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“I’m Maude Watson and my husband’s name is Charles. It’s nice to meet you.”
When their gazes moved to Kent, he said, “I’m Kent Turner. Sara and I are business partners.”
“I see.” The woman’s gaze flickered between the two of them. “We tried your apartment first, but obviously you weren’t there. And then Birdie was out with her dog, and when she heard that we needed to speak with you, she guided us here.” The middle-aged woman wrung her hands together as her words ran one into another.
“What my wife is trying to say is that the kitten you found is ours,” the husband said.
“Yours?” The emphasis on the one-word response didn’t go unnoticed by any of them.
“Yes.” Maude’s response was immediate.
“You see,” Charles said, “we were on vacation—visiting with family—and we had the teenager from next door stop by a couple of times a day to feed the cats. He didn’t notice that one had gone missing. He claims it didn’t get out when he was there.”
“How would he know?” Maude frowned. “He didn’t even look for the cats. He just dropped some food and changed the water.”
As the couple continued to explain about the lost kitten, Kent glanced at Sara. The smile that had been on her face all day as they worked on the final touches to the lobby had faded away. In its place were frown lines as pain shone in her eyes. Guilt heaped onto his shoulders. He’d played a part in Sara bonding with Oreo. After so long, he never thought anyone would come to claim the kitten.
“Let me grab my keys, and I’ll take you to get, um, the kitten.” When Sara turned around, she averted her gaze from him.
He walked with her to the other end of the lobby where they kept their personal items. “I’m so sorry about this.”
She shook off his apology. “It’s not your fault.”
“Yes, it is. I was the one who pushed for you to keep the kitten. I just thought after so much time went by that no one was going to claim him. And you two look so cute together. He clearly loves you.”
She stopped and faced him. “Stop. You’re just making this worse.”
“I’m sorry.” He wasn’t good in emotional situations.
“And stop apologizing. I’ll be fine. I’m better off alone. Besides, Cari will be back soon. I’ll be so busy catching up with her that I won’t even notice that Oreo isn’t around.” She turned, grabbed her stuff, and stormed off.
Did she really believe any of what she’d just said? Because he wasn’t buying any of it. He knew how much she loved that kitten because even he had become fond of the little guy. He was going to miss him.
He couldn’t stop blaming himself for the agony she was experiencing now. He’d encouraged her to bond with Oreo. He’d even insisted she give the kitten a name. At the time, he thought he was doing the right thing. He’d felt so bad for her being alone. He thought she and Oreo belonged together.
And now as he watched Sara head out the door to take the older couple to get Oreo, he wanted to do something to help her. He just didn’t know how to fix this. He didn’t even know if it was possible.
Chapter Sixteen
Itwasforthebest.
Wednesday morning, Sara kept telling herself that after the Watsons came and took Oreo away. She liked her freedom. Now she didn’t have to worry about anyone else. She could come and go as she pleased. No matter how many times she told herself that, she didn’t believe any of it.
She hadn’t realized how attached she’d become to Oreo until the little scamp was gone. Her apartment was filled with constant reminders of him from his colorful mice that he would bat around to the soft blanket she got for him to curl up in.
She’d been so upset last night that she hadn’t answered the door when Kent stopped by. She was certain he was just there to give her words of comfort, and they would have only made her feel worse. It felt like everyone she loved eventually disappeared from her life.
And that was why when she listened to a voicemail from Kent, reminding her that he’d gone to the mainland for an in-person interview, she told herself it was for the best. She wasn’t going to let herself care about him. She refused to acknowledge that it was already too late because somewhere between painting the walls and laying the flooring, he’d snuck past her carefully laid defenses. They had become more than friends, but she refused to name exactly what was between them.
She was actually relieved he wasn’t at the inn that morning. It gave her time to pull herself together. And maybe this didn’t have to be the end of her and Kent. After all Boston wasn’t that far away. If he wanted, he could commute back and forth. Or even have an apartment in the city during the week and spend the weekend on the island.
Of course, she knew she was jumping ahead—way far ahead. He might not get the job, but then again she knew how bright he was. He would definitely get it. But he might not like the job and turn it down. Or he might realize that he was happiest here on the island—with her.
She halted her thoughts. She was letting herself daydream about something that wasn’t going to happen. She knew not to count on people because they would leave her—sometimes through no fault of their own and other times by choice. The only person she could count on was herself.
And then she thought of Cari’s impending return. She just wished she could get hold of her so she could get the details. She’d love to meet her at the airport. And there was the party she planned to throw. Today after work, she’d head into town and buy some decorations.
Their separation had been the longest ever. There was so much to catch up on. She knew her sister would ask about her and Kent. She had to figure out what to tell her. And it had to be close to the truth because Cari was very good at reading her.
