Chapter 23

• Up ahead a young couple approached from the opposite direction, a big, shaggy-haired dog walking on a leash in front of them. Willa let out a happy cry, hurrying over to the dog to pet it. Me and the couple watched as Willa scratched the dog’s head, and it responded with friendly licks. When she’d had her fun, the two of us continued on.
• “Sorry,” she said. “But dogs are, like, my favorite. I keep asking Dad if we can get one, but he says we don’t have the time for it.”
• “Maybe someday.”