Crispy skidded away from the leash and was difficult to get down the stairs. She kept sitting down on the walk and Jillian kept thinking she’d get used to it, right?

“We need to talk to her to make her more comfortable.”

They both started saying “good dog” over and over and Adam went up to trees and lifted his leg to mime peeing.

“Pee-pee pee-pee, hahaha.”

Eventually, Crispy took a dump on the median. Jillian had forgotten to bring poop bags, so she looked around. She saw no one. “Come on,” she said and they walked a little faster. She needed to tire them both out so they’d go to sleep so she could work and then, when everything was in place, she could wake them up and they could all cuddle on the couch like she’d been hoping they would. She skipped and galloped to get her kid and the dog to romp. Crispy seemed happy, and even romped a little and wagged her tail in short, weird bursts. Jillian smiled at them both. They walked for 20 minutes, until Jillian’s feet were sore and Adam said he had to pee and Crispy started looking anxious.

When they got back, Jillian straightened out the pillows and blankets on the couch and turned on the tv. She tucked Adam into a little nest and gave him the remote.

“Take a little nap if you need to, I have to do the laundry.”

She put some peanut butter on the rawhide and used it to lure Crispy into the kitchen.

“Here’s your water and food,” she said, pointing to the bowls on the place mat.

She dropped the bone by the bowls.

Her bedroom was dark. Even with the shades drawn, it didn’t get much light. She picked up her bras first and tossed them into the bathtub, then picked up all the dirty clothes, separated out some things that still seemed clean, and took the rest of the pile to the bathroom and dumped it on the floor. She stripped the bed and laid the bottom sheet in the hallway. She went to Adam’s room, stripped his sheets, picked up his dirty clothes and dumped them on the sheet. She put all of her laundry from the floor and the hamper on the sheet pile, got the soap and fabric softener, then bundled up the sheet—like Santa, that was how she felt—and hauled it downstairs.