Free Suzy P and the Trouble with Three by Karen Saunders

coming.” Dad storms back inside. “Clare, what’s Murphy doing in the back of your car? Please tell me you’re dropping him off at the kennels.”
    “That dog’s
massive
,” Isabella says, peering outside.
    She’s not wrong. Murphy’s the size of a small horse. He’s also insane. A giant bundle of crazy mutt. Millie absolutely adores him, but the rest of us? Not so much.
    The thought of him, and a tent, and small enclosed spaces… Oh good Lord.
    This is never going to end well. They can’t be bringing him… Can they?
    “He’s coming,” Clare confirms, and the wholeroom groans in unison. “Blame Millie, not me,” she says, holding up her hands in protest. “I’d have happily left him at home.”
    “Dad’s working so much and Sophie’s at summer school and I couldn’t put him in kennels,” Millie says, tears brimming in her eyes. “I just couldn’t do it to him. He’ll be fine with us, he’ll behave, I promise. I didn’t want him to be left behind and lonely…”
    She lets out a huge sniff, and Dad looks alarmed. He doesn’t handle crying well at the best of times. Mark and Amber’s waterworks already have him on edge.
    “Please, Mr Puttock,” Millie pleads. “Please. Pretty please. He’ll be good. Don’t make me leave him behind…”
    “All right, all right, he can come,” Dad says. Millie jumps with joy, then runs over to give him a huge hug. Dad flushes as he awkwardly pats her shoulder.
    “But you’ll need to keep him under control. At
all
times. I know he has a tendency to be a little, erm, wild.”
    “I will,” Millie promises. “You’ll hardly know he’s there, I promise.”
    “Hmm. I’ll believe it when I see it,” Dad says. “Right, can we have everyone who’s coming on this holiday in the cars, please?”
    Everyone apart from Mum troops outside. She’s still busy running around, unplugging every electrical itemin sight, and checking she’s locked all of the windows about eighty times.
    “Mark’s staying in the house,” Dad says in exasperation. “He can keep an eye on all this for us.”
    “I know,” Mum says, “but you know what he’s like. He’s not exactly…” She peers around to make sure Mark and Amber aren’t listening. “…
reliable
.”
    “I call shotgun!” Harry shouts, running to yank open the front passenger door. “See you, Danny,” she calls over her shoulder.
    “So…” Danny says to me. “I guess you’re going.”
    “I can’t believe you’re leaving us behind,” Jamie says miserably.
    “Yeah, well, that makes two of us,” I say.
    “Suzy, we’re going to have a blast,” Millie says.
    “I suppose we’ll have a laugh, won’t we, Isabella?” I say, attempting to be friendly and include her in the conversation. She doesn’t even look up.
    “You’ve changed your tune from yesterday,” Jamie says.
    “You know we’re going to miss you,” Millie says. “But a holiday will be cool. New things to do, new people to meet…”
    “You won’t talk to any boys, or anything, will you?” Danny asks nervously.
    “Why?” Millie teases. “Worried something will happen?”
    “No,” Danny says. “It’s just… y’know… I…” Then he shrugs and turns red with embarrassment.
    “You’re going to miss us too, I know,” I say.
    Danny nods his head as he shoves his hands deep into his pockets and stares at the floor. “Yeah.”
    “Jen, would you
please
hurry up!” Dad shouts.
    “Coming,” Mum replies, dashing out with another four carrier bags crammed with food. She carefully locks the door, then immediately reopens it, saying, “I don’t think I locked the back door…”
    “You did!” everyone says.
    “I want to be sure…” And off she disappears again.
    Mark pulls Amber close – well, as close as he can in her current state – and then gives her a huge kiss, tongues and everything, which goes on forever. Crystal Fairybelle, squished between them, wriggles and yelps and struggles to get