Adopting Jenny Read Online Free Page B

wearing her majorette uniform. Did you know she used to be a baton twirler? She led the band during every parade and performance, got to go on even before the drum majors. She was gorgeous. I don’t think I was able to say two words to her during that first meeting. My cousin kept whacking me on the arm to get me to speak.”
    I giggled a little. “Did Mom think you were a total goon?”
    Dad chuckled. “I suppose that’s possible, but I didn’t care. I was totally in love from that first moment. She was so beautiful, and I felt so lucky. I kid you not, Joanie girl, from that day on we were inseparable, and honestly, I never wanted it any other way.”
    I smiled up at Dad as he stroked Jenny behind the ears. The dog turned toward me, licking my forehead as I snuggled against her soft, warm side. Mom had once told me that sleeping with a dog as a pillow was the best sleep a person could get. As I drifted off to sleep I thought about how much I agreed with her.
    The next thing I knew, Jenny’s generous sides rolled as she let out a low growl. I sat up and blinked, trying to clear the crust out of my eyes. Jenny was glaring up at Kaye, who seemed to be moving her food. I scratched Jenny behind the ears and she quieted down.
    Kaye huffed out a big breath. “She’s sure a cranky dog.”
    Dad chuckled and leaned down to stroke Jenny’s food. “I don’t think she was growling at you,” he said nodding toward the doorway to the breakfast nook.
    Our cat, Charlie, peeked around one corner. Jenny growled again as Charlie edged further into the room, headed straight for Kaye’s lap. Charlie stopped for a moment beside Dad to nuzzle his legs before she continued on. Her sleek, white fur was dotted with patches of orange and black, and one of her ears was nicked from some long-ago cat fight. As she settled onto Kaye, Charlie’s purr became deafening.
    â€œThat cat is so loud,” I said, sounding grumpier than I intended.
    Dad laughed again. Maybe my brain was still sleep addled because I could not remember any time in my twelve years that Dad had been so… jovial. That sounded like the right word. It had been on a spelling list sometime in the past year. And if I remembered the meaning correctly, Dad seemed quite jovial tonight. I had to squelch the sudden urge to run to my dictionary and thesaurus. Maybe another word would fit better.
    Kaye scratched Charlie under the chin. “Do you remember Sugar?”
    â€œEw,” I said. “That cat was awful.”
    â€œSugar wasn’t awful,” Dad said. “She was… well, honestly she was an outdoor cat that Mom wanted as an indoor cat. And I don’t think Sugar ever got the memo.”
    When I thought about it, I could see that Dad had a point. Mom and Dad had Sugar before I was born, so I just grew up thinking the cat was sort of evil. I’d never considered that maybe the cat was just unhappy with her life circumstances. I remembered when she would scratch at the bedroom windows in the middle of the night. She had probably been trying to break out of her prison. And now that I thought about it, she did spend an awful lot of time in the windowsill staring outside.
    A whole new level of compassion erupted inside of me as I congratulated myself on my grown up revelations about Sugar.
    â€œRemember how we got Charlie?” Kaye asked.
    ****
    Two years earlier…
    â€œMom, Sugar’s gone,” Penny said, her voice slightly frantic. “I think Duke ate her.”
    Mom laughed. “Duke didn’t eat Sugar. I’m sure the cat’s just in the basement. Go check again.”
    Penny ’s eyes widened , but she didn’t say anything. Instead she turned and hurried toward the basement. Penny was the only one who even liked that dumb cat, but I followed her anyway. The basement smelled as musty and dank as always, but even before we hit the bottom step I knew Sugar