Chapter Eighteen #3
“You could leave the door open. He’ll come right in and wake you.”
“Maybe.”
Ryleigh shook her head. “You have to sleep.”
“I will.”
They hugged and Ryleigh made her way to the guest room. Jax huddled on the chaise, staring out into the darkness. Every part
of her ached. Yes they would keep looking and yes, there was the computer program to look for African grays for sale, but
what if that wasn’t enough? What if he was gone forever?
The tears returned. Jax knew she’d been blessed in her life. There had been bad things that had happened, but no great loss.
Her parents were healthy and vibrant. Her step-grandparents were living their best life in Florida. No one had gotten seriously
sick or died. This was the first time she’d had to consider the loss of someone she loved. Worse, she might never know what
had happened to Ramon. She could spend the rest of her life wondering, hoping, agonizing, imagining the worst.
She scanned the night sky again and called out his name, then waited. But there was only silence . . . and fear.
The next forty-eight hours passed in a blur. Jax filed a police report and was interviewed by the local news. The reporter
was kind, asking well-thought-out questions and mentioning how many residents had been in touch with the station, asking them
to run reports on Ramon in case he was spotted by someone who didn’t know where he belonged. The teen computer whiz reported
in twice a day but so far there weren’t any new listings for a parrot matching Ramon’s description.
Jax was doing her best to get through the day.
She wasn’t sleeping and she couldn’t eat.
No doubt because of that, she had a constant low-grade headache and an ever-present sense of dread.
She went through the motions at work but knew she wasn’t accomplishing much.
More than once she’d walked in on several of her employees talking together only to have them scatter when they saw her.
She was sure they felt awful and had no idea what to say.
While Ramon had been her bird, he was beloved by everyone who worked at the store and most of the customers.
Anyone hanging out at the Painted Lady would eventually be treated to one of his opinions on a particular book.
She settled in her office to check on upcoming orders. Given her exhausted state, it was difficult to concentrate, but she
forced herself to confirm what was due in and to look over the upcoming releases. Most of her bills were paid automatically
and payroll was handled by an outside service, which was good. Right now there was no way she could deal with math and taxes.
In the late morning, Cheryl showed up with a couple of lattes and took the seat on the opposite side of the desk.
“I figured you could use the caffeine,” she said, handing over one of the drinks.
“Thanks. I’m living on coffee. I know it’s not healthy, but hopefully it’s a short-term solution.”
“I saw the news report,” Cheryl told her. “They did a good job.”
“And edited the part where I broke down sobbing,” Jax murmured before sipping her drink.
“Are you going out to look for him later?”
Jax nodded. “I thought I’d try by the park. All the trees there would be attractive to him and he’d feel safe in the cover.”
Her eyes began to burn but she told herself not to cry. “But I wanted to get a few things done here first.”
“Of course. So we should probably talk about the sleepover.”
Jax stared at her blankly. “The what?”
“The sleepover on Friday? For the graduating seniors.”
Holy crap. Jax groaned. “It’s Friday? I’m sorry. I thought we had more time. I haven’t done anything.”
The annual event was popular and always had a wait list. Every year the Painted Lady hosted sixty graduating seniors for a
sleepover. There were planned activities, lots of food, a movie marathon and plenty of chaperones.
“It’s okay. I took charge. I’ve been working with the committee volunteers and everything is arranged.” Cheryl pulled out
her phone and scrolled through a list. “The karaoke machine arrives tomorrow, as do the two incredibly large televisions for
the movie marathons. We have the links for the rented movies. I’ve arranged for Doug to be moved up to the main floor so the
kids can take pictures with him. The popcorn machine arrives Friday morning and the catering folks are due at three to set
up.” She smiled. “The ‘deluxe,’ and I use that word lightly, portable toilets will be set up out back. We’re going to encourage
the guys to use those and leave the indoor ones for the girls.”
“Usually the guys are pretty good about it.” Because while there were public bathrooms in the store, having sixty kids spend
the night could make for long lines. “Period supplies,” she added. “We keep a basket of them in the break room. You’ll need
to spread the word to the girls.”
Cheryl typed on her phone. “I’ll make sure they know.”
They went over the rest of the plans.
“I’m staying here as well,” Jax told her. “In case he comes home.”
Cheryl’s expression turned concerned. “What about Sunday?”
Jax tensed. Normally she was counting the minutes until she could go spend the week with her children, but this time she was dreading it. She didn’t want to be gone. What if Ramon came back and found the building locked up? What if he was hurt and needed her, but couldn’t find her?
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I know the kids would spend the nights here with me, but that can’t go on forever.” Her head
told her at some point she had to accept that she was never going to see her parrot again. Her heart rebelled at the thought.
“Let’s see what happens in the next few days,” Cheryl said, her voice soothing. “For all we know, he’ll be back before Sunday
and it won’t be an issue.”
“I want that to be true.” If only, she thought longingly, needing to see him and have him close.
A tear slipped down her cheek. She brushed it away. “Sorry. Anyway, back to the sleepover. You have it all under control.
Thank you for that.”
“Of course. It’s what I do.”
“Any luck on finding the little boy left alone at night?”
Cheryl shook her head. “I have a few leads. It’s surprisingly difficult to be casual about discussing that sort of thing.
I haven’t figured out a way to say ‘hey, so, do you work nights and leave your child home alone? Because if you do, you should
know he’s scared, but I can help.’” She sighed. “It’s a terrible situation and I don’t want to make it worse. I also don’t
want to get social services involved if there’s another solution.” She looked at Jax. “I guess the actual answer to your question
is I’m still looking.”
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“I will.”
Cheryl left to go back to work. Jax followed her into the store. Every few feet a worried customer stopped her to talk about
Ramon. While she appreciated the concern, talking about him being gone over and over again made her feel like she was at risk
of losing it. She was about to bolt for the storeroom when Marcus walked over.
“Minor crisis on the remodel,” he said easily. “Mind if I borrow Jax for a few minutes?”
“Excuse me,” Jax said as she followed him down the aisle. When they reached the far end of the travel section, he stopped
and faced her.
“I’m sorry to be weak and all that,” she began, “but I’m not in the place where I can hear any more bad news. If whatever
is wrong is bad, you’re going to have to lie about it for a while.”
He touched her cheek. His eyes were kind, his expression concerned. “There’s no crisis. There’s nothing going on with the
remodel. We’re on track to put the diaries back in place on Monday, just like we planned.”
“Then I don’t understand.”
“You looked trapped. I was trying to help.”
She resisted the urge to throw herself against him. “Thank you,” she said earnestly. “I mean that. I was trapped. I know they’re
all worried about Ramon, but it doesn’t help to have to say the same thing over and over. I hate that he’s gone and I don’t
know where he is. I hate how I miss him. It’s like I lost a member of my family.”
“Because you did, Jax. You two have been together since you were a kid. You can’t remember life without him. He’s a part of
you.” He paused. “Sorry. I’m making things worse.”
“You’re not. You’re helping. I appreciate all you’ve done.” She knew Marcus had been quietly working in the background to
find Ramon. He’d been a rock and she was so grateful she could depend on him.
“I keep hoping he’ll just fly in the door, you know?” She sighed. “I’ll be mad, of course, but a good mad. Or even if we could
find him for sale somewhere. It’s the not knowing anything that’s killing me. I’m so scared he’s hurt and needs me and I’m
not there.”
Marcus stepped close and held her. “I know. I wish I could fix this. You have no idea. If someone did take him and we find out who, I want fifteen minutes alone with the guy.”
“Thank you but you’re not the violent type.”
“Not as a rule, but I’m willing to make an exception.” He stepped back and looked into her eyes. “I’m here and I’ll do whatever
you need me to do. I can take a shift or go get groceries or pick up the kids from school. Just tell me.”
“Thank you, but please stop being so nice or I’ll start to cry again.”
“I can handle your tears.”
She sniffed. “You’re a very good man, Marcus Collins. Thank you for being my friend.”