Chapter 8 — Brenda stares in stunned silence at the golden retriever — Then she realizes her harsh mistake
Brenda’s mouth opened in shock as she looked from the floor to the dog.
The tension in the room instantly shifted from anger to awkward realization.
Brenda looked down at weeping Chloe with sudden embarrassment.
The little girl in the cat-print shirt kept her face buried in her small hands.
Her shoulders continued to shake with quiet, miserable sobs.
Brenda’s arms dropped limply to her sides.
All the fiery indignation that had fueled her loud accusations vanished into thin air.
She took a slow step backward away from the offending trail of mud.
Elena crossed her arms and waited for the older woman to process what had just happened.
Not a single person in the hallway spoke for several long seconds.
The only sound was Barnaby letting out another soft, heavy sigh.
The golden retriever lowered his chin back onto his front paws.
He looked completely oblivious to the massive domestic crisis he had just caused.
Brenda opened her mouth to speak, struggling to find the right words of apology.