Mavis let out a whoop, and she and Rose did their special handshake.
Slapping, snapping, and fist-bumping.
Plan B had worked out pretty good.
Now all they had to do was make sure that Mr. Duffy fell in love with Henry. And she had no doubt that she and Rose would be really good at that.