Princess by Ellen Miles Read Free Book Online

wiping some suds off the end of her nose. “Hey!” she said. “You brought her! Great.” She came over and bent down to peer into the palace. “Hello there, little one! You sure are adorable.”
    Inside the palace, Princess wagged her little tail as fast as it could go. She sniffed the air excitedly.
    Yes, you’re right — I am adorable! It smells just like home in here. And look at all those ribbons! I like it already.
    Maggie straightened up. “I’ve given it a lot of thought,” she said. “And I’ve talked it over with Nathaniel. We’ve decided that we would definitely like to make Princess a part of our family.”
    Charles gulped. He had been dreading this moment for twenty-four hours now, including many hours in the middle of the night when he was too worried to sleep. He really was going to have to tell Harry’s aunt Maggie about the List. Actually, he was going to have to
show
it to her. He dug into his pocket for the folded, crumpled stack of paper. “The thing is,” he began.
    “I am so excited!” Maggie interrupted. “It’s been ages since I owned a dog. Did I tell you that I had a Yorkie when I was a little girl? Her name was Bitsy, and she was
so
cute and
so
much fun. Even though I have resisted getting a dog foryears, I guess I’ve always really wanted another Yorkie.”
    “Was Bitsy sp —” Charles wondered if Bitsy was the kind of dog who had a List.
    But Maggie was still talking. “And Nathaniel — well, he’s beside himself, of course. He has fallen head over heels for that puppy. Last night he went through his whole bookshelf, picking out books to read to her.”
    “That’s great,” said Charles. “But —”
    “I was thinking that, for today,” Maggie said, turning away to pull a rolling table toward herself, “I’d get Princess used to the shop a little, since she’ll be spending her days here with me. And since Yorkies need to be groomed regularly, I thought I’d get her used to
that
idea, too. She’s too young for a real grooming, but I’ll stand her up on the table and give her a tiny trim. Dogs do much better at the groomers if they’re used to the routine.” She patted the table. “So, let’s get her out of her carrier!”
    But Charles put the pink palace down. “Wait! I have to tell you something!” he burst out in a rush, before Maggie could say another word.
    Harry and Maggie froze. They stared at Charles.
    “Oh,” said Maggie. “Okay.” She raised her eyebrows. “What is it?”
    Charles gulped again. He held up a crumpled wad of paper: Princess’s List. “See this?” he said. “It’s the List, like, with a capital L.” He closed his eyes and opened them again. “A list of all the special ways you have to take care of Princess.”
    Maggie laughed. “It wouldn’t be the first List I’ve seen,” she said. “Lots of people give me Lists when they drop off their dogs. What Popsy
must
have for lunch, or why Topsy
must
have a certain kind of music playing in the shop.”
    “But Princess’s List is really long,” said Charles. “The thing is, she’s really, really spoiled.” There. He’d said it. Now Maggie would say she didn’thave time for a spoiled dog, and that would be that.
    Maggie’s face got serious for a moment. “I don’t have time for a spoiled dog,” Maggie said. Then she saw Charles’s worried expression, and she laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll still take her. I know
exactly
how to get spoiled dogs
un
spoiled. I’ve had plenty of practice at it in this job. It just takes a little time and training. And I’m happy to do it, for Nathaniel, and for Princess — and for me.”
    “Nathaniel!” she called through the door that led to the house. “Princess is here!” She reached down to open the door to Princess’s pink palace. “Come on out, little girl!” she said. “You’re home!”
    Nathaniel came running in just as Princess bounced out of her palace. The tiny puppy ran right into the little boy’s arms,