“Any friend of Smokey’s is a friend of ours,” Mrs. Iverson says.
It turned out Dad was the one giving Smokey treats. Once Dad heard the whole story, he even tried talking the landlord into letting us keep Smokey. Mrs. MacAlear said she’d pitch in too. But the landlord wouldn’t budge. Somehow, I think it’s better this way. The Iversons have a big lawn, and Smokey has Isabelle and Isidor for company. Those little dogs treat him like he’s royalty.
Mrs. Iverson hands Amanda and me plates and cutlery so we can set the table. “How’s the guard-dog business going?” Mrs. Iverson asks.
“It’s going good. Vince and I returned that shepherd I told you about to his family. The kids were so happy they started to cry.”
I didn’t have to quit my job after all. The police arrested Floyd—he got a reduced sentence because he turned in the mastermind behind the theft ring. Then a guy named James Milne took over the company. Mr. Milne is an animal-rights activist, so he’s doing everything he can to improve the way our dogs get treated. Mr. Milne kept Vince and me on.
Dad is a little uncomfortable when he first gets to the Iversons’ place. He doesn’t know where to sit, and he says “Nice to meet you” twice in a row to Mrs. Iverson. But he relaxes when Smokey comes into the living room and stretches out beside him.
“That’s quite a son you’ve got there,” Mr. Iverson tells Dad. “Can you believe he broke up a national car-theft ring?”
Half of me likes the attention. The other half feels embarrassed.
Dad helps me out. “From what I understand, your daughter had something to do it with it too,” he tells Mr. Iverson.
The Iversons don’t have wine or beer with the spaghetti. I wonder if Amanda told them Dad is trying to cut down on his drinking.
Dad wants to leave after we have the carrot cake Amanda baked for dessert. “If you want to hang out a little longer, we can meet up at the apartment later,” he tells me when he gets up from the table.
“How about we play a board game?” Mr. Iverson suggests after we’ve walked Dad to the door and we’re back in the dining room.
“Sure.” I’m not used to playing board games.
This reminds me of Smokey and his tug toy. He had to learn how to play. Maybe I can learn too.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am that German shepherd is back with his family,” Mrs. Iverson says as she brings out a pile of board games.
There’s Careers and Monopoly and a card game named Uno.
Amanda watches my face. “You choose, Justin,” she says.
“Any one of them’s fine by me,” I say, looking at the games. “If you show me how to play,” I add shyly.
The Iversons don’t laugh or look at each other funny when I say that.
I hear Smokey sigh underneath the table. I move the tablecloth a little so I can get a better view. Smokey’s lying there, with Isabelle and Isidor curled up next to him.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to my best friend Viva Singer for reading the first draft of this manuscript and for hardly ever losing her patience with me when I phoned her at work to talk about dogs. Thanks also to Alanna Devine, acting executive director of the Montreal SPCA ; dog trainer Robert Des Ruisseaux; and to security expert Gérard Farmer, all of whom took time out of their busy schedules to answer my questions about the work they do. Hats off and a big hug for Melanie Jeffs—my kind and clever editor—and to the team at Orca Book Publishers who help me tell my stories. And thanks, as always, to Mike and Alicia, the two big loves of my life.
Monique Polak is the popular author of many books for juveniles and teens, including Finding Elmo and 121 Express in the Orca Currents series. Monique lives in Montreal, Quebec.
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