Free The Mill River Redemption by Darcie Chan Page B

engine rumbled loud enough to be heard a few blocks away, and the interior of the car was crammed with boxes and bags. A large dog with floppy brown ears and a brown-and-white-splotched coat sat in the front passenger seat with its head stuck out the side window.
    “Aunt Ivy!” Emily said as she climbed out of the car. Her younger niece caught her in a huge hug so exuberant that Ivy had to lean on her cane to steady herself.
    “I’m glad you made it all right. I was a little worried about you, driving cross-country all by yourself in that old car.”
    “Aw, my car’s fine. Needs a new muffler and probably a new clutch, but I’ll get all that taken care of once I’m moved in. And I wasn’t by myself.” Emily opened the front passenger’s door and clipped a leash to the dog’s collar before it jumped down from the seat. “This is Gus. Gus, meet my aunt Ivy, and”—she looked at everyone standing next to her aunt in turn—“Kyle, was it? And Rowen? And, I’m so sorry, I can’t seem to remember your name, but I remember you were at my mom’s wake, too,” she said to Claudia as her cheeks turned a bright pink.
    “I’m Claudia Simon.”
    “Claudia, that’s right! I should have remembered. Anyway, I found this big boy years ago at a shelter in California. The staff had him in the kitten room while they were cleaning out cages, and all these tiny babies were climbing all over him, jumping on his head, chewing on his ears, and he just lay there with his tail wagging and let them do it.” Emily reached down and massaged the dog’s ears while she spoke to him in low, drawn-out manner. “Dis big boy jus’ wuvs wittle kitties. Who wouldn’t fall in wuv wif such a sweet puppy?” Gus whined in reply and thumped his tail against the ground.
    “Oh, can I pet him?” Rowen asked.
    “He seems gentle, but it’s up to Emily,” Kyle said.
    “Sure,” Emily said. “Just let him smell your hand first, so he gets to know you a little.” Rowen gave her books to Claudia and approached Gus cautiously with her hand outstretched. The dog stood up, sniffed and then licked her hand, and lowered his head a little as she began to stroke him.
    “You didn’t bring all that much,” Ivy said. “Not compared with your sister, anyway.” She jerked her chin up toward Rose’s U-Haul and rolled her eyes. “They got here just a minute ago.”
    “I didn’t know whether she’d come,” Emily said, “but the truck? Not surprised.” She leaned back against the Impreza. “This is all my stuff. The lease on my apartment was up next month, but since I was going to be here for a while, I didn’t renew it. I just packed up and brought everything with me.”
    “Hey, why don’t Claudia and I help you get your things inside?” Kyle asked after they were all silent for a few seconds. “Since you’ve got just a carload, the three of us could do it pretty fast.”
    Ivy saw Claudia’s eyes widen for a moment as she looked up at Kyle. “Uh, yeah,” Claudia said quickly. “Maybe Rowen could hang out with Gus while we unload?”
    “That would be awesome!” Rowen said. “Could I?”
    “Wow, thanks, guys,” Emily said. “Sure, Gus’ll be fine here for a few minutes. I’ll tie his leash to the side mirror so he can’t run off, but he probably wouldn’t anyway.” She looked down at Rowen and smiled. “He really loves belly-rubs, you know.”
    As if he were following the conversation, Gus whined, dropped to the ground, and rolled over onto his back.
    Ivy let out a loud snort as she laughed with the others. “He’s a smarty,” she said. “I’d better get back. You’ll come by once you’re all settled in, won’t you, Em?”
    “Sure thing,” Emily said, and she kissed Ivy’s cheek. “You care if Gus tags along?”
    “Nope,” Ivy said, as she started across the street. “Not so long as he’s house-trained. See you all later.”
    C LAUDIA GAMELY CARRIED SEVERAL ARMLOADS OF CLOTHING AND boxes into Emily’s