Natalia Takes the Lead
Chapter Twelve
The next morning, Natalia packs a bag and heads over to Seaview House. It is the day of the wedding, and Natalia is bringing lots of toys, treats, and bones, and a brush and a ball to keep the dogs occupied. When she arrives at the house, she sees tons of people. The florists are there with beautiful bouquets and arrangements. She heads inside, where breakfast is going on.
Rachel, the bride, calls Natalia over. She reminds Natalia that the dogs went to the groomers that morning, so Natalia has to keep them clean and not take them to the beach; they’ll get too sandy. Also, Ruby misbehaved in the ceremony rehearsal last night, so Rachel is asking if Natalia wants to help guide the dogs down the aisle today. Natalia can wear a more casual dress. Natalia agrees… a chance to be the center of attention and have all eyes on her!
Natalia grabs the two well-groomed poodles and takes them on their walk. The whole way, Ruby is pulling on her leash to try to go down to the beach. Natalia keeps them back, and then brings them back to the porch. Then, she runs upstairs to grab Jasper and Daisy. She can hear Ruby barking the whole way as she walks with the other dogs, but she owes them a long walk, too.
When she gets back to Seaview House, she puts Jasper and Daisy upstairs, and heads back down to pick up Ruby and Bandit. But when she gets to the screened in porch, she finds a massive hole in the screen. Bandit is still sitting on a porch chair, but Ruby is gone!
Natalia realizes she can’t leave Bandit to search for Ruby… so Natalia needs help. She takes a deep breath, and calls Zoe. When she explains what happened, Zoe leaves her rehearsal and comes straight away. Emma leaves her study group to come, too. Emma also brings Caitlin, who wants to help. The girls split up and go searching for Ruby, with Caitlin staying with Bandit at the house.
Natalia is sure Ruby came to the beach. But when she gets there, Ruby is nowhere to be seen. She gets a text from both Emma and Zoe that the dog didn’t go to Natalia’s house or the park, so Ruby has to be at the beach. Natalia keeps walking. Suddenly, she sees a spot of white farther down the beach. She approaches, and sure enough it takes the form of a dog.
It’s Ruby! Ruby is digging a deep hole in the sand, flinging the sand around her all over. But when Natalia calls to her, Ruby bounds up to her willingly.
When Natalia gets back to Seaview House with Ruby, the girls spring into action. Caitlin grabs a hose, and Emma runs to get shampoo, soap, and a hair dryer. Zoe carefully washes Ruby’s pretty bow, and Emma and Natalia work the soap deep into Ruby’s fur coat.
Then, Natalia’s mom comes outside. She’s aghast; she knows Rachel asked Natalia to keep Ruby clean. Natalia realizes it’s time to tell the truth. She lied about Emma and Zoe helping out with the dogs, and Natalia’s been doing most of it herself because they’re so busy all the time. Natalia’s mom also received an email from Ms. Patel about her doing poorly in math. Natalia knows that she’s in for a long, hard conversation with her parents that evening.