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put the dog in the stockroom overnight with some food and water. Everything will be fine.”
    Lara gasped. “I can’t just leave him all night long.”
    “Fine, then come back before you go to bed and let him out to pee.”
    “Mom, no. That’s inhumane.”
    “We’re not dealing with a human—we’re dealing with a dog.” Her mother was clearly finished with the conversation. “Make him a little bed out of towels and be on your way.”
    “I can’t do that.”
    “Why on earth not?”
    “He’ll be scared! He’ll be lonely. He won’t understand what’s going on.”
    “Stop. If this dog is anything like Bianca, he’s dumber than a bag of hair. It’ll take him at least twelve hours just to figure out where he is.”
    “There is no way I’m leaving him in the stockroom overnight.”
    “Then what would you suggest?”
    “He can stay with us tonight. Beacon loves other dogs; they can have a little slumber party.”
    “Absolutely not. I worked too hard to pay for our home and our furniture. I will not have it destroyed by some overbred, overindulged animal.”
    Lara understood and appreciated the full extent of her mother’s sacrifices over the last two decades. Justine had given up everything—her youth, her social life, her sense of spontaneity—to build a life out of pampering others. But none of this was Enzo’s fault. Enzo, like Lara, had been born into a life where he was compelled to look and behave a certain way, regardless of his own preferences.
    Plus, he was totally adorable.
    “Just one night,” Lara vowed to her mother. “You’ll never even know he’s there.”
    “Open your ears,” Justine shot back. “ No means no . I caved and let you keep Beacon in a moment of weakness, but this time I’m holding my ground.”
    Lara had no choice but to break out the heavy artillery. “Okay, but what if something happens to him in the storeroom overnight? What if he eats something or gets caught somewhere and gets hurt? What if he dies ? How would we ever explain that to Kristi and Bianca? And all the girls they’ve referred?”
    Justine didn’t reply.
    “Or what if they, like, sue? The publicity would be awful . One night, Mom. Think of it as an investment in the business.”
    Justine laughed dryly. “Your sales skills need some work.” But she relented. Lara brought Enzo home to the tiny two-bedroom bungalow located just inside the desirable Paradise Valley zip code. Beacon welcomed the little poodle as if he’d finally found his long-lost brother.
    Kristi never returned. And when Lara finally got in touch with her two days and fifteen phone messages later, she mumbled something about moving, no pets allowed, before the connection conveniently cut out.
    “And you’re telling me all this, why?” Justine asked when Lara called to update her on the situation. “I said no to a second dog, and I absolutely meant it. Drop him at the shelter on your way home from work.”
    Lara gasped and clutched the poodle to her chest. “The pound?”
    “Yes, the pound. He’s little; he’s purebred; he’s cute. He’ll be adopted before breakfast.”
    “I can’t.”
    “You will.”
    “But, Mom—”
    “This isn’t how you get ahead in life, Lara. You can’t take on other people’s problems.”
    But when Lara looked at Enzo, she didn’t see a problem; she saw potential. “I don’t want to keep him. I just want him to go to a good home. Give me a few days to find him a family.”
    “Do not ask me for this. I give you everything you need. Food, shelter, the very best clothes and education money can buy.”
    Lara swallowed hard. She couldn’t deny the truth in her mother’s words, but neither could she deny her own heart. “One week, Mom. Please?”
    “Fine,” Justine said, her voice clipped. “But this is it, young lady. I don’t want you coming to me for another thing for the rest of the summer.”
    “I won’t. Thank you.” Lara hesitated. “I love you, Mom.”
    Justine didn’t