AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mia emerges from the bathroom in skinny jeans and a t-shirt that shows off a sliver of her belly. When she passes by, I catch the scent of jasmine, delicate and enticing. She shoves her feet into a pair of leather sandals. “You didn’t see her at all today?”
I shake my head, following her downstairs. “I checked downstairs already, too. She hasn’t touched her food.”
“Fuck.” She runs her hand through her hair. “Do you think she got outside last night?”
“Maybe,” I admit, even though the thought makes me want to squirm. That’ll be a fun call with my brother.Hey, how’s the road trip? By the way, your cat is running around the streets of Moorbridge by herself.
We poke around the living room, calling for her, and check the closets and laundry room one more time. She’s not in the half-bath, or hiding behind the love seat and the window, or buried in the little castle-like bed next to the television that Izzy insisted she needed.
Mia straightens, a grim expression on her face. “We have to check the backyard.”
I grab a couple cat treats from the pantry before we step into the backyard. The breeze smells of honeysuckle, and even this early in the morning, the heaviness in the air makes it clear that it’s going to be another hot one. We fan out, poking around the bushes, trees, and fire pit. I have my head stuck underneath a chair, getting dirt all over my hands and knees, when Mia speaks.
“Seb,” she says. “Over there.”
She’s pointing at one of the trees, a gnarled old thing with several sweeping branches. Nestled in the crook of one of the branches is Tangy. She stares at us unblinkingly, seemingly annoyed by our presence whenshe’sthe one who spent the night in a tree.
Relief rushes through me. At least she’s here, not squashed by a car on a road somewhere. I brush the dirt away. “How did she get up there?”
“I guess she followed us outside.” Mia frowns. “Will she get down on her own? Do you call the fire department for this?”
“I have no idea if that’s real or just something the movies made up.” I take a couple steps in the direction of the tree, considering it. “She could probably jump, but maybe she’d hurt herself. Wait here, let me see if there’s a ladder in the garage.”
On the way to the garage, I pull out my phone. I have a string of texts waiting from Hunter—although fortunately none from Coach Martin yet.
Hunter
Where are you? Conditioning started half an hour ago
Coach is doing that silent annoyed thing
We have a meeting before this afternoon’s game FYI
Are you still with Mia?
Morning sex only works if you plan for it
I just ignore him; I got plenty of shit from him and Rafael when I took Mia home from the bar. I wish itwasmorning sex that caused this. Wouldn’t that be wonderful.
She looked so goddamn beautiful just now. I could stare at her for ages, take in every angle, every detail, and never get bored.
In the garage, a cramped little space I’ve only been in a handful of times, I do find a ladder. I haul it over my shoulder, carrying it back to where Mia stands below the tree, having a staring contest with the cat.
I grin. “Who’s winning?”
“Shut it, you’ll distract me.”
“I found the ladder.”
Mia reluctantly tears her gaze away. “Oh, good. You should probably be the one to climb it, she’s more familiar with you.”
“I think she likes you more than me. She never wants to sleep in my room.”
“Maybe she just likes Izzy’s room, not me specifically.”
I give her a look. “Get on the ladder, di Angelo.”
She crosses her arms over her chest, her expression turning stony. “Get up on that rickety old thing and break my arm?”
