Chapter 39

Maggie

Maggie clutches Harvey to her chest and digs her fingers into his fur. She is so focused on Harvey that she is oblivious to events going on around her. She doesn’t notice the man in blue coveralls approach her mother. She doesn’t notice that the boy with him is wiping away tears.

“Maggie,” her mother calls a few minutes later. “Come here.” Reluctantly, Maggie stands up, cradling Harvey in her arms. “This is Phillip and his grandson, Austin. They found Harvey.”

“He showed up outside of Brayside last week,” says the man. “Austin took him in.”

“Brayside?” Maggie’s mother asks. “The retirement home?”

Phillip nods. The boy looks at Maggie from under a shaggy fringe. She narrows her eyes at him. He doesn’t look like a dog thief, but she knows he must be. All he had to do was bring her dog to a vet or shelter, and they would have used the chip implanted in Harvey’s neck to find his home.

“We’re going to miss him,” Phillip says. “He’s become a fixture around Brayside. The residents love him.”

“I’m sorry I kept him,” Austin says. His voice is deeper than Maggie expected—hoarser. But then she realizes it’s because he’s holding back tears. “Do you think I could say goodbye to him? Before you leave?”

Maggie is tempted to say no—she really is. But Harvey is wiggling around in her arms, making it impossible to hold on to him. She puts him down on the sidewalk and keeps a firm grip on his leash as he darts to the boy.

Austin crouches down and holds Harvey’s face in his hands. He whispers something she can’t hear and then rubs the ruff around his neck. She always thought of Harvey as her dog, but seeing them together makes her realize that part of Harvey might belong to Austin too. The thought gives her a sharp pang.

Maggie bends down so she and Austin are eye level and only a few feet apart. Harvey licks Austin’s hand and returns to Maggie.

“He’s a really good dog,” Austin says. His words are filled with emotion and almost unintelligible. Despite the odds, Maggie has found Harvey and he is going home with her. Some of the bitterness she feels for Austin drains away.

“Thanks for looking after him.” It’s the most generous thing she can think of to say, considering the circumstances.

Austin’s cheeks flush—with guilt, she thinks. Or maybe it’s just that he is going to miss Harvey. She feels a rush of pity for him. She knows, just as well as he does, that dogs like Harvey are rare. Maybe one in a million.

“Austin,” his grandpa calls. “We should go back.”

Reluctantly, Austin stands up. “I help at Brayside after school every day, if you want to visit.” The offer is halfhearted, as if he already knows what her answer will be.

But Maggie surprises both of them by saying, “Yeah. Maybe.”

She knows how hard it was to lose Harvey for a week. She can’t imagine losing Harvey for a lifetime.