“Sure, it’s great for James to live with his brother. Neither of them lifts a finger to clean up and neither of them minds,” Mom says.

“One less thing to worry about. That’s all men want,” Aunt Cathie agrees.

Aunt Cathie seems happier about the move. She won’t be alone so much. Uncle Greg only comes home once a month from Fort McMurray. Luanne will have more people around to watch her. Paying half her rent will help Aunt Cathie, too; maybe I’ll finally get my babysitting money. Diesel may be right about a bigger pack being stronger. This could be the best thing all around.

I sneak off and call Dad to come over. “Mom needs you. She hates moving.”

“I can’t come right now, Naomi. I picked up a shift. You know I shorted her on rent money.”

“Soon, then, Dad?”

“Sure. Meanwhile, I’ll see you later.”

Someone pounds on the side door, distracting me.

“Rawf, rawf!” Pizza Girl has arrived.

“Okay. Bye, Dad. Love you.”

“Love you, too, Naomi.”

I let Morgan in.

“Hey, Morgan. Can we stop at the grocery store before we head for the pool? I want to buy some beef jerky,” I tell her.

Salty meat! Diesel wags his whole back end.

“Why? That stuff’s awful and costs a lot, too.”

“Because I want to keep training Diesel.”

“Simon gets that stuff for free ’cause his dad works at Willow Farms. Do you have any wieners? We can use them instead.”

Wieners? I like the way Pizza Girl thinks.

Mom overhears and opens the fridge, tossing me a bag. “Here, take these. They’re past their best-before date anyway.”

“They won’t make him sick?” I ask.

Smells delicious. I’m not fussy. Aged wiener is more flavourful. Sitting on his haunches in front of me, Diesel shifts from one front paw to the other.

“He’s a dog,” Morgan says. “They love rotten meat. Nuke them for minute.” She takes the bag from me. “The animal shelter does this for their dog snacks. They showed me when we picked up King.”

Mmm. Warm wiener, even better. Diesel’s jaw drops open into a drooly pant.

The microwave dings and I use an oven mitt to remove the plate. The wieners steam and look overcooked and rubbery. But they smell good.

While they cool, I change Luanne’s diaper, put her in the stroller, and make sure I have towels for both of us. Then Morgan helps me chop the wieners into thin slices, which we sweep into a plastic zip bag.

“Arouff!” Come on! The meat smells perfect now. It does not need wrapping.

Morgan takes Diesel’s paw and makes him shake before she allows him one. In another moment she has Diesel sitting pretty, waving one paw desperately in the air.

I do all this to make you happy. Now give me more. Please!

She gives him another slice as I snap the leash on and another as we head out the door. She grabs the leash from my hand.