“Who says they get used to it?” Ted roared. “We’re the only fools out here walking around, or haven’t you noticed? Plus it isn’t even noon yet, the heat of the day.”

“Come on, we have to get Cyrus out of here before he burns his feet on this red-hot concrete. I can feel it through my sneakers, so it has to be killing him.”

Jack and Ted were breathing hard and Cyrus panting as they literally fell into the rental van. Ted quickly turned on the ignition and set the A/C to its highest level. At first, hot air blasted out of the vents, but delicious cold air followed. “We are not moving until we all cool down,” Jack said as he stroked Cyrus’s head. “We’ll get you some ice-cold water in just a few minutes, big guy. Just hang on.”

“I saw an Arby’s about a mile down the road when we drove in here. Call Maggie and tell her to meet us there,” Ted said hoarsely as he threw the van into gear and peeled out of the parking lot onto the paved highway. He burned rubber, not caring if he got a ticket.

Exactly three minutes later, having gone ninety miles an hour, Ted steered the van to the drive-through window. He bellowed at the young guy in the open window, “Six bottles of ice-cold water right now! Hurry it up, dude, we’re dehydrating.”

Jack had Cyrus’s bowl in his hand and the icy bottle of water a second later. He poured, careful not to spill the lifesaving liquid. Cyrus fell to it and drank greedily, as did Jack and Ted. Jack opened the three remaining bottles and watched as Cyrus drank his fill. He pawed the car door to go out. “Two bottles of water will do that,” Jack mumbled as he waited for the big dog to do his thing. Cyrus woofed and scampered back into the van just as Maggie and Dennis pulled up behind him in the drive-through.

Jack leaned out the window and shouted that they would order, and for Maggie to find a parking spot for her rental, and they would all eat in the van. He watched as Maggie backed up her Toyota rental and drove to the corner of the lot, where a tree offered a little shade.

Ted placed a huge order, to the young guy’s delight. Twelve double-roast beef sandwiches with spicy brown mustard, five orders of fries, and five orders of onion rings. Five root beers loaded with ice and six more bottles of water along with four double-roast beef sandwiches, plain, for Cyrus.