Chapter 16 #3
“So, I figured with the snacks and food we got, we could leave a trail leading to the cat carrier. When the cat gets close, we close it, and it’s done!”
“Hmm… Okay. Solid plan. I like it.” Gia pursed her lips together. “Only one problem, though.”
“What’s that?”
“What if the cat doesn’t approach us because it can smell us? Are we planning on staying all night?”
“Oh. Right.” Marley slumped in her seat, gnawing on her lip as she thought over the question. “Well, we can try to build a spring-like thing to trap it in case it doesn’t approach for a while.”
“Right. Okay. Let’s do this.”
Gia moved to get out of the car, reaching over to grab the cat carrier containing the treats. She followed Marley to the edge of the property.
“So, it ran in this direction this morning. I usually see it coming around when I’m getting ready for school in the morning. Sometimes it comes back this way around dinnertime.”
Gia glanced at the time on her phone.
“Okay, so we have a couple of hours before it’s dinnertime. Where do you think we should set up?”
Her eyes scanned the open field as Marley twisted her body to find the perfect spot. She lifted a hand and pointed at the Mustang on the edge of the lot.
“What about under the car? That’s where I saw it hiding earlier, before it took off.”
“Oh, smart. And it won’t be easily seen by anyone walking by.” Gia led the way as they marched to the vehicle. Crouching low, she placed the carrier on the gravel and started emptying it of its contents. “What flavor do you think your furry friend would like the best?”
“Tuna.” Marley’s response was instant.
“Makes sense.” Gia smiled, chin tipped in a definitive nod. “All right, tuna it is.”
The carrier was much lighter without its contents. She handed it to Marley. “Where do you want to put it?”
Marley chewed her lip, scanning the lot. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with excitement, having come to a conclusion. Gia scooted back, making room for Marley as she bent down and slid it beneath the car. She placed the plastic carrier against the rear tire, thereby concealing it from view.
“Perfect. Here, put this can inside.” Gia handed her an open can of tuna, not missing the way Marley’s nose scrunched in distaste as she caught a whiff. Marley shoved the can to the back, where it landed with a thunk.
“Okay, now let’s leave a trail of treats for it to find.” Gia wiped off her hands, reaching for the bite-sized treats. She handed one to Marley and took one for herself. Together, they sprinkled a path leading toward the edge of the forest.
“Okay, let’s find a place to hide. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and it will come back tonight.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Against the side of the building was a covered seating area. The view was of the edge of the forest, and in the distance, the peaks of Mount Luna could be seen. The metal chairs scraped noisily against the cement as they settled in.
Sighing, Marley relaxed into her seat. “You know what would be perfect right now?”
Gia met her gaze, and simultaneously they said, “Tuna melts.”
They exchanged a knowing look and then burst into laughter.
“So, what grade are you in, anyway? Isn’t it early for you to be out of school?”
Marley’s brows quirked in surprise. “I’m in seventh grade and school let out about an hour ago.”
“Ah. Right. What should you be doing right now? Don’t you have homework?”
“Actually, no. I did it all during my study period today.”
“Wow. That’s impressive. I remember being your age and never doing my homework.”
“Really? How did you pass high school then?”
Gia’s smile fell. “Um. Well. I’m not exactly proud of this, but my brother and I used to copy Jake’s homework all the time.”
“Really?” Marley’s eyebrows raised in surprise.
“Obviously not something I’m encouraging, but… yeah. Jake’s the only reason I graduated.”
Marley nodded, as if it was what she’d suspected. She opened her mouth to say something, paused as if she had changed her mind, but then forged forward. “Did you and Jake have a thing or something?”
Her head reared back in shock. She had not been expecting Marley to be so forward.
“What?! No, of course not.” Gia felt her face heat. “Absolutely not. Me and Jake? Never. Ever.”
Okay, Gia. Play it cool.
Marley narrowed her eyes, clearly not believing her, but thankfully she let the matter drop, instead turning her gaze to the forest.
“I think we need a blanket,” Marley stated.
“That’s a good idea.” Gia nodded, grateful Marley didn’t push the matter further. It was a miracle she was an actress when she couldn’t even lie to a thirteen-year-old.
“I have some at the house.”
“Where do you live?” Gia asked, trying to keep the interest out of her voice.
“Oh, the big blue house across the street is our house.” Marley pointed in the distance. Gia’s eyes trailed in the direction Marley pointed.
Across the street? Jake must have moved here after I left.
“I’m just gonna run over there really quickly…”
“By yourself?” Gia’s head whipped sideways, tone sharp.
“Yeah, it’s right across the street.” Marley shrugged.
The row of charming colonials along the lake featured large windows and screened-in back porches.
Stone patios led out onto the grassy turf before turning into a gravel walking path.
Some houses had docks set inside the lake.
Someone must have built these houses in the last decade or so, because they were not there when she was a teenager.
“As the responsible adult in this situation, am I supposed to let you walk across the street by yourself?”
“Uh…” Marley pinched her brows together adorably.
“Let’s go.”
“O-okay.”
“I’ll stand outside while you run inside.”
“Got it.”
Marley and Gia looked both ways a few times before crossing the street. She followed along as Marley led the way to the light blue two-story colonial with pale shutters. From their vantage point, she could almost make out a stone path leading to a wooden dock in the water.
It shouldn’t have surprised her that Jake moved out of his childhood home, but what sent her reeling were the details of the house.
Did he remember what she’d said to him on one rare occasion when they were alone?
Technically Thao had been snoring on the floor while they’d shared the couch, sitting a little closer than friends should be.
But in the dim lighting, it felt intimate, and Jake had turned to Gia and asked her what her dream house would look like.
She’d told him she’d always wanted to have a big blue house right on the water, so she could jump in whenever the mood struck.
Was it her imagination or had he built the house of her dreams? Was she reading too much into it?
“Come on. I’ll be right back.” Marley rushed to the front door, which was unlocked, leaving Gia to her thoughts. She didn’t dare enter, so she stood frozen by the entrance.
From her position, she heard Marley’s sneakers squeaking as she ran through the house. When it grew quiet, Gia took halting steps into the foyer and looked around. Marley was nowhere to be seen.
“You okay up there?” Her voice echoed through the empty house.
“Yep, almost done!” Marley’s muffled voice came from somewhere upstairs. Then, after a pause, she yelled, “Got it!”
The sound of a door shutting preceded Marley’s quick footsteps as she ran down the stairs with a dark blue fleece blanket in her arms.
“All right, let’s get out of here.”
Gia uncrossed her arms and yanked open the door as she rushed out of the house that looked like it belonged in her favorite magazines.
She heard Marley following closely behind her, but she didn’t bother looking to confirm.
Once she was safely on the sidewalk, she turned around right as Marley shut the door, not bothering to lock it.
The trek back to the shop was quick. Marley pulled the carrier out, checking to see if they had caught their target but finding it empty of any critters.
She watched as Marley took the contents out to make room for the blanket before shoving it inside.
Marley folded the much-too-large blanket, creating a small hole where fleece would cocoon the creature. She returned the canned tuna and the carrier to their hiding place. With a flap of blanket hanging outside the lip, Marley placed more treats on top.
“This is perfect.” Marley glanced up at Gia. “When it climbs in, we can pull the blanket up to give us time to shut the trapdoor.”
“Nice thinking, Marley.” Gia didn’t miss the pink coloring Marley’s cheeks from the praise.
After Marley finished, she jumped up, brushing off her hands.
Without another word, Gia walked Marley back to Jake’s house. Only this time, instead of going inside, Gia stood on the sidewalk. Marley turned to face her, one hand poised on the doorknob, eyebrows raised in question.
“I’m gonna get going.” Gia gestured with her thumb over her shoulder. “I’m not working at the restaurant until the afternoon tomorrow, if you want me to come get you so we can check on the trap in the morning.”
“Yeah, okay.” Marley’s infectious smile made her heart lurch.
“See you at nine.”
“Okay. Bye, Gia.” Marley waved before moving to step through the door. Gia turned away, but before she took more than a few steps, Marley yelled over her shoulder, “Thank you for helping me!”
Gia stopped in her tracks with a watery-eyed smile. Something about Marley reminded her of her past self. One she’d nearly forgotten about until today.
“Any time. I’ll see you tomorrow, Marley.”
With a sniff, Gia walked back toward the minivan. For the first time in a while, she felt the old Gia stirring from where she’d buried her. And this time, she wasn’t as scared of letting her resurface.