Kristin Butcher... has novel ideas

Lorimer & Company, 2009

Zach & Zoe are at it again. But this time they are struggling to keep peace between Molly Manners (the little beagle they are dog-sitting ) and Howie (their pushy cousin visiting from Vancouver). It's an almost impossible job, and the situation is going from bad to worse.

Howie hadn't changed much. He was still way bigger than Zoe and me, and as soon as we got home from the airport, he started pushing his weight around.

"I get the bottom bunk," he said as he dropped his backpack onto it.

That was fine with me. Howie was a big kid, and the last thing I needed was for him to break the bed and come crashing down on me in the middle of the night. I'd get flattened for sure -- maybe even killed. If he knew I wanted him to have the bottom though, he'd take the top bunk for sure.

"But I always sleep in that one," I said.

"The guest gets to choose," he replied. Then he walked over to my bureau and started rooting through the drawers.

"Hey!" I complained. "That's my stuff."

"Yeah? Well, take it then." He scooped up the clothes and shoved them into my arms. "I need this drawer for my stuff."

I opened my mouth to protest again, but when I heard footsteps coming down the hall, I changed my mind. Good thing too, because right after that Mom showed up in the doorway.

"How's it going?" she smiled. "Are you getting settled in, Howie?"

"Yeah, Aunt Jan." I couldn't believe how friendly Howie sounded. A second ago he'd practically been snarling. "I was just going to unpack. Zach is letting me use one of the drawers in his bureau."

Mom's gaze moved to me. She looked surprised and impressed at the same time. "That's very thoughtful of you, Zach."
From the corner of my eye, I could see Howie grinning. It made me want to dump the pile of clothes on his head.

"When you're done here, I think you should go outside," Mom said. "It's a beautiful day, and the dog could use some exercise. Maybe you kids could take her to the park."

"When did you get a dog?" Howied asked, after Mom had left the room.

"We didn't," I said. "Zoe and I are just looking after our neighbour's dog while she's on vacation.

Howie made a face. "Did your mom and dad make you?"

I shook my head. "We wanted to do it."

Howie's face twisted up even more. "Why?"

I shrugged. "Zoe and I do odd jobs for money. Our neighbour hired us to look after Molly."

"Molly?"

"Molly Manners. That's the dog."

"Molly Manners!" Howie hooted. "What kind of a stupid name is that?"

I felt my face getting tight. "It's not a stupid name," I said through gritted teeth. Howie hadn't even been in our house an hour, and already he was making my blood boil. I opened the closet and chucked the pile of clothes inside. Then I headed for the hall. Howie's voice stopped me before I got to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Without even looking back, I said, "You heard my mom. I have to take the dog for a walk."

"What about me?"

As I turned around, I could hear Mom's voice inside my head, telling Zoe and me to include Howie in our activities. It would have been easier if she'd asked us to dig a tunnel to China.