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who’d arrived.
    The overlapping adult conversations were too much for me to process all at once, so I squatted down to talk with the kid. “What you got there?”
    The boy continued to stare at me.
    “When I was your age, I used to have a Millennium Falcon. You know, from the Star Wars movies. You ever watch those?”
    He nodded, so I knew he was capable of understanding human speech.
    “You like outer space stuff.”
    “Yeah.”
    “What’s your favorite show?”
    “ Captain Starstrider and the Planeterians .”
    “A cartoon?” I guessed.
    Before the kid could answer, his older brother darted by and snatched the toy from his hands. The little boy screamed, then they were off again, thumping up the stairs that led from the foyer.
    I started to rise, but after hours in the car, my hip had stiffened, and suddenly my leg started to buckle. I had to grab Anna’s arm to get my balance.
    She reached out to steady me. “Okay?”
    “Yeah.” My face burned, and I prayed it wasn’t as red as it felt. The last thing I needed in this already awkward situation was the humiliation of seeming physically weak in front of Anna’s family. “I, uh, think I’ll go get Baby from the car. Give her a little walk.”
    “Anna. I’m sorry to be such a stickler about the dog,” Mrs. Stevens said. “I got your text, and I understand the last-minute change in plans couldn’t be helped, but you know how I feel about animals in the house. Your pet will have to stay in the garage.”
    “Yes, Mom. I realize. That’s what I expected. We brought her crate, and she’ll do fine out there.” Though her tone was pleasant, Anna’s jaw was tight when she turned to me. “I’ll help you.”
    Her dad stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder. “That’s all right. You ladies go catch up. We’ll bring in the luggage.”
    And so I was cut off from the herd by my prospective father-in-law and Chloe’s husband, something that started with a W… Woolly? They flanked me and marched me out to the car, where Baby was in the midst of a nuclear meltdown. I was right there with her as she barked and barked her frustration.
    I opened the door , and before I could get a grip on her leash, Baby leaped out and started to run around. She ignored my calls, too beside herself with excitement to respond as she normally would. Then she squatted right in the middle of a dormant flower bed and took a dump.
    I hurried to catch hold of Baby’s trailing leash. After I’d got ten her under control, grabbed her furry face, and whispered that she was the worst dog in the world and if she didn’t stop acting up, I’d sell her, I returned to the car with a smile fixed on my face and the leash wrapped several times around my hand.
    “Sorry about that. I’ll clean up her messes while we’re here.”
    Mr. Stevens managed a tight smile. “That’s all right.”
    I unlocked the trunk one-handed and struggled to unwedge Baby’s crate from between two suitcases.
    “Let me get that for you,” the preppie-looking, perfectly groomed cousin said.
    “I got it, Woolly.” I broke the crate loose while still hanging on to Baby’s leash. But the man was right. I couldn’t really keep control of the overexcited dog and carry the big crate.
    Cousin Woolly took it from me. “So, Jackie said you work with animals?”
    It took me a second to remember that Jackie meant Anna’s mom. Jackie and Stan . Two names I absolutely couldn’t falter on.
    “Yeah, that’s right. Dog washing and walking and kennel cleaning.”
    “That must be…a pleasant job,” Stan said. “Low stress.” All an underachiever like you can handle remained unspoken.
    Trapped between a retired lawyer and a brand-new surgeon, I felt about as useless as dirty dishwater as they walked me toward the garage.
    “I like working with the dogs,” I said to fill the awkward silence. “ And the owners are really nice. I felt bad leaving them with a mess on their hands this morning.”
    “Pipes burst,