Free The Fast and the Furriest by Andy Behrens Page B

us.”
    “Kev, I’m here for you. I’ve actually got a few different designs for the ‘Team Cromwell’ logo that I’d like to discuss. There’s an apparel line that I’ve been sketching. And partnership opportunities with sports drinks. I’ve thought of an ad campaign that would be a great fit for a car manufa—”
    “Okay,” laughed Kevin. “Good to know we have your support.”
    “Oh, you’ve got it.” Zach paused. “But you can’t quit on me and Cromwell once we start this, Kevin. This
cannot
be like Boy Scouts. I got stuck in that little blue-suited cult for a whole year. Remember, when we sign up for agility classes, you’ll be working …”
    “… I’ll be working for Team Cromwell,” Kevin said.
    The dog grumbled in his sleep. Kevin scratched him lightly behind the ears.
    “We’re not running these agility classes by your parents, I assume?” asked Zach.
    “Oh, no. Not yet, anyway. They might smell a setup. And I’m not sure I can sell them on the idea that you’re paying for it.”
    Kevin couldn’t wait for Wednesday morning, when they would return triumphantly to Elka’s class. He considered e-mailing her that night, but the whole reply-to-dog aspect of her communication bothered him—or intimidated him, maybe. Coaches like Zalenski and Glussman didn’t seem too frightening to Kevin. He’d encountered whistle-blowing hustle-mongers before. But he’d never been around anyone quite like Elka Brandt. She seemed slightly mystical.
    It was two more nights of uneasy sleep for Kevin, but this had more to do with eagerness than dread. On Wednesday, he, Zach, and Cromwell arrived together at Paw Patch early, well before class, just to guarantee asolid second impression. They again used the bike stroller for the dog, which Cromwell seemed to enjoy. With football camp behind him, a serious weight had been lifted from Kevin’s shoulders. Somehow, when they entered Elka’s giant, AstroTurf-covered training facility, she didn’t seem even remotely surprised to see them.
    “Um … Ms. Brandt?” said Kevin tentatively.
    Elka was arranging obstacles. Her back was turned to the door.
    “Ms. Brandt, um … Cromwell and I would like to enroll in your class. If that’s okay with you.”
    She placed a windmill on the ground, then stepped back to examine it. She said nothing.
    “Dude, I don’t think she can hear so well,” Zach whispered to Kevin.
    “Only my dogs and their handlers in the room, Zachary!” declared Elka, rattling the boys.
    “B-but I’m the manager,” Zach stammered.
    “In this room, you are the annoyance.” She turned to face him. “In my office, you wait. Go. Flee. Shoo, shoo.”
    She made a sweeping motion with her left hand.
    “So can we still enroll, Ms. Brandt?” asked Kevin.
    “Mr. Pugh,” began Elka, “you may indeed. But you are woefully behind, I’m afraid. You’re quite fortunate that your dog has a proper attitude.”
    She smiled at Cromwell. He sat attentively.
    “Zachary, really, you may now leave.”
    “But I’d just like to …”
    “
Leave
, Zachary.”
    Kevin motioned toward the door with his eyes. Zach left, but not without a clear display of reluctance.
    “I’m financing this operation,” he mumbled.
    Elka shut the door behind him, then faced Kevin.
    “Why, may I ask, are you here, Mr. Pugh?” She looked at Kevin skeptically. “Do
you
wish to be here?”
    “Yes,” he said as firmly as he could, nodding his head. Then he added, “People seem to ask me that question a lot. I must give off a vibe.”
    “Indeed you do,” said Elka. She stared at him, then Cromwell, then back at Kevin. “We have a great deal of work to do, Mr. Pugh.”
    He nodded again.
    “And I do mean
we—
Cromwell, me, and you. If you’re going to train with him, you must train with his passion.”
    Cromwell barked, then whined anxiously, then pawed at the turf.
    “As you can see,” said Elka, “he is rather eager.”

13
    W hile Cromwell was certainly eager,