28. We were just looking for her cat
Twenty-Eight
WE WERE JUST LOOKING FOR HER CAT
Liv
“Mommy?” The bedroom door creaks under my fingers as I push it open.
“Hm?” she groans from under the covers. She’s not on her usual side near the door; she’s further away on the other side of the bed where Daddy used to sleep.
A bright light illuminates the room. Thunder rumbles outside. My hands fly up and cover my ears until it passes, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Can I come sleep with you?” My feet inch closer to the empty side of the bed.
“No, Olivia. Go to bed,” she mumbles, pulling the blanket up tighter.
The room lights up once more, highlighting her silhouette under the covers. Thunder claps again. I jump and hold the blanket I’ve dragged with me tighter.
“Please? I’m scared.”
“It’s a storm, Olivia. It’s just noise. Nothing to be scared of. It can’t hurt you. Now please go to bed.” She rolls, turning her back to the door and to me. I wait a moment, but she doesn’t roll back. The sting of rejection burns my eyes, and I turn back toward my room.
I shuffle down the hallway, my socks slippery on the hardwood floor.
Lightning strikes, lighting up the house from every available window in a flash of white.
Thunder crashes through immediately after, the windows rattling with the force of the sound.
Covering my ears, I crouch down and lean against the wall, waiting for it to stop.
I jolt upright as the thunder rumbles deep and low through the sky. The windows vibrate, fighting against the wind. Inhaling slowly, I hold my breath before releasing it through my mouth. Just noise. It’s just noise.
I pull the covers up to my chest, willing my heart rate to slow and continuing my deep breathing while repeating my mantra in my mind. Rain comes down in sheets, while gusts of wind push against the glass doors leading to the small patio outside. I open my eyes and look around for Sunny.
“Here, kitty, kitty,” I coo. I reach over and pull the chain on the small lamp next to the bed on the side table, but it doesn’t turn on.
Great.
I grab my phone and turn on the flashlight, tossing the covers off.
“Sunny, come on, kitty, kitty.” Where is he?
I pause. I brought him into my room when I went to bed. Right?
My mind races back through the evening before I went to bed.
I try to piece it together. We sat to watch the movie.
The radar said the storm was tracking south and that we wouldn’t feel the brunt of it.
That obviously changed somewhere along the way.
I vaguely remember dozing off on the couch and Viv patting my shoulder telling me we should call it a night.
A few guests lingered, playing cards under the light of a lamp.
Is it possible I went to bed without Sunny? No way.
I open the door and slip silently into the hallway.
My feet pad along the soft carpet as I make my way toward the great room.
It’s dark and—aside from the rain pelting the windows—silent.
Blinding light flashes from the other end of the hallway, where the great room is.
Pausing, hand pressed into the wall, I wait, heart pounding, mentally counting how long it takes.
I reach the count of eighteen before a loud, never-ending roll of thunder resonates through the night sky, sending my pulse into overdrive until dots dance in my vision.
“Sunny!” I whisper-yell into the darkness, shining my phone flashlight across the floor. I wander toward the check-in desk to see if he’s on his cat bed. He’s not. I look under the counter and around the cushions of the sitting area. Nothing.
I don’t think he’d go upstairs…
I wander back toward the great room and round the corner to come face to face with a figure in the dark.
“AH!” My phone tumbles to the floor. My hands cover my face.
“Whoa!” a man yells.
“Luke?” I reach for the wall, propping myself with one hand, the other pressed against my thundering heart.
“Trip? What are you doing out here?”
I crouch, reaching for my phone, shining the flashlight at him.
“Could you… could you not blind me? I like having my vision.” He holds his hands over his face, blocking the light.
“Oh, sorry.” I aim the light toward the wall instead and inspect him. He’s in loose gray sweatpants that hang low on his hips, flip-flops, and a plain white wrinkled t-shirt. The tops of his shoulders are soaked, and droplets of water drip from his tousled hair.
“What are you doing out here? Are you okay?” he asks again, tone both curious and concerned.
No. I hate storms, and my cat, who is supposed to be my personal comfort animal, isn’t in my room.
“Yeah, totally, I’m fine. Just can’t find Sunny. I’m worried the storm is scaring him.” I tug on the hem of my shirt, eyes scanning the space. My guess is Sunny is fine. Storms have never bothered him before. But I need him.
“I’ll help you look.” Luke angles his body and holds out a hand so I can pass him.
“What are you doing here?” I resume my search, looking around the couch and under it, calling Sunny’s name. Luke takes his own flashlight—a real one—and aims it around the tables.
“Power is out so we came to see if we could get it up and running again. Josh is checking the breaker, I’m supposed to check the lights. Ran into you instead.” I can hear the smile in his voice and involuntarily smile to myself in return.
“You ran into me, all right. I nearly had a heart attack.”
“Payback for the pepper-spray. And the rosebush.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously handsome?”
Yes. “You wish.”
He barks out a laugh that echoes through the empty room, then stifles it quickly.
As I round the side of the couch, a sudden burst of blinding light flashes through the great room. I flinch, losing my footing—and smash my toe against the leg of the coffee table.
“Ow!” I reach forward to grab my foot, hopping backward and bumping into a hard, muscular chest.
“We really need to stop meeting like this,” Luke says against the shell of my ear, gripping my shoulders.
Thunder rolls through, and it takes everything in me not to reach up and cover my face.
Slamming my eyes shut, I focus on the feel of his hands on my shoulders and his body heat against my back.
His hands, strong, yet gentle, guide me to the arm of the couch so I can sit.
“Which one was it?” Luke shines a light on my toe.
“The pinky,” I whine.
“Oof, that’s an important one. Crucial for balance, though it doesn’t seem to help you much.” There’s laughter in his voice as he reaches out, grasping the arch of my foot gently. “Let me see.”
Luke settles on the armrest and pulls my foot into his lap. His hands are warm. Gray-green eyes meet mine, and a moment passes between us. Something unspoken coils tight as his thumb brushes against the side of my foot.
“Hey man, did that work? Did the lights—” Josh plows through the door between the great room and kitchen, flashlight bright in our eyes. “Oh shit, my bad…”
I move to pull my foot away, but Luke grips it tighter. Josh’s flashlight jumps between us, a grin spreading across his face.
“Am I interrupting something?”
“We were looking for her cat, and—” Luke gestures around the room.
“Ehhh,” Josh says, his head tilting, lips pursed. “I may not be as fluent with the female anatomy, cousin, but I’m pretty positive you’re in the wrong area.”
Luke laughs before pretending it was a cough, shaking his head.
“Dude…” Luke rubs his trimmed beard, covering a barely suppressed smile.
My eyes widen as his meaning finally clicks. A rush of heat floods my cheeks, and I’m suddenly grateful for the darkness of the room. “What? No. We’re looking for my cat, and then I stubbed my toe.”
“Sure, sure, sure. I’ll leave you two to it then.” He slowly backs toward the door.
“Hang on, Joshy.” Luke’s voice is gruff. He gives my pinky toe a little wiggle before releasing my foot. “I think your toe is okay.” Luke clears his throat and stands. He reaches for the nearest lamp, pulling the chain. Nothing.
“All right, must be more than the breaker. We might have to wait for the electric company to come tomorrow.” Josh looks around, flashlight scanning the room.
“I’m gonna head out, and we’ll see what else we can do in the morning.
Good luck. Hope your cat is happy to be found, Liv.
” Josh trains the flashlight under his chin and waggles his eyebrows suggestively.
“Goodnight, Josh,” Luke says, rubbing his forehead.
Josh cackles, retreating through the door he entered. Lightning bursts through the room, and the wind rattles the windows. I jolt, shoulders tense. By habit, I close my eyes and begin my mental counting.
“Hey, you okay?” Luke reaches out and grasps my arm.
Eyes flying open, I step back away from his touch and turn my attention to the rest of the room.
“Yeah. Yup. I’m good. Maybe Sunny snuck into a room with a guest, or maybe he’s with Holly. Not sure how I feel about that, but… He’s clearly not in here.” Thunder explodes, powerful and deafening. I jump involuntarily. I had stopped counting. Had stopped anticipating the thunder.
Luke’s touch broke my focus.
“Okay, well, I’m going to head back to bed.” I hike a thumb over my shoulder and turn on my heel.
As I retreat toward the hallway, another flash of lightning splits the sky much sooner than expected. My breath hitches. Shoulders up by my ears, hands clenched into fists, I fight to control my breathing and start the count. One, two, three, four.
Thunder booms.
The house quakes.
Wind pushes relentlessly against the side of the house as rain pelts the windows like tiny pebbles tossed in the gale. I need Sunny. The storm is too close.
Luke tenderly grips my elbow, turning me toward him. I turn my attention to the floor. What would I see if I looked into his eyes? Sympathy? Pity? No thanks. I’m good. I don’t want that.
Then, as if coaxing a skittish kitten, Luke tugs at my arm hesitantly. Seeming to sense I’m not resisting him, he pulls me into his body, wrapping his arms around me.
“Come here.”
There are no other words, just silent comfort.
His heartbeat is steady against my ear, chest warm, and I relax into the cradle of his strong arms. Another flash of lightning, followed by the resounding thunder, and Luke’s arms tighten, as if providing an unspoken promise that he won’t let go.
His embrace reminds me of the security of a weighted blanket.
“Here’s what I think.” His voice resonates through me.
“Sounds like the storm is on top of us. I don’t really want to drive back under the trees in this weather.
With that wind out there, I’m not interested in branches crashing down on my truck with me in it.
So, I’m not leaving yet. I would love some company—so I’m not sitting here in the dark by myself.
We can wait together and see if Sunny comes out of hiding.
What are your thoughts on that?” He leans away from me a little, hands still hooked around my waist, and peers down at me.
Could I go back to my room, survive the storm by myself, huddled under the covers like a three-year-old? Yes. Yes, I can.
But I don’t want to.
“Definitely don’t want any trees to hit your truck,” I say, voice barely above a whisper. When I meet his gaze, I’m graced with a warm smile.
“I think you’re more worried about the truck than me,” he teases.
“It’s a nice truck.”
A grin splits his face as he pulls me into him again, wrapping his arms around me once more. A bolt of lightning streaks across the sky out on the lake.
Breathe.
Peals of thunder roll through the sky, and Luke tugs me in closer until there is no space left between us. I allow myself to wrap my arms around his middle, exhaling into him. The storm isn’t as scary when I’m cocooned like this. I feel safe.
“Okay. I’ll stay out here with you for a bit,” I say against his chest.
Luke’s lips brush, featherlight, against my forehead.
“That’s my girl,” he mumbles, holding me for a moment longer before guiding me to the couch.