Jake smothered a wince under Marley’s scrutinizing gaze. Her stern expression revealed her disappointment in him. He didn’t like how it made him feel—like he was inadequate.
Not worthy.
It brought back memories of his childhood.
Determined to win back Gia’s trust and Marley’s confidence in him, Jake straightened in his seat and met Marley’s brown eyes. What came next could change everything.
“I need you to help me win her back.” A simple request. An impossible task.
Marley considered his words in silence. Anxiously, he watched as her expression changed from hardened and untrusting to contemplative. It was almost as if he could see the wheels turning as she thought about what he was asking.
He almost sagged with relief as her warm eyes met his, a bright smile lighting up her face.
“Okay. I’ll help you.” Marley paused for dramatic effect, and Jake held his breath. “On one condition.”
“What condition?”
Jake wasn’t sure he wanted to find out what her condition was.
Rolling her lips together, Marley uncrossed her arms and leaned forward. Planting her elbows on her knees, her eyes shone with mischief.
“We need a cool name. Like Mission Impossible, but… cooler!”
Baffled, Jake sat back with a chuckle. Of all the scenarios, he hadn’t expected this.
“Okay, what should we name it?”
“I don’t know. Operation Gia seems too obvious. We need, like, a super stealthy code name. What does she like?”
Fingers tapping on his seat, Jake thought back to the Gia he knew and the Gia he met the other day. While she was still the same person, she was obviously different.
Does she still have the same interests? Or is she a wildly different person now, with different tastes and worries?
“Hmm… Gia’s always reminded me of a cat that’s always getting into trouble. These days she seems more… feral.”
“I think she just doesn’t like you.”
Jake nodded in agreement. “Fair.”
“Okay, so, like, you know how feral cats have to be trained to be around other cats and people? Like a socialization process?”
“Yeah…”
“Feral cats need constant exposure to other cats or people to learn how to behave around them. It’s basically the same thing with Gia. We have to get her used to you, so… you have to always be around her to do that.”
“Okay, but… how are we going to do that?”
“Hmm…” Marley tapped a finger against her pursed lips.
“This is hopeless,” he lamented, scrubbing a hand down his face.
He was being dramatic, but he couldn’t think of any way to get on Gia’s good side again.
Has the ship sailed for us?
No. He refused to believe there was no chance left.
“Oh! I have an idea! Hang on.” Jake watched as Marley jumped out of her seat and ran out of the room. He heard her rustling through her backpack for a few moments before coming back with a piece of paper gripped tightly against her chest.
