Free Adopting Jenny by Liz Botts Page A

Dad. Kaye dropped her ballet bag by Dad’s boots.
    â€œDo I have time to change before we eat?” she asked, running a hand along her sweaty neck.
    Mom nodded. “Penny isn’t home yet.”
    Kaye hustled toward the stairs before anyone could say anything else. I huffed out an annoyed breath at my sister. How could she not have noticed that something was up? Something exciting was brewing, and I knew better than to ask. Mom and Dad wouldn’t tell me until they were ready, so I bit the inside of my cheek and tried to focus on my math.
    â€œJoanie, can you set the table?” Dad startled me so much that I dropped my pencil.
    Glad to get away from my homework, I nodded. Pepper nuzzled my leg as I got up from the table. I patted her head, gave her a scratch behind the ears, and gazed into her lovely chocolate eyes. Honestly, Pepper was a really ugly dog, but she was so sweet no one could resist her. She understood where I was coming from.
    Penny got home just as I set the last fork into place. She flopped down at the table, her cheeks red, breath coming in great puffs, like she had just run all the way home. I eyed her as she smoothed her hair. When Mom set a glass of milk in front of her, Penny gulped it down in one long swig. Where had she been? Penny was growing up, as Mom liked to remind me, and I didn’t always understand the highs and lows of her moods. She made me nervous to become a teenager myself.
    â€œSomething’s going on,” I said to her in a low voice when Mom went back into the kitchen.
    With a slight quirk of her eyebrow, Penny asked, “Like what?”
    I shrugged and snagged a roll from the basket Mom had placed on the table. “Something thrilling, from the way everyone is acting.”
    Before we could discuss the matter further, Mom and Dad came into the dining room. Dad yelled for Kaye, who yelled back that she had to finish fixing her hair. Mom and Dad exchanged a look. We’d all seen that look before, and I felt the tiniest bit guilty that I was happy one of my sisters would be getting a lecture. When Kaye flounced down the stairs, still preening, my guilt melted away, only to be replaced by glee.
    We waited while Dad served himself, then I dove in. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes with a side of green beans might not be a glamorous meal, but it sure hit the spot tonight. I was so focused on my food that I nearly forgot about the exciting news that Mom had. She sat across the table from Dad, worrying the edge of her napkin. The corners of her mouth tugged upward like she was trying to contain a smile.
    Dad’s gaze flickered to Kaye and his jaw clenched slightly, but then his eyes met Mom’s and his expression changed. Just like it did every time he looked at her. “Oh, go ahead, Barb, tell them the news.”
    Mom smiled. “The animal rescue called…”
    â€œNot again,” Kaye muttered.
    Dad shot her his look . Then Mom continued, “They found a mother dog who is lactating, but they couldn’t find her puppies anywhere.”
    Kaye rolled her eyes. “Not interested.”
    â€œIt’s kind of sad,” Penny said softly, her eyes never leaving her plate. “What do you suppose happened to them? The puppies, I mean.”
    Silence descended on the table. Finally Mom said, “I don’t know, honey. They want us to foster her, though. Isn’t that wonderful?”
    Penny nodded then took another bite of food.
    Kaye tapped her fork against the edge of her plate. “Sorry, not exciting and not sad. Can we move on?”
    â€œKaye.” Dad’s warning chastised her enough that she sat back in her chair, but she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him defiantly.
    â€œIs that it?” I asked. “I mean, it’s great to have another dog, but…”
    The secret smile returned. I could barely breathe as I tried to decipher what information she was holding back. Some dark hair had