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Theywererunningoutof time.
Kent hadn’t said it to Sara, but if they didn’t find the kitten soon, they were going to have to stop until the morning. He knew how worried Sara was. When she called out for Oreo, there was a desperation in her voice that went far beyond the normal reaction to a missing pet.
He had no idea how much she loved and missed Oreo. Sure, he was fond of the kitten, but it didn’t go nearly as deep as Sara’s feelings. It was a shame the Watsons had wanted the kitten back. Maybe once the kitten was found, they’d reconsider and let the kitten live with Sara.
They’d searched all over Bluestar; at least that was the way it felt. They’d worked their way to Beachcomber Park. They weren’t the only people searching the area. It was a large park, so the more help, the better.
So many people were out searching. It felt as though the whole town had come out to help. It was amazing what Bluestar could accomplish when they all pulled together. He couldn’t help but think how much he would miss this town with its giant heart. But now that Sara had pushed him away and basically told him that what they had was nothing more than a good time, he didn’t have anything holding him back. Tomorrow, he’d call the Hartford company back and let them know he’d be taking the job.
The thought of moving to Hartford was taking a lot to get used to the idea. He told himself it would be good for him. Then his gaze would stray to Sara, and his heart would feel at odds with his mind. Why was she working so hard to push him away?
He shoved aside the troubling thoughts as he paused to search some shrubbery. When he straightened, he noticed Sara a little ways off. Even the mayor was out and about. Mayor Banks paused to offer Sara some words of encouragement. Kent knew everyone was there to help Sara. People loved her, and it was so easy to do. Sara was kind and thoughtful, which made him wonder why she was suddenly being so cold to him.
He moved toward her. He thought of asking if she’d found anything, but he knew that was pointless. He knew if she had a lead on the kitten that she would have let him know. The problem was that he was running out of encouraging words as the shadows grew long.
When he glanced over at her for the hundredth time, he saw her swipe at her cheek. His heart broke for her. Oreo just had to turn up.
“Why don’t we split up?” he suggested. “You head back to your place and look around. I’ll continue to search the park.” When she stood there quietly, as though debating if she should leave or not, he said, “Go ahead. We’ve got it.” He gestured to all of the other people calling for Oreo and searching high and low. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Do you really believe that?” Her voice wavered with emotion.
“Yes, I do.” He stepped toward her to give her a hug, but she stepped back. He restrained a frustrated sigh. He hated that she’d put up a wall between them that he couldn’t scale. “Go on. I’ll catch up with you shortly.”
She nodded and then turned around. As she made her way along the sidewalk, her head moved from side to side as she continued the search for Oreo.
He checked his phone’s battery. It was starting to get down there, since he’d been using the flashlight app in order to look in the shadows. If he were a kitten, where would he go?
The only answer he came up with was back to Sara. Oreo had seemed so happy living with her. It would seem natural that if the kitten was lost he’d try to get back to Sara where he felt safe and happy.
But they’d thoroughly checked around her building and the path where they’d originally found Oreo. There had been no sign of him. And so Kent continued his search of the far end of the park.
Buzz.
The phone was already in his hand as he needed the flashlight app constantly now that the sun had sunk beneath the horizon. He hoped the call was from Sara and that she had good news. Instead, he found the caller was Sara’s sister. Perhaps Cari was calling to let him know she had emailed the lease. And he would inform her that he was handing all of that business over to his parents now that he’d gotten a new job.
He pressed the phone to his ear. “Hello.”
“Hey, Kent. It’s Cari. First, I want to thank you for holding the apartment for me. I appreciate it so much.”
“No problem. But it isn’t me you should thank. It’s your sister. Sara made it all possible.”
“You mean by asking you?”
“Well, that too.” He was confused. “Didn’t she tell you about our deal?”
“No.”
He was surprised that Sara hadn’t mentioned their endeavor. And so he proceeded to tell her about their deal for her to help him with the inn’s refresh in exchange for him leasing the apartment to her sister.
“I can’t believe she did all of that for me. I… I feel awful for changing my plans.”
Her last words caught him off guard. “Changed your plans?”
“Oh. Yes. The reason I’m calling you is to tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. And to let you know that I’m not returning to the island.”
This was the last thing he expected to hear. “Does Sara know?”
“Yes. We spoke a little bit ago. I explained it all to her.” There was a voice in the background, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. “I have to go now. Thanks again.”
