AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And then the line went dead. Kent stood there for a moment absorbing what he’d just learned. Then Sara’s frostiness started to make sense.
She must feel like she keeps losing the people she cares about. First, the kitten going back to live with the Watsons. Then her sister blows her off. And now he tells her that he might move to the mainland. When he put it that way, it made sense that she would put up her guard with him.
This was a nightmare.
Sara would do anything to find Oreo and return him to his home. But it was worrisome that he was able to escape twice now. This time she hoped the Watsons would take some precautions to keep him from getting out.
She appreciated her neighbors and friends helping out with the search, especially Kent. He certainly didn’t have to help. In fact, she wouldn’t have blamed him if he had kept walking when she’d first received the call about Oreo having gone missing.
And yet he’d stayed. She so desperately wanted to lean on him, but she wouldn’t give herself the luxury. It would just be delaying the inevitable—him leaving the island. She just couldn’t set herself up to get hurt worse.
She searched as best she could in the fading sunlight as she made her way home. In front of her apartment she came across Birdie taking Peaches for a walk.
“Any luck?” Birdie asked.
Sara shook her head as she came to a stop. She crouched down to pet Peaches. “Thank you for calling people and getting them to help with the search. With so many people looking, you would have thought we would have located him by now.” She straightened. “I just can’t imagine where he’s hiding.”
“He’ll turn up when he’s ready. Probably when his hunger is stronger than his fear of humans.”
“I bet you’re right.” She’d get a can of cat food out of the donation bag that she had stuffed in her closet and open it. Maybe if she put it near the bottom of her steps, he’d come out of hiding. At this point, she was willing to try most anything to find him.
“When will your sister arrive?” Birdie asked.
“Oh. Um… She’s not coming back to Bluestar.” When Birdie’s eyes widened with surprise, Sara said, “She met someone in Malaysia.”
“Ahh… I see. I’m sorry she won’t be back, but I’m happy to hear that she’s found love. It’s a powerful thing. In fact, it was love that brought me to Bluestar Island for the first time.”
“You mean you weren’t born here?” When Birdie shook her head, Sara said, “I didn’t know that. I thought you’d always lived here.”
“I was born and raised in New York. I only moved to the island after meeting my husband at the World’s Fair. So, it was love that brought me to the island. Sometimes you have to follow your heart. Love isn’t always easy but if it’s right, it’s worth the sacrifices.”
Sara couldn’t help but wonder if Birdie was talking about her own relationship or Sara’s relationship with Kent. She’d never considered moving away from Bluestar. It had always been her home. She immediately dismissed the idea. She couldn’t imagine ever calling someplace else her home.
There was a squeak or was it a cry. It was soft as though it was off in the distance. It was so faint that for a moment Sara wondered if she’d imagined it.
She looked at Birdie. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what, dear?”
Sara was quiet for a moment. The breath stilled in her lungs as she strained to hear the sound once more. There was nothing. She released her pent-up breath.
“I thought it was Oreo, but I don’t hear it now.”
“My hearing isn’t as good as it used to be, but if you heard him, I believe you. Maybe he’s on the path to the beach. You should go check.”
“I think I will.” With a wave she was off.
She reached the sidewalk leading to her apartment. “Oreo?” She called out softly, not wanting to scare him. “Oreo, are you out here?”
It was so hard to see now that the sun had set. And her phone was dead. She rushed up the steps to her place. Once she dropped her phone on the charger, she headed for the closet. She yanked out the bag of kitten stuff that she had been procrastinating about donating. She grabbed a can of moist kitten food. And in her kitchen drawer, she retrieved a flashlight.
She dashed back out the door and down the steps. She stopped at the bottom. “Oreo, dinner.” She popped the lid on the can. The sound was one he’d learned to love. He knew when he heard it that soon he’d have something delicious to eat. “Oreo, come eat.”
She placed the can on the sidewalk and sat down on a step. She thought of turning on the flashlight, but if he was around, she didn’t want to scare him off. She knew he must have had a very traumatic day.
One minute turned into two minutes. She was beginning to think this idea wasn’t going to work either. And yet she continued to sit there and mentally will the little guy to come to her.
When she lifted her head to the sky, she spotted a star. It was the first star of the night, and so, she did something she hadn’t done since she was a kid—she wished upon a star.
