Quinn was so busy with homework and ornament-painting that she didn’t volunteer at the shelter again until Friday afternoon. When she walked inside, it felt like she had stepped into a big party! Mrs. Alvarez and Tommy were wearing shiny party hats and laughing happily with two people Quinn didn’t know.

“Hey, what did I miss?” Quinn joked as she hung up her coat.

“Rufus is being adopted today!” Mrs. Alvarez announced. “Meet Juniper and James. They just opened the new bookstore on Grove Street.”

“Rufus? That’s awesome!” Quinn exclaimed. “Congratulations! He is so funny.”

“Rufus definitely has a big personality,” Mrs. Alvarez told his new owners.

“We can tell,” James replied, rubbing his stubbly chin. “When we came yesterday, he locked eyes with us and started yowling and yowling. It was like he was trying to say, Hey, you guys, I’m right here!”

Everyone laughed, especially Quinn. James had described Rufus perfectly—which gave her a good feeling that this adoption would work out just fine.

“Even before we opened our bookstore, we agreed that it would need a cat,” Juniper said. “Bookstore cats are pretty fantastic.”

“When people see a cat in a bookstore, they get so excited,” James said.

“Rufus is going to love hanging out at your store,” Quinn said. “He adores people. Spending all day with customers is going to be a dream come true for him.”

James and Juniper exchanged a grin. “I knew we had a lot in common,” James joked.

“We’re both pretty loud and opinionated, too,” Juniper added. “So we thought Rufus would fit right in.”

“And we love parties,” James continued. “Rufus’s adoption seemed to call for a celebration, so we brought the hats.”

“And cupcakes!” Tommy said as he offered one to Quinn.

“You want a hat?” James asked Quinn.

“Sure!” she replied, plucking a metallic fuchsia hat from the stack on the desk.

“I’ll get Rufus,” Mrs. Alvarez said. “This party needs its guest of honor!”

A couple of minutes later she returned, her arms full of a giant orange cat. Rufus’s long, fluffy tail flicked back and forth. He opened his mouth to meow, but a big yawn escaped instead, making everyone laugh.

“You want a party hat, Rufus?” James said.

“No, he’s way too dignified for that,” Juniper protested. She took Rufus from Mrs. Alvarez. “Aren’t you, Sir Rufus von Ruffington?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s really dignified,” James teased his wife.

The jingle bells rang again.

“Welcome to the party!” James called out.

“Uh—hi—sorry, are we interrupting?” a tall man asked.

“Not at all! The more the merrier,” Juniper said. “We’re having an adoption party for my new friend, Roo-foo.”

“Roo-foo?” James groaned. “That’s even worse.”

“Roo-foo disagrees,” Juniper said in a serious voice. “Can’t you hear how loudly he’s purring?”

“How can I help you?” Quinn asked as she hurried over to the man.

“I’m here for an adoption, too,” he said. “A puppy? Lobo?”

“Oh!” Quinn cried. “I love Lobo! I’m so happy for you! He’s the cutest!”

The man grinned. “Thanks! I can’t wait to take him home.”

“Hey, would you mind taking a picture of us?” Juniper asked the man. “We want to get this all over social media and introduce Roofy-poofy to our customers.”

“Sure,” the man replied. “Everybody squeeze together.”

Quinn ducked out of the picture just in time. “Mrs. Alvarez will finish processing your forms—I’ll go get Lobo,” she said.

Quinn couldn’t help humming some Christmas carols as she went back to the dog pens. Two adoptions in one day? It was incredible! And proof that the Twelve Pets of Christmas promotion was working!

Nana, Rufus, and Lobo—three pets since the gala, Quinn thought. At this rate, all the animals would be adopted before Christmas for sure!

Just as that thought crossed her mind, though, Quinn saw Buddy, all curled up in the corner of his cage. He lifted his head a tiny bit as she walked past. His tail went thump—but just one time.

A pang of sadness hit Quinn hard. “Poor Buddy,” she whispered to herself. She wondered if he was missing Charlie. Had Buddy given up hope that Charlie would come back? The squeaky Santa toy was tucked under one of Buddy’s legs, almost like he was holding on to a stuffed animal.

Quinn glanced over her shoulder. The sound of laughter drifted down the hallway from the lobby, where the adoption party was still in full swing. She knew that nice man was waiting for Lobo… but maybe he could wait for just a few more minutes.

She slipped into Buddy’s pin and knelt beside him. “Don’t worry, Buddy,” she said. “I promise somebody’s going to adopt you. It’s only a matter of time, and then you’ll have a family of your very own again! And it will be incredible!”

Thump. Thump.

Two tail wags—a slight improvement.

“And I’m going to do everything in my power to make it happen,” Quinn vowed.

Ting-a-ting-a-ting!

The bells on the door were jangling again!

Oh, boy. Here we go, Quinn thought as she hurried out of Buddy’s pen. She rushed over to Lobo’s pen, scooped him up, and then hurried back to the lobby to greet the newcomer. Quinn was in such a rush that she skidded across the shiny polished floor and would have collided right into Lobo’s new owner if she hadn’t grabbed the counter just in time!

“Whoa! Sorry!” Quinn cried as she placed Lobo into his new owner’s arms. Lobo recognized the man at once and covered his face with slobbery doggy kisses.

“Congratulations on your new puppy!” Quinn told him. Then she turned to the door… and saw Eliza standing there!

“Oh! Hey!” Quinn exclaimed.

“Hey,” Eliza replied with a little wave. “Sorry I didn’t make it earlier this week. My ice-skating practice ran long every day.”

“Ice-skating? That’s cool,” Quinn said. “I didn’t know you were into that.”

“Yeah, I’ve been skating for a while now—since third grade,” Eliza said. “Most of the competitions are out of town, though, so people don’t really know about them.”

“That’s too bad,” Quinn said. There was a pause while she tried to figure out what to say next.

“Well, my mom’s just finishing a phone call in the car,” Eliza finally said. “But she said I could go ahead and start looking at the pets.”

“You mean she said yes?” Quinn cried in excitement.

Eliza, her eyes shining, nodded. “Not only that, but she filled out an adoption application last week!” she said. “Mom says we’re already approved!”

Quinn gasped. “That’s amazing!” she said.

“It was supposed to be a Christmas surprise,” Eliza said sheepishly. “But I kept bugging Mom and Dad… and Mom finally told me everything and said I could help pick out our new pet!”

“I’m so excited for you!” Quinn exclaimed. The image of Buddy curled up in a corner of his pen flashed through her mind, and she remembered the promise she’d made to him.

“I have the perfect pet for you,” Quinn continued. “His name is Buddy, and he’s the most amazing dog. Everyone here adores him!”

But Eliza shook her head. “Cat, remember?” she said. “We’re going to get a cat.”

“Oops, I forgot,” Quinn said. “Would you like to meet Buddy anyway?”

Again, Eliza shook her head. “I wish I could,” she said. “I’d actually love to have a pet dog. But I’m allergic.”

“I’m sorry,” Quinn told her. “I didn’t know. The good news is we have tons of cats! And I can show you the kittens, too, even though they’re not quite big enough for adoption… and Mrs. Alvarez likes to send kitten siblings home in pairs, if she can.…”

Eliza laughed. “I can ask my mom if she’ll let me adopt two kittens—but I’m pretty sure she’d say, ‘Don’t push your luck.’”

“Don’t worry, we have plenty of other cats,” Quinn assured her. “The kitty section is this way. Follow—whoa!”

At that moment, Lobo wriggled to the ground—and ran right for Eliza! Quinn tried to block the eager puppy, but he was too fast. The next thing she knew, he was jumping and prancing around Eliza, placing his little paws on her knees and yipping excitedly.

“Aww!” Eliza cooed. “What a cute little sweetie!” She knelt down, partly to pet Lobo and partly to gently move him away.

“Here—let me—Lobo! Down!” Quinn said, using the firm voice that Mrs. Alvarez had taught her. As Rufus started yowling loudly, Lobo only got more riled up.

At last, Quinn managed to scoop up Lobo. “Sorry about that,” she apologized to Eliza as she handed Lobo back to his new owner.

But it was too late. Eliza’s eyes were already watering, and before she could reply to Quinn, she sneezed!

“Uh-oh,” Eliza said between sneezes.

Quinn’s hands flew up to her mouth. “Are you okay?” she cried.

“I’ll—ah-choo!—be—ah-choo!—fine—ah-choo!” Eliza sneezed.

“Do you—do you need to leave?” Quinn asked, worried.

Eliza shook her head and stifled another sneeze. “I’ll probably be okay when we see the cats,” she answered, rubbing her itchy eyes. “There aren’t any dogs in the cat section, right?”

“No, none at all,” Quinn assured her. “The cats would never allow it.”

“Then I’m sure I’ll be fine in a minute or two,” Eliza said.

Just to be on the safe side, Quinn grabbed a handful of tissues from the counter as she hurried Eliza over to the cat wing. Eliza’s sneezing slowed down once they were away from the dogs, but she kept rubbing her eyes.

“They’re so beautiful,” Eliza said as she peeked in each cat cage. “How can anyone pick just one?”

“It’s not easy,” Quinn told her. “But I’ve seen it happen so many times: All of a sudden, there’s, like, this spark… this connection… between a person and a pet, and that’s it—an adoption about to happen. If you see a cat you’d like to pet or play with, just let me know. We have a visiting room where you can hang out.”

“I guess ‘all of them’ isn’t really helpful, is it?” Eliza asked with a laugh.

Quinn just smiled as her classmate wandered down the hall. Suddenly, Eliza stopped. “Oh! The kittens!” she said in a loud whisper.

“The mom is called Paisley, and the kittens are Polka and Dot,” Quinn told her. “The kittens are so funny! They get crazy, jumping and pouncing all over for like thirty minutes… and then they flop over and fall asleep at the same time.”

Eliza looked a little disappointed. “I must have just missed their playtime,” she said.

“Don’t worry, you can come back anytime to play with them!” Quinn replied.

The girls continued down the hall, pausing every few steps so Eliza could peek into one of the cages. She paused at Snowdrop’s cage. “Wow, she’s beautiful,” Eliza breathed. “Can I pet her?”

“Of course,” Quinn said. She opened the cage and reached in for Snowdrop. The fluffy, long-haired cat was easy to handle, and she started purring almost the moment Quinn placed her in Eliza’s arms.

A smile of pure happiness spread across Eliza’s face. Quinn smiled, too. She recognized that look. She’d seen it just about every time someone decided to adopt a pet.

“The visiting room is at the end of the hall,” Quinn told Eliza. “You and Snowdrop can hang out for a while and get to know each other. It’s got some toys, too—a feather on a string and a catnip mouse and—”

“Ah-choo!” Eliza suddenly sneezed. “Sorry! I think I must still have some dog fur on my clothes. I should probably get home and change… and take a shower.…”

“Of course,” Quinn replied. She was a little surprised by the sudden turn of events. Quinn had felt so sure that Eliza would want to adopt Snowdrop. “Here—let me help you put Snowdrop back in her cage.”

“Actually,” Eliza began, “I was hoping I could take her home with me.”

“Yes! I knew it!” Quinn cheered. “A perfect match!”

“Really?” Eliza asked. “How did you guess?”

“You got that special look on your face,” Quinn explained. “That’s when I knew!”

Eliza started to say something, but a sneeze cut her off. A worried expression crossed Quinn’s face.

“Let’s get you out of the shelter,” Quinn told her. “I’ll put Snowdrop back in her cage until your mom can come in and finish the adoption.”

“Thanks,” Eliza said, wiping her watery eyes with a tissue. “I can still take Snowdrop home today, right?”

“Sure,” Quinn told her. “After all, your parents’ application has already been approved. We even have a spare cat carrier you can borrow to take her home.”

After Snowdrop was back in her cage, Quinn and Eliza returned to the lobby. Lobo and his new owner were still there, which made Eliza sneeze even harder! Someone else was in the lobby, too—Eliza’s mom.

“Uh-oh,” Mrs. Evans said, looking concerned. “I was worried about this.”

“Mom! I found the perfect kitty!” Eliza cried. “Her name is Snowdrop and she’s the sweetest thing ever, with the prettiest fur and bright green eyes—”

“Is she the one?” Mrs. Evans said, equally excited.

Eliza nodded vigorously. “Wait until you meet her! She’s perfect!”

“Or purrfect?” joked Mrs. Evans.

The girls laughed—until Eliza’s laugh turned into a sneeze.

Mrs. Evans rummaged around in her purse. “I brought your allergy medicine—I had a feeling you might need it this afternoon,” she said. “Here, Eliza, why don’t you take my keys and wait in the car. I can finish up the adoption paperwork.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Eliza said. “And thanks, Quinn! I love Snowdrop already. See you on Monday!”

“See you,” Quinn said as she walked Eliza to the door. “I hope you feel better soon.”

“I will,” Eliza assured her. “My allergy medicine works pretty fast.”

After Eliza left, Quinn went back to the counter. Mrs. Alvarez had already started completing Snowdrop’s paperwork. “Quinn, you can get Snowdrop ready to go,” Mrs. Alvarez said.

“You got it,” Quinn replied. She found the spare carrier in the storage closet and brought it to Snowdrop’s cage. The cat immediately arched her back when she saw it—a warning sign that Quinn recognized right away.

“Don’t worry, sweet girl,” Quinn said in a soft, soothing voice. “I promise you this is a car ride you definitely want to take. Because you know what’s waiting at the other end? Your new home—and your new family!”

Snowdrop knew Quinn—and she trusted her. After Quinn stroked Snowball’s back and scratched under her chin, the skittish kitty was calm enough to be placed in the carrier. Quinn felt a little pang as she carried Snowdrop to the waiting room. She was beyond glad that Snowdrop had found a family… but Quinn was going to miss seeing her all the same. At least I know Snowdrop’s new owner. Quinn tried to console herself. When I see Eliza at school, I can ask how Snowdrop is doing. Maybe Eliza will even show me pictures of Snowdrop on her phone!

“Here she is!” Mrs. Alvarez announced as Quinn and Snowdrop entered. “The paperwork’s all done. Congratulations on your new cat, Mrs. Evans.”

“Thanks for all your help,” Mrs. Evans replied.

“Good luck,” Quinn said as she passed the cat carrier to Mrs. Evans. “I hope Eliza’s feeling better soon.”

Ding!

Mrs. Evans paused to read a text on her phone. “Oh, Quinn—would you give me your phone number?” she asked.

“Sure,” Quinn replied. “If you have any questions or problems getting Snowdrop adjusted, you can call or text me anytime.”

“Thanks—that’s a very nice offer,” Mrs. Evans said. “But Eliza wants your cell so she can invite you over to hang out—and play with Snowdrop.”

Quinn tried to hide her surprise. “Oh! Sure! That would be great,” she said. “I was just thinking about how I was going to miss seeing Snowdrop around here.”

“I don’t think you’ll be missing her for long,” Mrs. Evans said with a smile. “Eliza was hoping you could come over this weekend. But she’ll text you all the details later, I’m sure.”

“That would be awesome,” Quinn said. “Bye, Mrs. Evans. Bye, Snowdrop! See you soon!”

The bells jingled merrily as Mrs. Evans carried Snowdrop’s carrier into the frosty evening air. The sun had started to set, casting deep blue shadows over the parking lot. Quinn stood there for a moment, watching Mrs. Evans load Snowdrop into the car and marveling at everything that had happened.

Three pets adopted in one afternoon—Rufus, Lobo, and Snowdrop!

And an invitation to hang out at Eliza’s house!

It was definitely shaping up to be a Christmas season full of surprises!

Then an image of Buddy, curled up all alone in his pen, popped into Quinn’s mind. Her smile faded.

Would it turn out to be a season of Christmas miracles, too?