18
Kelly walked up to the front door of Miles’s house and knocked. It was late, the house was dark, and she worried she would wake Emma. After a few minutes of no movement, she tried knocking again. Nothing.
She dialed his number, but it went straight to voicemail. She frowned. Jackson and Mia lived close by, so she tried them. If that didn’t work, she would head to the resort to get a room for the night. She didn’t want to wait until the morning, but would if it came down to it.
She drove over to Jackson’s house and parked at the curb. The light in the living room was on, and she sighed in relief. She walked up to the door and knocked lightly. Within minutes, Jackson had pulled the door open. An orange cat was seated on his shoulder.
A laugh burst from her lips. “Uh, hey. What a cute kitty.”
Jackson’s eyes widened. “What are you doing here?”
Kelly threw a thumb over her shoulder. “I was trying to see Miles, but he isn’t answering. I wasn’t sure what to do.”
“Of course he isn’t answering. He’s in Colorado!”
Kelly staggered back as if she had been pushed. “Wait, what? Why is he in Colorado?”
“To seeyou, of course.” He said it as if it were the most obvious answer.
“But… what? I’mhere.”
Jackson stared at her. The cat on his shoulder did the same thing but tilted its head as if it were studying her.
“Obviously.” Jackson took hold of Kelly’s shoulders and turned her around. “Off you go. Go back to Colorado.”
Mia appeared in the doorway with a white cat perched on her shoulder. Kelly raised an eyebrow. It was the weirdest thing to see. She knew cats did it occasionally, but she had never seen it in person. And not with a cat content to stay there and not attempt to escape the house.
“What’s going on?” Mia asked. Then her eyes widened when she saw Kelly. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Colorado!”
“So I’ve heard.”
Two more kittens appeared in the doorway, weaving around Jackson and Mia’s legs. Kelly’s eyebrows raised. “Wow. You have a whole herd of cats.”
“A clowder,” Jackson said.
“What?”
“A group of cats is called a clowder. But back to the point. Shoo. Go to Colorado. Be gone with you!” He moved his hands in a shooing motion again.
Mia put a hand on Jackson’s arm. “I think it would make more sense for Miles to come back here instead.” Then, her eyes turned to Kelly. “That’s assuming you’re staying.”
Kelly nodded. “I am. Karen offered me a job, actually.”
Jackson’s eyebrows raised. “She did? Then why did she let Miles fly to Colorado?” He shook his head vigorously before taking the cat off his shoulder and setting it on Mia’s othershoulder. “You stay here with Emma. I’m taking Kelly to Mom and Dad’s place.”
“Okay. Welcome back to Wintervale, Kelly.”
Kelly waved and followed Jackson to his parents’ house. After they both parked, they walked up to the front door and knocked. The porch light flipped on, and his dad opened the door.
“Jackson? Kelly?”
“No time for chitchat, Dad. We need to talk to Mom,” Jackson said. He pushed inside the house, and Kelly smiled at James apologetically before stepping inside.
“It’s nice to see you, James.”
“You as well, Kelly. Did you decide to take us up on the job offer?” he asked.
She nodded. “I have. I was hoping to come tell Miles in person, but I understand he’s in Colorado.”
