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“I think so,” she says, and turns to head for the car.

“Dahlia Anne, do not go down those stairs without holding my hand.”

“I wasn’t! I was going to wait right here.”

She stands by the railing right before the stairs and does one little hop to show me that it’s exactly where she was going to wait.

There’s a fifty-fifty chance that’s true.

I lock my front door, and then I check my little table to grab the travel cup I inevitably sat down there. It’s a windy day today, and I don’t want to admit how many cups I’ve set on that table and never saw again. Today’s choice is a glass tumbler with cute little mushroom design, and I’d be devastated if it was knocked over and shattered.

As I turn with my cup in hand, ready to grab Dahlia’s hand with my other, I see a small flash of movement. The black curtains in the next door apartment are swaying as if they’d been pushed aside and then dropped.

So, she’s curious about me. That’s good to know.

I pick up Sunny and Rainy from my parents house, along with their minivan. We could technically fit in my car just fine, but it wouldn’t be nearly as comfortable.

Dahlia giggles and squeals the whole time. Either because one of the dogs is licking her face, drooling on her, or stickingtheir butt in her face when they turn to put their heads out the window.

It’s fun to listen to, and I smile to myself the whole way there. It doesn’t mean that I would ever get a dog of my own, because this could easily become too much with their high energy every day. I know myself, I’d be overstimulated and cranky after a few hours of it.

It also doesn’t mean I love these two any less.

The excitement in the van increases when we pull up to Autumn and Miles’ house. It’s like Sunny and Rainy know what waits for them despite never being here before. But Dahlia, she knows exactly where we are. She’s clapping her hands excitedly when I open the side door to let everyone out.

“Are you excited to see Mimi and Eli today?”

The exaggerated scream she lets out is a sharp pain in my ears. It even startles the dogs, and they freeze to assess any nearby danger. I stroke Sunny’s back to calm her down.

“Oof, sweet girl. That volume was not necessary.”

“Yes it was! Mimi!” she yells. “Mimi! Mimi!”

The way she loves Amira, Vic’s oldest, warms my heart.

“I know, I know!” I tell her.

I leash the dogs, just to get them inside without worrying they’ll run off.

“Can you get your seatbelt?” I ask her.

I’ve never seen her unclip the thing so fast before.

“Alright, let’s go have some fun!”

It’s still winter, and the wind is chilly, but I’m just glad it’s not raining. Today is the nicest weather we’ll probably have for a couple more months, so it’s a good thing we’re soaking it up while we can.

“Dahlia!” Autumn smiles wide when she opens her door, and my girl runs up to hug her.

I put a hand on her shoulder to decrease her momentum.

“Careful,” I say. When they do collide, it’s not as concerning as it would’ve been. Autumn doesn’t even flinch.

Freddy barks from behind her, and I see him in Miles’ arms, eager to get down and find out what all the fuss is about.

We step inside, and I guide my two animals towards the back yard.

“You do not want me to let them loose in here. You guys have too many expensive decorations.”