Chapter Twelve #2
“And read someone else’s,” Cheryl murmured.
“I’m trying not to think about that. I’d like a better solution but I can’t figure one out. Plus, who gets to go first and
who goes last?”
There was a moment of silence then Ryleigh blurted, “We’ll do it by lottery. We’ll write down the name of everyone who shows
up to collect their diary and draw names. That way it’s random. No one gets an advantage.”
Again Jax was left feeling faintly uneasy, but didn’t have a better suggestion.
“People are going to be pissed,” she said with a sigh.
“Tell them if they’re upset, you’ll give them a complete refund,” Cheryl said firmly.
“But no one pays to store their diaries here.”
Cheryl nodded. “Exactly. That’s the point.”
“You have attitude,” Ryleigh said.
“It comes with age.”
Jax was more concerned about the broken trust the problem would create. She was a small business owner in a small town—she
needed the support of her community. Still, a lottery was fair.
“Okay,” she said nodding at Cheryl. “You’ll write up the blast for Port Palmas Talks and run it past me before you post it?”
“You’ll have it within the hour.”
“I hope she likes me,” Noah said, sounding concerned as he walked with Ryleigh toward her condo. “My friend Tyler has a cat,
but she’s mostly scared and hides under the bed.”
“That’s not fun for the cat. It’s too bad she’s not more comfortable.
Lucy seems friendly but I don’t know if she’s ever interacted with kids before.
We’ll go slow.” Ryleigh mentally crossed her fingers, hoping her new pet would warm to Noah.
The boy was kind and gentle, which was a plus, and they’d already talked about him keeping his voice low and avoiding quick movements.
She opened the front door and called out, “Hey, little girl. I’m home and I brought a new friend.”
There was a moment of silence followed by a quiet mur as Lucy trotted out of the bedroom, toward the front door. She came to a stop when she saw Noah, then looked between him
and Ryleigh, as if seeking information or possibly reassurance.
Ryleigh set her bag on the table by the door, then walked into the living room where she sank to the floor.
“Hi, pretty girl. How are you? How was your day?”
Noah joined her, watching intently. “She’s really beautiful. Look how blue her eyes are.” He shifted to a cross-legged position.
“I know. It’s unusual in a cat. Lucy’s a Ragdoll mix. When she lets you pet her, you’ll feel how soft her fur is.”
Lucy came up to Ryleigh and rubbed against her, purring loudly. Ryleigh petted her.
“This is my friend Noah. You and he are going to be good friends.” She smiled at the boy. “Hold out your hand so she can sniff
your fingers.”
He did as she said, then giggled as Lucy moved close. She sniffed a few times before rubbing her head against his palm. His
eyes widened.
“Does she want me to pet her?” he asked, sounding delighted.
“She does. Go slow and be gentle.”
He lightly stroked the top of her head, then moved down her body. “She’s so soft and I can hear her rumbling with the purring.”
Lucy stepped over his calves and stood in the crook of his legs. She stared at him for a second before standing on her back legs, putting her front paws on his chest and rubbing her face against his chin.
He laughed with delight as he continued to pet her. “She likes me!”
“She does.” Ryleigh sent a silent thank you to her cat, grateful Lucy was responding so well to Noah. “She’s a friendly girl, although she didn’t like my sister very
much.”
“But Jax is great,” Noah said.
“I know. Maybe it’s a chemistry thing.”
She showed Noah how to play with Lucy with the feather toy that dangled from a string. Once they were all tired she and Noah
settled on the sofa, Lucy curled up between them. He continued to pet her.
“I’m glad you have her,” he said. “Now you have someone to cuddle with.”
“I do. She’s a very nice companion.” And another heartbeat in the house. “Although she kind of hogs the bed at night.”
Noah grinned. “She’s not that big.”
“You’d be surprised how much room she can take up, but you’re right. The cuddles are nice.”
He surprised her by admitting, “I miss getting hugs from my mom.”
“Oh, sweetie, I didn’t know you’d been thinking about her.”
“Not all the time, just, you know, sometimes.”
“Of course. She’s your mom and you’ll always miss her. She was amazing and loved you so much.”
He looked at her. “I don’t remember everything but I can still hear her voice in my heart.”
“That’s great. You’re going to forget some details but you’ll always remember the love.” She hesitated, not sure what else
to say. “You know you can always ask your dad to go through the photo albums with you. Hearing stories about when you were
little will help you remember.”
He nodded. “I was really small back then.”
“You were. And your parents were so scared when they brought you home from the hospital.”
“How do you know?”
She grinned. “Because babies are terrifying.”
“Naw-uh. They’re too little to be scary.”
“Not to a new parent. It’s not like you came with an instruction book. New parents are afraid of doing something wrong. Plus,
you couldn’t talk, so when you cried they didn’t know what you needed. Were you hungry? Had you just pooped and needed a diaper
change?”
The P word made him laugh. “Ryleigh, you’re so funny.”
“Thank you.”
His humor faded. “Do you think she watches over me?”
“She does and she’s so proud of you. Look at how big and strong you are. You’re going to be as tall as your dad one day. And
I know she’s smiling right now, seeing how good you are with Lucy.”
“I miss her.”
“I know. I miss her, too. She was a good friend. Sometimes I still think about something I want to tell her, only she’s gone
and it makes me sad. That’s something else you can remember. How your mom touched everyone’s heart.”
He nodded, then leaned back on the sofa. “Dad said you were going to bring Lucy over when you came to visit. Now that I’ve
met her, I’d like that a lot. We’re going to the pet store this weekend. We’re going to buy her a litter box because she’ll
need a cat bathroom. Also dishes and toys. We want her to feel comfortable at our place so when you stay with me, she can
come, too.”
“I’m sure she’ll enjoy that.”
She was happy that Noah was enthused about Lucy, but just as significant, she appreciated how Alex was all in when it came
to her and her cat. His attitude was very Alex-like. He was a great guy and a good friend.
She would miss both him and Noah desperately if she decided to move.
In fact in some ways, she would miss the two of them as much as she would miss Jax and her family.
In her heart of hearts, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go.
She really did like living here and she had a good life.
Only what about love and a family of her own?
Didn’t she deserve that? Or maybe the problem wasn’t about deserving.
Maybe it was about finding—which she hadn’t.
It didn’t seem fair that she had to make such a tough choice—keep the people she loved close and give up the family she’d
always wanted or only have the love long-distance with no guarantee there was a right someone for her.
Not a decision she had to make today, she told herself. But she would have to figure it out soon. She was done living in limbo
and was determined to take the next step—whatever that might be.