She gave him a gentle nudge with her foot and he started, his dog eyes wild until he realized it was Ali. The wolfish grin he flashed her was cute, but she needed to share her momentous news with human Digger. She dropped into a comfy wingback chair and waited for him to change back.

“Good day?” he asked when he was capable of human speech.

Ali pointed to his furry left ear. “You missed a spot.”

“Whoops!” Then he was all Digger, though he continued to lounge on the carpet. Digger wasn’t much for furniture. “How was school?”

Ali gave him a sassy smile. “I was myself all day long, which was super easy, because I didn’t talk to anyone.”

Digger chuckled. “You win. I won’t bug you about being yourself anymore. Maybe the fog is getting to me. It makes me squirrelly and anxious for some reason.”

“As in, you want to chase a squirrel?”

He grinned. “Maybe.”

“Gigi will kill you if you start chasing her squirrels.” Her Alfie news was so stupendous she wasn’t sure how to share it, so instead she asked, “How was your day?”

Her question was met with a dramatic sigh. “I spent half my day doing laundry. Gigi spilled every mug of hot chocolate I gave her. The spilled drinks and constant bird and squirrel visits are driving me round the bend. I didn’t get to my art at all today.”

Ali thought of her mother working twelve-hour shifts at the nursing home. She hoped Digger was smart enough not to complain to her. Time to change the subject and share her news. “Guess who goes to my school?”

“Who?”

“Alfie Sloane.”

Digger sat up. “They came back,” he said, more to himself than to Ali. “Did you meet him?”

“Not yet. Someone said he’s joining the debate team, so I am too.”

Digger cocked his head. “You hate public speaking. You were going to join the swim team at the aquatic center.”

It was a valid point, but Ali brushed it aside. “Nope. Debate team. It’s the easiest way for me to meet Alfie.”

“Huh,” said Digger, which bugged Ali because he always said “huh” when he didn’t agree with something but didn’t want to be confrontational. The idea of public speaking already worried her; she didn’t need him to make it worse.

“It’ll be fun.” She tried to sound cheery, but it came out flat, like she’d said, “It’ll be like sucking on a lemon” instead.

“I bet he looks like you. People used to think his father and I were twins.” According to Ali’s mom, Digger and Teddy were like brothers, not cousins, which was one of the reasons Ali was so desperate to meet Alfie. She just knew that if they met, they’d be friends for life too.

“Teddy.”