Purple Nails and Puppy Tails by Jill Santopolo Page A

like Shake It Up Silver. It’s on Charlotte’s nails if you want to see. It’s our Color of the Week.”
    It seemed like Brooke never stopped chattering. She could paint nails and talk, run water and talk, chew gum and talk—Aly was surprised she didn’t talk in her sleep.
    â€œColor of the Week?” Lily popped out of the pedicure chair to check out Charlotte’s nails. But before she could take even one step, a barking and yapping ball of fur came racing through the door and ran right into Lily’s legs.
    Lily jumped up and toppled into the almost-fullpedicure basin. The water splashed all over Brooke. And the yapping ball of fur—which was actually Mrs. Franklin’s dog, Sadie—kept barking and running around the Sparkle Spa.
    Jenica hopped up from the manicure chair to chase Sadie, waving her wet Shake It Up Silver nails. “Stop! Sit! Stay! Down! Heel!” she yelled.
    â€œHelp!” Lily shouted. She was stuck, sitting in the pedicure basin, her knees folded up to her chest.
    But Sadie wasn’t paying attention to either girl. She darted by Aly’s feet. Aly dove after her, but the dog got away. Then Sadie headed to the jewelry area and—bam!—knocked over an open box of beads.
    â€œDon’t let her eat those!” Jenica said, still running after Sadie.
    Charlotte tried to grab Sadie with her elbows so she wouldn’t mess up her manicure, but Sadie was faster and raced toward the table with the Sparkle Spa donation jar on it.
    Brooke wiped her wet glasses on a dry part of her shirt and scooted across the room, catching the big teal, strawberry-shaped jar just before it fell.
    â€œHelp!” Lily yelled again. “I’m stuck!”
    Sophie swung her legs back and forth, yelling, “Get her! Get her!”
    Aly cornered Sadie between the mini-fridge and a stack of nail polish boxes, bent down, and swooped the panting dog into her arms.
    Sadie squirmed and squiggled, but Aly wouldn’t let her go. She tried to calm the dog by stroking her head, but Sadie just yapped and yipped and started whimpering.
    Mrs. Franklin burst into the Sparkle Spa, with Jamie, the manicurist who usually did Mrs. Franklin’s nails, behind her.
    â€œOh no,” Mrs. Franklin said. “Oh dear.”
    Aly looked around. The place was a mess!
    Pedicure water was everywhere. Bottles of Key Lime Pie, Reddy or Not, and Go for the Gold were all over the floor. Lily was still stuck in the pedicure basin, and multicolored beads were rolling across the carpet from the jewelry-making area.
    â€œI don’t know what got into her,” Mrs. Franklin said, hurrying over to Aly to take the shaking Sadie from her. “A truck horn blared on Main Street, and she took off like a shot.”
    While Mrs. Franklin soothed Sadie, Jamie pulled Lily out of the pedicure basin. Brooke handed her a few washcloths from a pile she had grabbed to help dry her off.
    â€œI think I need some new clothes,” Lily said, trying to blot her shorts dry.
    â€œI have an extra pair of soccer shorts in my duffel,” Jenica volunteered, and went over to the couch to get her bag.
    â€œSadie girl,” Mrs. Franklin said, shaking her head at the dog. “Just look at you! What are we going to do now?”
    â€œShe’ll dry pretty soon,” Brooke said. “Or do youwant some washcloths? They’re kind of small, but they’re probably about the right size for Sadie.”
    Mrs. Franklin shook her head again. “It’s not that,” she said. “Sadie was just groomed this morning. She has a dog-modeling job tomorrow at three o’clock. She’s the new spokes-dog for the shelter on Taft Street, Paws for Love. They’re planning to photograph her for a poster to promote pet adoption. And she’s a mess! I’m even going to have to clean her toenails.”
    Sadie was finally quiet, happy to be in Mrs. Franklin’s arms. It was