“In dog years, that means he’s old. He’s like a sixty-year-old man. So you won’t have Hugo as long as you’d have a puppy. Maybe you’d prefer a younger dog? That way you’ll be able to love it for longer.”
“I want Hugo.” Cami’s face sets firm. “I love him, and he loves me. And if you love someone, you want them for however long you have.”
Danika freezes. When did her daughter get so wise? She’s right, of course. No one can predict the future. Hugo may liveanother five, six years, or he may be older than they think and they’ll have him for a lot less time. But love doesn’t look to an end date. Love lives in the moment. And Hugo is Cami’s moment.
As it is hers and Kim’s. Her stomach twists. She doesn’t know how long she’ll have with Kim: a few months or an eternity.
But it doesn’t matter. What matters is they are together in the here and now. For as long as they have.
She smiles down at Cami. “Then let’s see if the shelter will let us adopt him.”
“First we’ll have you fill out an application,” Tess says. “We take into account how Hugo behaves with potential adopters, your home situation, fencing and so on. Hand in the application now, but we won’t meet until Tuesday to decide. So if you want to come back tomorrow and drop off anything extra, you can.”
“Like what?” Cami caresses Hugo’s ears.
“Photos of your house, fencing. Even a personal statement saying why you want Hugo in particular. Give us your best.”
Cami nods. Danika knows that once they’re done here, Cami will be hustling them home so she can write something for the shelter.
“I have to take Hugo back now,” Helen says. “I have a family waiting to meet another dog.”
Cami stands and walks with Helen as she puts Hugo back in his run.
Helen goes off, and Tess turns to Danika. “If you come with me, we can complete your application.”
“Can I stay here with Hugo?” Cami asks.
“Yes, but don’t go in the run. Stay outside.”
Tess takes Danika to the office building, and into a small room off reception. She hands her a sheaf of forms. “If you complete this and pay the adoption fee, I’ll get it in immediately. We refund the fee if you aren’t successful.” She grips Danika’sshoulder. “I remember your daughter talking with Hugo before. I hope you get him.”
Danika fills in the forms. Yes, she owns her home, yes, the yard is fully fenced. No, she’s never had any conviction for animal mistreatment. The form goes on for four pages. Eventually, she’s done, and she hands it to Tess, who is hovering at reception.
“When will we hear?”
“Probably Tuesday afternoon,” Tess says. “Good luck.”
Cami is crouched next to Hugo when she returns, but leaves willingly.
“I’m going to write a letter,” she says. “Saying why I’m the best person for Hugo.”
Danika suppresses a smile. Exactly as she thought.
Cami’s letter turns into the longest thing she’s ever written. Four pages in her uneven handwriting. She refuses to let Danika write it, and that’s probably a good idea. Play the cute kid card.
Danika leaves Cami at the dining table—tongue sticking out in concentration as she laboriously writes out the reasons she’s the best person for Hugo—and goes into the bedroom with her phone.
Kim answers on the third ring. “Hi, I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. Mum says she’ll look after the two of them anytime we want. So let’s take advantage of that before she changes her mind.”
Kim hums in agreement. “Bella had the best time. She loved the steam train. And my cooking isn’t as good as Paul’s, apparently. He built them a jumping course in the garden.”
Danika’s eyebrows raise. “So Cami said, and I’m surprised. His garden is his baby. He must like Bella a lot.”
“Anyway, do you have a cute dachshund in your house today?”
“No. Cami is holding out for Hugo. We’ll find out on Tuesday if we have him.” She outlines what happened at the shelter.
