“Mom, we have to find her.” Alexandra’s voice is high pitched and panicked. I don’t blame her. Alice is her dog. The two of them connected immediately when we found her at the shelter.
“We will.” I reassure her. “We’re just waiting on Uncle Miles to get here. We don’t have a vehicle that can go off-road. Who knows where Alice could have run off to.”
It’s not an exaggeration either. There are miles of fields behind surrounding our new house. Talk about a way to bring in the new year. Single and now with a missing dog.
“It’s all my fault.” Alexandra buries her face in her hands. “I thought they were done popping fireworks. She needed to go potty. I didn’t think the silence was only an intermission.”
“It’s okay sweetie. We’ll find her.” Or maybe someone else has and I should be watching my phone. “I should have warned you about how it can be in the country when it’s time for fireworks. It’s one of the few places you can set them off without getting a ticket.”
“Well, that sounds like a them problem,” She huffs.
I pull my teenager into my arms and rock her back and forth. It worked when she was a baby, and I’m hoping it has the same effect at soothing her now. At least until my brother gets here to search for our dog.
I don’t remember the last time I was on this road prior to buying this house, and I’d have no idea where to look. Hurry up, Miles.
There’s a knock at the door, and Alexandra jumps out of my arms to answer it. You’d think at fourteen she knows the whole stranger danger thing, but apparently, I’m going to have reiterate the lesson. Especially since we’re in a newish area. Well, new to her, not me. I grew up here.
“Uncle Miles…finally!” Alexandra is still panicked. Her voice is loud and shrill. It hurts even my ears and I’m in another room.
“What do you mean ‘finally’? I live on the other side of town. With all the parties happening tonight, it took me a bit to get here.” His arm is around Alexandra’s shoulder, comforting her as best he can, as he walks into the living room. “How long has Alice been gone?”
“A few hours?” I’m not really sure. We searched all around our property and part of the way down the road. “We didn’t want to be on the road in the dark with the possibility of getting hit by some drunk driver.”
“That’s smart. I will drive the back area of the property along the trees. If we’re lucky, she’ll come back home on her own.”
“But how will she know this is home?” Alexandra sniffles. “We just moved here. The only scent she truly knows is our house back in Oklahoma.”
“Then we’ll have to hope someone finds her.” Miles glances over at me. “Did she have on a collar with your number?”
All I can do is nod. It kills me to see my daughter this heartbroken. But I know exactly how she feels. We’ve had Alice since she was a puppy…she’s family.
“Can I go with you to search the tree line?” Alexandra leans into her uncle. “I don’t think I can sit here and do nothing much longer. Maybe if I’m with you, she’ll hear my voice and come to me.”
“That’s a good idea.” Miles smiles down at her. “While we’re out looking, I need you to do something, Callie.”
“Whatever you need.” I’m also feeling pretty useless.
“Get some of your clothes and Alexandras and place them around the yard. It’ll help Alice find your scent.”
“I can do that.” I grab my phone off the coffee table and wave it in the air. “If she comes back, I’ll give you a call.”
I watch my brother and daughter rush out of the house. As much as I didn’t want to move back home, in this very moment, I’m glad. There’s no way I would have known the thing about the clothes. I mean, I guess I could have searched online for things to do, but I don’t think I would have had the inkling to do it.
Crap. I don’t know what kind of clothes and I don’t really want to put any of the clean ones out there. I just finished getting almost everything washed. Clothes being in boxes smell stale and I couldn’t handle it.
I dial my brother’s number.
“Is she back?” Not even a hello. Not that I blame him.
“No, but I have a question. Do the clothes need to be clean?”
“Dirty clothes work best. Your scent is fresher.”
“Thanks. Good luck.” I don’t even bother waiting for him to reply. I’m sure Alexandra is driving him bananas.
At least I haven’t gotten around to washing the clothes in our suitcase. We took a couple of detours on our way down here. Completely unnecessary, but I needed to do something to ease Alexandra into the move. She wasn’t happy about leaving her friends behind. She didn’t seem to mind not seeing her dad on a regular basis. Not that she did anyway. He found any excuse he could to shirk his responsibilities.
Shoving my phone in my pocket, I rush to Alexandra’s room and dig through the pile of clothes on her floor. I’m not sure how far away from the house I need to place the clothes, so I grab an armful.
