Chapter 24

“I know, kiddo. I saw the photo.”

“Oh, yeah. And I did the dishes!” she told him.

Luke sat her down at the table, and sat in the space next to her. “Oh, is that right?” He looked to Jamie, who was standing at the microwave reheating pizza.

“Yeah, she did.”

Luke nodded, and looked back to Sofia. “That’s great, kid. I’m glad you helped Jamie.”

Sofia nodded back, clearly excited. “Uh-huh! Dad if I do the dishes, can I get a puppy?”

Luke blinked. “Huh?”

“A puppy!” Sofia burst out.

“Yeah, I heard you.” Luke glanced over at Jamie just in time to see him turn away and facepalm discreetly.

Luke smiled, and said to Sofia, “You should ask your mom. She’s got a yard, and I live in an apartment with no yard, remember? It’s not fair to a dog.”

“Oh, yeah,” Sofia said, visibly deflating.

They had talked about this before. Maybe she was all keyed up today because of visiting the zoo.