But she knew it would not be right to take Baxter to Caring Paws without telling Elaina. She wished she could put it off, but she knew it had to be done. That night, after dinner, she went to the phone and dialed. “Hello?” Elaina answered the phone in a flat voice. “Hi, Elaina, this is Lizzie.” “Oh, hi.” Now Elaina sounded a little livelier. “How’s Baxter?” “He’s fine,” said Lizzie. “No new adventures. How about you? Did you find a job yet?” She knew she was stalling, but she could hardly stand to give Elaina the news that her puppy was headed for the animal shelter. “Nope,” said Elaina. She didn’t sound lively anymore, and she didn’t say anything else. “Oh,” said Lizzie. She had a feeling that Elaina didn’t want to talk about it. “How about the beach? Have you been going down there to watch the dogs play?”
