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I nodded and followed him down to the carport. He got into his truck and drove off.
I stood there watching him go, unsure what to do now.
I heard aquabarkand a leash-free Norman came charging at me. I bent down and opened my arms, ready for any affectionI could get out of the loveable dog. But he ran right past me, zipping down the boardwalk.
“Norman!” Sam shouted, nearly falling down his front stairs. “Norman, come!”
I ran after the little dog and Sam quickly caught up, a leash in hand. “He’s never done this before. As soon as I opened the door, he took off. Norman!”
At the end of the boardwalk, Sam searched the sand for footprints, but there were none. Norman must have cut through the dunes.
Sam squinted left, then right. “We don’t even know which way he went.”
“He’s that way.” I pointed west.
“How do you know?”
“I hear him barking.” I tugged his sleeve.
“Wait. You can hear him?”
“Yes, come on!”
We hurried as fast as we could through the shifting sand. Every once in a while, I’d stop, catch my breath, and listen. Then I’d motion Sam onward. We were going in the right direction. About a half mile up the beach, Norman’s barks grew louder. “He’s close.”
“Lead on,” Sam said, a strange look in his eyes.
Soon, doggy footprints appeared in front of us, coming out of the scrub and cutting across the beach, through the sand toward the wooden entrance ramp of an old fishing pier. Barely discernable was the figure of a woman sitting at the end of the platform, her legs swinging as they dangled over the water.
I nearly cried from relief. Maggie was okay.
Norman stood on the beach, his whole body vibrating as hequabarked in Maggie’s direction. I sank down in the sand next to him and gave him a hug. “Good boy, Norman!” I kissed his head. “I don’t know how you knew she was lost, but you did such an amazing job of finding her.”
“Wait, what?” Sam said. “Find who?”
I motioned with my chin toward the end of the pier. “Maggie. I’ve been looking for her. Earlier, she took off, upset, and I couldn’t stop thinking about worst-case scenarios.”
Sam’s eyes widened.
“It’s kind of my fault she’s distraught. I told her something I probably should’ve kept to myself.”
“Ava, knowing you the way I do, I can’t imagine you meant to hurt her.”
I shook my head. “Never. I just thought… I thought she had the right to know the truth. But I think I was wrong. Maybe the truth isn’t always meant to be known.”
“The truth is never wrong. Hard, yes. Wrong, no.”
“I need to let Donovan and Dez know—they’re out looking for her as well.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket just as Donovan came rushing out of the woods, following a sandy path that had branched off one of the nature trails. He was drenched in sweat and had an anxious look in his eyes as he scanned our faces.
Norman barked at him, too, but the sound didn’t hold any urgency. It was more of a welcome-to-our-party greeting. The little dog was enjoying himself.
I pointed toward Maggie, who was looking out at the gulf and hadn’t noticed us yet.
Donovan bent double and sucked in a breath. I heard him quietly say, “Thank god,” before he straightened. “Can I have a minute alone with her?”
I nodded. “Give her a hug for me and tell her I’m sorry.”
I wiped tears from my eyes as I tried to text Dez. I kept hitting the wrong buttons.
