“Maybe.”
Ryleigh shook her head. “You have to sleep.”
“I will.”
They hugged and Ryleigh made her way to the guest room. Jax huddled on the chaise, staring out into the darkness. Every part of her ached. Yes they would keep looking and yes, there was the computer program to look for African grays for sale, but what if that wasn’t enough? What if he was gone forever?
The tears returned. Jax knew she’d been blessed in her life. There had been bad things that had happened, but no great loss. Her parents were healthy and vibrant. Her step-grandparents were living their best life in Florida. No one had gotten seriously sick or died. This was the first time she’d had to consider the loss of someone she loved. Worse, she might never know what had happened to Ramon. She could spend the rest of her life wondering, hoping, agonizing, imagining the worst.
She scanned the night sky again and called out his name, then waited. But there was only silence... and fear.
The next forty-eight hours passed in a blur. Jax filed a police report and was interviewed by the local news. The reporter was kind, asking well-thought-out questions and mentioning how many residents had been in touch with the station, asking them to run reports on Ramon in case he was spotted by someone who didn’t know where he belonged. The teen computer whiz reported in twice a day but so far there weren’t any new listings for a parrot matching Ramon’s description.
Jax was doing her best to get through the day. She wasn’t sleeping and she couldn’t eat. No doubt because of that, she had a constant low-grade headache and an ever-present sense of dread. She went through the motions at work but knew she wasn’t accomplishing much. More than once she’d walked in on several of her employees talking together only to have them scatter when they saw her. She was sure they felt awful and had no idea what to say. While Ramon had been her bird, he was beloved by everyone who worked at the store and most of the customers. Anyone hanging out at the Painted Lady would eventually be treated to one of his opinions on a particular book.
She settled in her office to check on upcoming orders. Given her exhausted state, it was difficult to concentrate, but she forced herself to confirm what was due in and to look over the upcoming releases. Most of her bills were paid automatically and payroll was handled by an outside service, which was good. Right now there was no way she could deal with math and taxes.
In the late morning, Cheryl showed up with a couple of lattes and took the seat on the opposite side of the desk.
“I figured you could use the caffeine,” she said, handing over one of the drinks.
“Thanks. I’m living on coffee. I know it’s not healthy, but hopefully it’s a short-term solution.”
“I saw the news report,” Cheryl told her. “They did a good job.”
“And edited the part where I broke down sobbing,” Jax murmured before sipping her drink.
“Are you going out to look for him later?”
Jax nodded. “I thought I’d try by the park. All the trees there would be attractive to him and he’d feel safe in the cover.” Her eyes began to burn but she told herself not to cry. “But I wanted to get a few things done here first.”
“Of course. So we should probably talk about the sleepover.”
Jax stared at her blankly. “The what?”
“The sleepover on Friday? For the graduating seniors.”
Holy crap. Jax groaned. “It’s Friday? I’m sorry. I thought we had more time. I haven’t done anything.”
The annual event was popular and always had a wait list. Every year the Painted Lady hosted sixty graduating seniors for a sleepover. There were planned activities, lots of food, a movie marathon and plenty of chaperones.
“It’s okay. I took charge. I’ve been working with the committee volunteers and everything is arranged.” Cheryl pulled out her phone and scrolled through a list. “The karaoke machine arrives tomorrow, as do the two incredibly large televisions for the movie marathons. We have the links for the rented movies. I’ve arranged for Doug to be moved up to the main floor so the kids can take pictures with him. The popcorn machine arrives Friday morning and the catering folks are due at three to set up.” She smiled. “The ‘deluxe,’ and I use that word lightly, portable toilets will be set up out back. We’re going to encourage the guys to use those and leave the indoor ones for the girls.”
“Usually the guys are pretty good about it.” Because while there were public bathrooms in the store, having sixty kids spend the night could make for long lines. “Period supplies,” she added. “We keep a basket of them in the break room. You’ll need to spread the word to the girls.”
Cheryl typed on her phone. “I’ll make sure they know.”
They went over the rest of the plans.
“I’m staying here as well,” Jax told her. “In case he comes home.”
Cheryl’s expression turned concerned. “What about Sunday?”
Jax tensed. Normally she was counting the minutes until she could go spend the week with her children, but this time shewas dreading it. She didn’t want to be gone. What if Ramon came back and found the building locked up? What if he was hurt and needed her, but couldn’t find her?
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I know the kids would spend the nights here with me, but that can’t go on forever.” Her head told her at some point she had to accept that she was never going to see her parrot again. Her heart rebelled at the thought.
“Let’s see what happens in the next few days,” Cheryl said, her voice soothing. “For all we know, he’ll be back before Sunday and it won’t be an issue.”
