“You going to make it?” Alex asked with a chuckle.
“I’ve been staying up late with Jax,” she said, covering another yawn. “Sorry.”
“You want to stay here?” Noah asked eagerly. “You and Lucy?”
“Why do I know you’re more enthused about the cat than me?” she asked, her voice teasing.
Noah grinned. “I like her and she likes me. I can’t help it.”
“Then I guess we’re going to stay the night.”
“Yay! You hear that, Lucy? You’re staying another night.”
Lucy offered a slow blink in response.
Once the movie ended, Alex got Noah through his bedtime rituals. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Noah insisted Ryleigh join him for nighttime prayers. He spent a few minutes talking to his mom, then asked God to keep his dad, Ryleigh and Lucy safe. He ended with a wish that Ramon would come home soon so Auntie Jax wouldn’t be so sad.
They tucked him in. As they walked out of the room, Lucy strolled in then jumped gracefully onto the bed.
“It seems there’s a routine,” Ryleigh said lightly as they walked back into the TV room and sat. “She’s kind of an amazing cat.”
“Very chill. It almost makes up for all the cat hair I’m finding on my suits.”
“Oh, no. Is it bad?”
“It’s noticeable. I’ve ordered several lint brushes. They’ll behere tomorrow. I plan to keep one in my car and one in the office. The rest will be scattered around the house.”
She winced. “It’s not too much, is it?”
“Go look at my suits.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He angled toward her and took her hand in his. “He’s happy and we’re helping you. Nothing else matters to me.”
His words were meaningful and filled her heart with all kinds of warm feelings.
“I really appreciate you taking care of her while I’ve been with Jax. This is such a hard time for her.”
“Still no word on Ramon?”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing. No one has seen him, which terrifies me. I wish there’d been at least a couple of sightings so we could know he’s in the area. But the lack of them has me thinking he really was taken by someone and if he was, I don’t know that we’ll get him back.”
“What about the computer program monitoring parrot sales?”
“What if the person who took him wants to keep him? What if he’s not eating and he dies?” She sighed. “Sorry. I don’t usually go looking for the bad, but I can’t see a good way out of this situation.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” She stared at their linked fingers. “So I’m going to change the subject, if that’s okay.”
“Sure.”
She drew in a breath, then raised her gaze to his. “I have an interview.”
He stared at her blankly. “An interview for... Oh! An interview in San Diego. One of the schools got back to you. That’s great.”
She watched him carefully as he spoke, listening for, well, she wasn’t sure what, but something. Annoyance, maybe, or disappointment.
