Her foot tapped absentmindedly against the carpeted floor as she mulled over the situation. The romance book she’d been looking at was long forgotten on the shelf. Marley offered a tight-lipped smile. She appeared genuine, but Gia’s instincts screamed there was more to the story.
“Why me?” she finally asked.
Marley sighed, her brown eyes rolling before responding. “It’s not like I can ask Jake.”
“And why not? Isn’t he your guardian or whatever?” Her brows pinched together with confusion.
Marley’s teeth worried her lower lip, weighing her next words. Gia watched as the girl twisted her fingers in her sweater while she wrestled with her thoughts.
“It’s just… he’s already done so much for me. I don’t want to be a burden to him, but I really need help. I think the cat is in trouble, or something is wrong with it.” Pearly white teeth clamped down hard on her lower lip.
Gia raked a sharp gaze over Marley’s features. She couldn’t figure out what harm there was in helping her. Besides, it was probably better for Marley to ask her for help instead of trying to tackle the task alone. Or maybe she was a sucker for an innocent face. Gia shook her head, a small sigh escaping her. The decision was made before the words left her mouth.
“Fine. I’ll help you, but under one condition.” Marley perked up at Gia’s stern tone.
“Okay…”
“You promise me Jake is not involved with this.” Gia resisted the urge to point a finger at Marley for emphasis. She didn’t want to scare her away. It meant a lot that Marley felt comfortable enough to ask her for help.
Marley bit back a smile as if she had been anticipating Gia’s response, and nodded her head sharply as she raised a hand and drew an X over her heart.
“I swear. Jake has nothing to do with this. Cross my heart.”
Gia narrowed her eyes, but Marley’s promise seemed sincere.
“Fine.” Gia uncrossed her arms and leaned in close, pointing a finger at Marley’s chest. “But if I find out you’re lying, the deal is off. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Gia’s nose scrunched in distaste. “And don’t call me ma’am. It makes me sound old.”
“Okay, ma—I mean, yes.”
“Come on. Let’s go catch a cat.”
The gleam in Marley’s eyes made Gia’s heart swell with happiness as she followed the bouncing teenager out of the bookstore.
The bell above the door chimed as they exited the bookstore. Standing side by side, Gia considered the next step. She’dborrowed the minivan again, but Marley had clearly arrived on the shiny blue bike resting against the brick building.
“You know the auto shop just a couple of blocks away?” Marley gestured to her bike. “I can meet you there.”
Gia looked over at the bike. She very well couldn’t let Marley bike her way across town. She blew out a breath before gesturing to the vehicle.
“Come on. You can put the bike on the van.” Gia led the way to the white minivan parked in front of them while Marley grabbed her bike. Gia watched as Marley wheeled it to the bike rack on the back of the minivan.
“It’s Minnie’s car,” Gia stated.
She watched as Marley secured the bike to the rack before climbing into the passenger seat. Gia waited patiently until Marley buckled herself in before driving out of the parking lot.
With Marley’s navigating, they arrived at Griffin’s Auto Body within minutes. What they hadn’t counted on was the shop still being open, and since it was late afternoon, it was a clear oversight. Gia pulled over into a spot. The garage bay doors were open, and loud music poured out of the building.
She chewed on her bottom lip and weighed her options. For what they needed to do, it would not do well to have witnesses. Now that she knew what the goal was, an idea came to mind.
Gia shot Marley an impish grin.
“Change of plans.” Gia spun the car around and drove back to town. “We need supplies to catch this cat of yours.”
Marley nodded. “Of course.”
