Lizzie could hardly stand to miss one minute with Noodle. Before she left, she kissed and hugged him so much that Buddy got jealous and came over to put his paws up on her knee. He wanted attention, too. “Of course I’ll kiss you, too, Buddy,” Lizzie said, kneeling down. “I’ll always love you best of all. But” — she bent down to whisper into his soft brown ear — “wouldn’t you love to have a little brother?” All day in school, Lizzie daydreamed about what it would be like if Noodle could live with the Petersons forever. When her parents first agreed that Buddy could stay, it had been like a dream come true. Having a dog of their own was the best thing that had ever happened to Charles and Lizzie and the Bean. So — what about having two dogs? Lizzie could hardly even imagine how much fun that would be. So far, none of the phone calls they had made had turned up Noodle’s people. Maybe the Petersons would never find out who they were! Or, better yet, Lizzie pictured this: They would find them, but the people would say they just really couldn’t take care of a dog.
