Dog Show Disaster Page 9

Hazel Mae poked her head though the bedroom doorway.

  She ran in and jumped up on my lap. I cuddled her soft white furriness, and she licked me on the cheek. That gave me an idea.

  Kendall was still asleep, her cheek in perfect licking position. If she didn’t get up soon, she’d miss the Donuts-in-the-Split meeting. So I took Hazel Mae over there.

  “Share some slobber with my cousin,” I whispered. And Hazel Mae licked away.

  Kendall’s body immediately went into acrobat mode—her legs flipping around and arms waving.

  “Ewww! Slime! What? Where? Wet! GROSS! UGH!” It was a hilarious sight.

  “Allie—I’m glad you’re amused. I thought I was drowning in a swamp!” She picked up her pillow and wiped her cheek with it. “How could you do that to me? I trust you to be a good roomie!”

  I laughed. “I’m sorry. It’s just you looked like you needed to wake up in a different way today. Hazel Mae loves you.”

  Kendall balled up her fists and wiped her eyes. “Well, I love her too, but I’m not a fan of her slobber.” She swung her legs to the side of the bed and sat up. “Where’s Ellie?”

  “Don’t know. Let’s go find out and take the dogs for a walk. It’s Donuts-in-the-Split day.”

  Just then a text came in from Lola:

  Family photo day at Kiroli Park. Sorry. Will

  miss Split meeting. Fill me in on info later.

  Kiroli Park is a beautiful, wooded place in West Monroe that is home to a lake, walking trails, several playgrounds, and a dog park. Lola and Ruby’s family go there every spring to take photos so they can have them printed and expertly framed for Aunt Janie in time for Mother’s Day.

  I texted Lola back.

  More donuts for us! Be careful at the party

  tonight. Take pics of Madison’s room.

  Lola returned with:

  I’ll try.

  “You wanna go for a walk?” I pulled out Hazel Mae’s pink leash, and she bolted toward the closet.

  “Hey—it’s for your own good, since you can’t stop terrorizing Madison’s yard.”

  I hooked her up and waited as Kendall threw on some grubbies. “I hope we don’t see anyone we know,” she said.

  “Well, we know everyone in this neighborhood, so that will only happen if we don’t go out. But what kind of life is that?”

  Kendall shook her head at me. “Let’s go.”

  Just over the first little hill, we spied Parker Doonsberry.

  Kendall pulled her sunglasses down from her head to her eyes. “Let’s go back.”

  “Why? Don’t you want to wish Parker a happy birthday?”

  “Yes, but I want to improve my appearance before I do that.”

  I stopped and looked over at my cousin. “Kendall, do you really have a crush on Parker?”

  Kendall licked her fingers, then ran them through her shoulder-length brown hair to smooth it down. “Oh, come on, Allie, doesn’t every girl at school? He’s so nice, and cute, and adorable, and well . . .”

  Right at that moment, a “Hunter-train” zoomed in from behind, and chugged up the path to meet Parker.

  “What is he doing?” I asked.

  Kendall stopped and turned around. “He’s creatin’ a diversion, so I can go comb my hair and put on somethin’ presentable. Gotta love that brother of mine.”

  I grabbed Kendall by the shoulder to stop her from walking away.

  “No, he’s not. They’re coming right at us.”

  “Hey, girls! I gotta tell ya somethin’!” Hunter ran toward us, Parker following a bit behind.

  Kendall breathed in a huge breath and then huffed and puffed it out. “Whatever.”

  We walked a few steps forward.

  “What’s goin’ on Hunter?” Kendall asked.

  Hunter stopped to catch his breath. “I forgot to tell you. Parker and I are hanging out together today. We’re gonna race cars, play video games, and do other stuff that girls don’t care about. So, I won’t make it to our Split meeting. It’s his thirteenth birthday today.”

  I smiled. “Yes, we know. Happy birthday, Parker.”

  Parker blushed a bit. “Thanks.”

  Kendall said nothing, which isn’t like her at all.

  “So, are you having a party like Madison?”

  Parker put his hand out. “Oh, no, I don’t like big parties. I prefer to just have fun with a friend or two.”

  “That must be so weird to always have your birthday on the same day as your sister.”

  Parker grinned. “It’s okay. We like different things, so it always works out.”

  Parker turned his head. “Hi, Kendall. Have you written any songs lately?’

  Kendall pulled her sunglasses back up on to her head. “How did you know I write songs?”

  “Hunter told me. Did you know that I play the guitar?”

  “You do?”

  Kendall had let go of Ellie’s leash and she didn’t even notice when Ellie ran down toward the creek.

  “Yeah. Maybe we could jam sometime. Like on that bench by the water.” Parker pointed over in Ellie’s direction. “I like playing music outside.”

  “Uh . . . sure,” Kendall said.

  “Hey, Parker, do you have a FriendClips account?” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “I was just looking at Madison’s the other day, and I tried to find you, but nothing came up on the search.”

  Parker shook his head. “Nah. I don’t do social media. Plus, you have to be thirteen to open one of those accounts, and I just turned that today. Wait, did you say Madison has one?”

  I turned my phone to show him.

  “Great. Now I have to decide whether to tell my parents about that.”

  “Sorry,” I said.

  “Madison doesn’t always follow the rules.” Parker reached for my phone. “Do you mind if I read that last post?”

  “Go right ahead.”

  Parker studied the screen, and then put a hand up to his forehead. “Oh, no, Madison, what were you thinking?”

  “Is something the matter?”

  Parker handed the phone back to me. “She just goes a little overboard sometimes with her enthusiasm. I’m pretty sure she hasn’t checked with my dad to see if he can put the winner of a drawing on his show. He has a legal contract, and I know they’re strict about content. He can’t just make decisions like this without permission.”

  I stared down at the post, and clicked the link for the funding page. We were at four-thousand dollars.

  “So, are you saying that she might not be able to follow through with her promise?”

  Parker nodded. “That’s right. But, don’t worry. My dad’s a great guy, and once he finds out about this, he’ll do whatever he can to help. After he freaks out a minute.”

  “Do you think we can we be sued for falsely advertising a contest?” I asked.

  Parker chuckled. “I have no idea, but my dad would—Lunker Law, you know?”

  “Hahaha! That’s a good one, Parker.” Hunter laughed.

  I couldn’t join in on the joke. I just kept thinking about how we had already spent some of Madison’s fundraising dollars on supplies for the Bark Fest.

  And Kendall wasn’t helping me one bit. She was just standing next to me in a daze.

  “Well, we better be going,” Parker said. “I’ll think about how I’m going to mention this to my dad. If you could kind of keep it a secret, I’d really appreciate it.”

  I nodded. “Sure. Well, as secret as it can be with it out on social media. Just let me know what you decide, and we’ll stop spending the funds till we figure things out.”

  “Sounds cool.”

  “See ya, girls!” Hunter waved, and then he and Parker turned and headed back toward the Doonsberry’s house.

  I picked up Hazel Mae and turned to the statue girl next to me. “Well, that was very interesting.”

  Kendall stared off in the distance. “I love him.”

  “What? You’re nuts!” I reached out and gave Kendall a
little push, which took her off balance.

  “No, I really do.”

  “No, you don’t. You don’t even know him.”

  Kendall put one hand on her hip. “He’s cute, kind, he has integrity, and he plays the guitar. What else is there to know?”

  “Your dog has run away.”

  “WHAT?” Kendall came out of her trance, and she spun around in a circle. “Ellie! Where are you? Ellie!”

  I shook my head. No one in the Carroway family could be allowed to fall in love with Parker Doonsberry. And no one—under any circumstances—could ever marry him—because that would make all of us Carroways relatives of Madison Doonsberry! And that was against the law. And that’s not Lunker Law. It’s Allie’s Law!

  Kendall and I found Ellie, and then, since Ruby, Lola, and Hunter were all gone, we skipped our meeting but went to the Lickety Split to work on plans for the Bark Fest. We chipped away at the task list for a couple of hours, but a few times I had to yell Kendall’s name to pull her out of her Parker thoughts.

  “I’m sorry, Allie, I just keep hearing this melody in my head, and I won’t be able to concentrate until I can strum it out on my guitar.”

  She had reached her limit, so I cut her loose, with the promise that I would be the first one to hear her Parker love song.

  After Kendall left, I found that I had lost my concentration too, so I burrowed into the soft, tan beanbag and stared at the ceiling.

  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

  Lola finished the Scripture board for me and had already hung it up! It was great timing, since after my chance meeting with Parker that morning I’d been feeling jittery and breathless. I’d already puffed on my inhaler as many times as I was allowed, but it didn’t help. How were we going to fix this fundraising mess?

  Lord, I’m really scared.

  I was reminded of Lola’s words. “This year-end project will be the most memorable one ever.”

  Yep. No Student Project Manager had ever been sued before. That would be memorable.

  Be still and know that I am God.

  I sat up, and crawled over to the wooden bookshelf in the corner of the Split. I pulled out a Bible and turned to Psalm 46.

  God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!

  “Whoa, that’s intense,” I said out loud.

  I skimmed down a bit, and another line jumped out at me.

  The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble!

  “Lord, this carnival is in chaos . . .”

  God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us. The God of Israel is our fortress . . . Be still and know that I am God.

  “Who are you talking to?”

  I jumped, and nearly threw the Bible across the room.

  “Lola! You practically gave me a heart attack!”

  Lola grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the beanbag. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know anyone was up here. What are you reading? What’s so intense?”

  “Chaos,” I said. “Complete disorder and confusion. It’s kind of where I am right now.”

  “Oh, dear, it must have been quite a morning for you. My morning was torture. You wouldn’t believe the matching outfits Mom made us wear for the picture! At least it wasn’t camo.”

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  Lola got up and walked over to the craft table. “Anyway, I just came to get this. I had to let the paint dry.” She picked up the Scripture board she had made for Madison. “I wish I could stay and help you, Allie, but I have to go get ready for the party.” Lola sighed. “I’ve never gone to a party without one of my cousins. It feels weird.”

  “It’ll be fine. I’m glad you’re going. I need someone hanging out in the enemy’s camp.”

  Lola’s eyes opened wide. “What are you talking about?”

  “Madison Doonsberry—birthday girl. I don’t trust her, so it’s good that you’re close so you can keep an eye on her for me.”

  “That seems wrong, Allie. If I’m going to go to her party, it should be to honor her, not spy on her.”

  Gah. Lola was right. What did that Scripture say right out in front of our beloved Lickety Split?

  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

  ROMANS 12:10

  I hung my head. “I’m sorry. Forget about everything I just said, and just go have a fun time.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow at church.”

  Lola gathered up her sign and clunked down the wood stairs. I sat back down on the beanbag and prayed for an attitude adjustment.

  Lord, I don’t know why I’m so nervous about this project. It’s just so big, and nothing’s turning out like I hoped, and for some reason I have no confidence that it’s gonna get better. I don’t think I can do this on my own. Well, I know I can’t do it on my own. I need your help, Lord. To know what’s next. To know who to trust. So, Lord, when I stand up right now, I ask for strength! Please give me some confidence! I know you’ll do it. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  For the next few hours, I mowed through those folders, reading every line. I got on the phone and booked vendors, ordered equipment, and I even mustered the courage to ask a carnival ride company if they would donate the use of a Ferris wheel for the day, and they said yes!

  God was already at work, calming the chaos.

  Or so I thought.

  I checked the time on my phone—5:30 p.m.! And I was starving.

  “Hazel Mae, let’s go get some food . . . Hazel Mae?”

  Hazel Mae had been sleeping soundly in the corner of the Split last time I checked.

  What time was that when I checked?

  Whenever it was, she was long gone now.

  “Uh-oh. She better not be . . .”

  I grabbed a plastic bag out of my backpack and sprinted toward the home of Madison Doonsberry.

  As I approached my old house, I heard splashing, giggling, and other joyful party sounds. I poked my head around the side of the house, and there she was, being petted by a bunch of beautiful girls in swimsuits.

  “Allie Carroway, is that you?” It was Madison’s voice, and it was mocking me. I wanted to run, but she’d already seen me, so I put on my best smile and rounded the corner.

  “Happy birthday, Madison. I’m sorry about my silly dog. I hope she didn’t . . .”

  “Oh, she did, but we cleaned it up, no problem. She’s been a pure joy to have around. She even floated on the swim mat with Penny.”

  “Penny?”

  “That’s me,” the girl with the shiny long brown hair sitting on the side of the pool said. “Your dog is so cute.”

  Lola held up her phone. “I tried texting you to let you know she was here, but you didn’t answer.”

  “Oh, uh, I was on my phone a bunch, and I was really focused on carnival planning, so I guess I just missed it. I’ll take Hazel Mae, and I’ll let you get on with your party.”

  “You don’t have to leave, Allie,” Madison said. “I want you to meet my friends.” She began gesturing to girls in all different places on the back patio. “That’s Chloe over there, and Kaitlyn, Eve, Karly, and Veronica.”

  “Hello.” I put up my hand to wave at everybody.

  They waved back.

  “We were just about to have cake. Would you like to join us? It’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.”

  Huh. I thought you didn’t like to eat junk.

  Madison’s hand flew to her forehead. “No, wait! You’re allergic to nuts, right? Where are my manners? We could probably scrounge up a sugar cookie or something for you.”

  “Please stay, Allie,” Karly said. “Madison was just telling us all about how she’s helping you with the OMS carnival. It sounds like it’s going to be great. You’re so lucky to have Madison’s star dad inv
olved too.”

  Yeeeeaaah.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I have to go. I’m expected home for dinner. But thank you for the invite.”

  I pried Hazel Mae from Penny’s grip.

  “Happy birthday, Madison,” I said, and then I ran as fast as I could back to the safety of Aunt Kassie and Uncle Wayne’s house.

  CHAPTER 18

  No News = No News

  I sent Lola lots of texts that night.

  How’s the party going?

  Are they being nice to you?

  Have you seen M.D.’s room yet?

  Can you send me a picture?

  Has anyone talked about me?

  After text number thirty-two, I figured Lola’s phone must have died, since out of all the cousins, she’s the most text-y, and yet she hadn’t replied even once.

  “I’m getting’ nothin’ from Lola,” I said to Kendall as we brushed our teeth to get ready for bed. “You’d think she’d at least check her phone once or twice.”

  Kendall swished around some mouthwash and spit it out. “Waaah, that’s minty!”

  She sucked in a breath. “That would probably work just as good as an inhaler in a pinch.”

  I sniffed the mouthwash. “Hazel Mae needs to gargle with this. And, by the way, while you were writing love songs this afternoon, Hazel Mae and I crashed Madison’s party.”

  “What?” Kendall grabbed me by the pajama sleeve and pulled me into our bedroom. She flung herself onto her bed, grabbed a pillow, and rested it on her crossed legs.

  “Tell me all about it. Oh! Was Parker there?”

  I threw my pillow at her. “Seriously? Is that all you can think about? I’m dealing with a bully who’s trying to take over my project and all you can think of is Parker?”

  Kendall twisted her face up. “Maybe. But you’re my cousin, and I love you, so I’ll try really hard to focus on that right now.” She pressed her index and middle fingers from both hands into her temples, and closed her eyes. “Okay, tell me again what you’re concerned about.”

  I sighed real hard. “Madison hates—I mean she dislikes me a whole bunch. Yet, she’s working closely on this project with me. She’s raising funds, promising a prize she can’t deliver, and I feel like she’s just waiting for me to mess up somewhere so she can ride in and take over.”