Reggie watched her parents, trying to see if anything had changed since they’d visited her in Seattle a few months before. Her dad had a few more gray hairs around his temple. Leigh, her mom, would never let that happen to her own hair. She visited her stylist regularly for a cut and a little root touch-up. Her medium brown hair was the same color it had always been—the same color Reggie had inherited, along with her mother’s brown eyes.

Reggie joined her parents, moving more sedately. Her dad held her tight. “How was the drive?” he asked, before passing her off to her mother for another hug.

“Good. Easy. We stopped for burgers.”

Leigh cupped Belle’s huge head in her hands. “Did your mom get you a burger because you’re a good girl?”

Belle’s long tail whipped back and forth, stopping suddenly when a sharp bark filled the air. Reggie saw Burt, her dad’s twenty-two-pound dachshund, run out of the house toward them. Belle immediately slipped behind Reggie, her tail tucked between her legs.

“You really need to learn to handle him,” Reggie said before bending over and greeting Burt. “Hey, big guy.”

Burt wiggled with happiness as she patted him, before glaring at Belle and giving a low growl. Belle retreated further.

Leigh put her arm around Belle. “Just stand up to him. He’s not as brave as he seems. Show him who’s boss, pretty girl. That’s all it’s going to take.”

Good advice, Reggie thought. Sadly, Belle had not yet mastered more than a few words of the English language and couldn’t understand much beyond the tone of the message. The finer details, and the advice, were lost on her.

Her mom shepherded the dogs inside while Reggie and her dad took care of the luggage. The suitcases went upstairs into Reggie’s old room, and the dog food was stored in the kitchen pantry. Last, Reggie carried her laptop and Gizmo’s vacuum downstairs into the basement rec-room-slash-craft-room-slash-spare-office.

She set them on the long worktable, noting there were sample wedding invitations spread out, along with a printed guest list. It seemed her parents really were serious about renewing their vows and having a big party to celebrate.

She went back to the main level, noting there were a few changes from her last visit. The hardwood floors had been refinished and the walls painted. There was a new stove in the kitchen—a nice six-burner model replacing the one that had been older than her.