Read Dog Beach Unleashed for Free Online

were going to try to work things out. But now it seems like they’re not.”
    My shoulders tense up. “What do you mean?”
    â€œWell, my dad just got his own apartment in Manhattan.” She pauses, sniffling. “That’s how I know.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œYeah. We found out today. My mom was talking to my grandfather at the kitchen table this morning, and I overheard them. It’s only a two-bedroom. Calvin and I will have to share a room when we’re there, or one of us will have tosleep on the couch.” She rubs her eye with a sleeve of her sweatshirt. “I wonder how long she was going to wait to tell me. So now I’m not talking to her.”
    It seems as if Claire wants to say more, so I stay quiet and wait for her to continue.
    â€œI didn’t even want to come to Dog Beach today, but there wasn’t anything for me to do at my grandfather’s house, and I didn’t want to let you down. I don’t really want to do anything, but I also don’t want to be alone. I can’t even explain it. My brain is like a bowl of oatmeal.”
    We get to the very edge of the sand, and the water washes over our feet. “Well, I know this won’t really help things, but I’m glad you’re here.”
    I reach out to give her a hug, and she puts her head on my shoulder. “It’s just so unfair. I mean, they always fought and stuff, but I didn’t think it would come to this. I thought we’d always stick together.”
    â€œWell, is there a chance it’s just a separation?” I ask. “It may not be permanent.”
    â€œIt’s permanent.” She rubs her eyes some more. “I keep thinking it’s a nightmare, and I’ll wake up and it will be okay. Back to the way it used to be.”
    I nod.
    â€œI want to pretend it’s not happening. Am I making any sense?”
    â€œYou are,” I say. “You really are.”
    She looks grateful for the reassurance. “I’m not the kindof person who gives up. So I figured there would always be a way to work it out,” she says.
    â€œYou’re
not
the kind of person who gives up,” I tell her. “You’re really not. But I guess you don’t have control over this.”
    I think that’s the hardest thing in life: not having control over something. Lately, everything seems to be changing, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
    â€œAnd Calvin seems okay with it,” Claire says. “He acts like he doesn’t care.”
    â€œWell, I mean, maybe—”
    Our conversation gets interrupted when Paul and Andi arrive with Atticus and Rascal. The dogs sprint onto the sand and start wagging their tails as soon as they see Marilyn Monroe. Soon all three of them are running back and forth on the beach, as if the moment they’ve been waiting for has finally arrived.
    They’re exactly like the kids on Seagate Island. Waiting all year for the summer day when they’re reunited with their favorite friends.
    â€œSo, these two are all set,” Paul tells us. “We put some extra treats in a little baggie on the bench, but they should be good to go. There’s also some dry food in there if they seem to be starving.”
    â€œGot it,” I reply.
    Everyone else arrives in the next five minutes: Potato Salad the collie, Tabby the beagle, and a new Portuguese water dog named Oreo.
    â€œSorry I’m late. I had to bring Asher’s lunch to him at camp. He forgot it.” Bennett runs onto the sand, carrying his flip-flops. He’s such a good big brother. “So, everyone’s here?”
    â€œEveryone’s here!” I smile. “Well, except Lester.”
    As I look at all the dogs on the sand, it feels as if summer has finally started. As if all the days that led up to today were just practice.
    â€œDo you have room for one more?” a plump lady with bright orange hair and a smallish