Grace was instantly all business. “You had the microchip put in, right?”
Jo Marie nodded.
“Then any shelter that finds him will have your contact information.”
Jo Marie had forgotten about that, but it did little to assuage her fears.
“I’ll call Olivia, too.”
The family court judge? “What can she do?” Jo Marie asked.
“Well, for one thing, she knows Hank Hampton over at Animal Control personally. I do, too, but she has more sway with him than I do. If he finds Rover, she’ll have him get in touch with you directly and sidestep the shelter.”
“She’d be able to do that?”
“Olivia can ask. She knows how attached you are to Rover.”
“Would you mind asking?” The thought of Rover being chased by a dogcatcher wasn’t a comforting one.
“I wouldn’t mind in the least. Anything else I can do, other than talk to Olivia and the animal shelter?”
“I … I don’t know.” Jo Marie’s brain felt as if it was about to explode. She couldn’t sit idly by and do nothing, though; that was driving her nuts. She pressed her fingertips against her lips. “Mark says I’m overreacting.”
“You aren’t. You and I both know Rover is a special dog and that the two of you are meant to be together,” Grace assured her. “We all love our pets; they’re like family.”
That was the bottom line, she realized. To Jo Marie, Rover was family. Her family. “Thank you,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes.
“We’ll find him, Jo Marie, don’t worry. Rover will be back before you know it.”
Because she so desperately wanted to believe that, Jo Marie didn’t argue, although it felt as if Rover was completely gone from her life. What Mark said echoed in her mind … maybe she was supposed to have him for only these few months while she grieved for Paul. Perhaps it was time for him to move on to someone else who was badly in need of comfort. She didn’t want to think that was the case, but she couldn’t come up with another logical explanation.
Rover had left of his own accord.
He’d gone outside with her and Mark, and he hadn’t returned. Nothing had prevented him from following her back into the house. Maybe he’d moved on to someone else. Another hurting soul in need.
Amanda Palmer found Travis Kilroy sitting at the farthest, darkest corner table in Java Joint. He’d slouched down in the chair so far he was in danger of sliding onto the floor. His neck rested on the back of the chair and he held his cell phone and was either texting or playing games. Either way, his fingers moved over the keys with practiced ease.
“Hello, Travis,” she said, doing her best to sound like she was eager to be his math tutor.
He glanced up and reluctantly straightened. “Hi.” The greeting was flat and devoid of any welcome or appreciation.
Amanda pulled out the chair next to him and set her backpack on the floor. One point in his favor, Travis was on time, although he looked as if he’d rather be just about anyplace else than with her.
“Mr. Wilcox asked if I’d be willing to meet with you and—”
He stopped her. “Okay, I get it. I’m not good with numbers.”
“Which is the reason Mr. Wilcox asked me to tutor you. He wants to see you graduate and asked if I’d be willing to work with you.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“Mr. Wilcox says you’re failing.”
“Like I said, I’m no good with numbers.”
“And like I said, that’s the reason I’m here.”
Travis snorted. “Why did Wilcox ask you?”
“Because I love math.”
“Why’d you agree?”
That was the same question Amanda had been asking herself from the moment she’d walked in the door. “Would you rather someone else tutor you?” That was fine by her.
“Wilcox would probably just send some other brainy geek, so do what you want.”
If he wanted to dish out insults, she had a few of her own. “A brainy geek is ten times better than an empty-headed jock who isn’t smart enough to get into a lifeboat when a ship is ready to sink.”
“Very funny.”
Amanda stood and held up her hand. She didn’t need this, no matter how popular Travis was. All she’d been looking to do was offer a helping hand. If graduating from high school and playing college football wasn’t incentive enough, then nothing she said or did was going to change his mind.
“Children, children.” Connor Leesburg came toward them with his hands on his hips and shaking his head. “There’s no need to trade insults, is there?”
Staring at Travis, Amanda defensively crossed her arms.
Travis held her look with the same dark intensity.
“Lighten up, Travis,” Connor said. “Otherwise, you’ll end up like me, working in a coffeehouse for a pittance while you’re saving up enough cash for a few college classes or trade school.”
“So?”
“So you’ve got the talent to make it playing college football. If nothing else, think of all the chicks who’ll want to be with you.”
Amanda snickered.
“As for you,” Connor said, turning his attention to her, “chuck the attitude.”
“He started it.” She wasn’t sure what she’d expected from Travis, but it wasn’t this.
“Let the guy have some pride,” Connor interjected. “It isn’t easy admitting he needs help. I heard you’re going to be named valedictorian, right?”
She nodded.
“Congratulations, but loosen up a bit, will you?”
“What is that supposed to mean?” she demanded.
“It means exactly what I said. Travis doesn’t want anyone to know he needs a math tutor. It’s bad for his image. Why do you think he asked to meet you here rather than at school or the library?”
As much as Amanda didn’t want to admit it, what Connor said made sense.
“Travis has athletic ability in spades. If you were on the football field and he was on the line protecting you, trust me, you’d feel differently. And if he had to teach you to throw a perfect spiral, think how you’d be feeling! It’s nice of you to help him, but let go of the attitude.”
“Do I have an attitude?” She directed the question to Travis.
He shrugged. “A little.”
She wasn’t the cheerleader type, nor had she been a member of the drill team. But no one could attend Cedar Cove High School and not know who Travis Kilroy was, and to be fair, she wasn’t immune. Travis was popular and easy on the eyes. It went without saying that she’d never have a chance with him, and frankly, she wasn’t sure she’d want one. No use fretting about it; Travis saw her as a geek. From the moment she walked into Java Joint, he’d made it plain that he viewed her as nothing more than a brain.
“This is much better,” Connor said as he rubbed his palms together. “How about a latte on the house?”
“Sure,” Travis agreed.
“Sure,” Amanda echoed.
“Coming right up.”
Before Connor even got back behind the counter, a tall, lanky man in a wet coat and jeans walked into Java Joint. “You kids happen to see a dog recently?” he asked.
“I’ve seen lots of dogs,” Travis said.
“What kind of dog?” Amanda asked.
The man described Rover.
“Doesn’t sound familiar, but I’ll keep an eye out,” Connor said.
“Take my name and phone number, and call me if you do,” the man said. He walked over to Connor and handed him a card. “This is an important dog. He belongs to a friend of mine.”
Connor looked down at the card. “I’ll call if one shows up.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
And then he was gone. With that distraction over, Amanda turned back to Travis. “You ready to crack the code to the quadratic formula?” she asked, pulling out a chair and taking a seat.
Travis sighed. “I guess, but it’s a waste of time as
far as I’m concerned.”
“Really?”
“Think about it, Amanda. How am I going to use the quadratic formula in my life?”
“That’s an easy question. You’re going to use it to pass algebra, graduate from high school, and get a scholarship to college. Is that answer enough?” she asked.
He smiled at her. He actually smiled. For a moment, it was all Amanda could do to look away. Thankfully, she caught herself in time and was instantly all business. “In that case, let’s get started.”
Connor delivered their lattes, and before long Amanda and Travis were sitting side by side with the algebra text open in front of them. She reviewed the formula and showed him a couple of tricks she’d used to remember how best to work it out. Soon their heads were close together.
“I don’t get it,” Travis murmured, clearly frustrated.
“You forgot a step,” she said, doing her best to remain patient. She reviewed the formula again.
It took four tries before Travis figured it out. He looked to her when he finished. “Right?”
“Right. You got it.” She offered him a congratulatory smile.
“How did you get so good at this stuff?”
“It comes naturally; it’s just the way I think.”
“In other words, you’re the brains, I’m just the dumb jock.”
“I didn’t say that. Why are you so defensive? And what’s with all this negative self-talk?”
He chose to ignore her questions and returned his attention to the textbook, refiguring the quadratic formula. Once again he came up with the correct answer.
The door to Java Joint opened, and in walked Hailey, another high school senior. She apparently didn’t notice them, which was a good thing, and headed directly to the counter, where Connor waited to take her order. Amanda watched as Travis closed the text and slipped it back inside his backpack.
Hailey had her Almond Joy latte in hand before she saw the two of them. Right away her eyes widened. “Hey, Amanda, Travis. I didn’t see you.” She tried to hide her surprise but wasn’t nearly good enough an actor to carry it off. She carried her drink over to their table.
“How’s it going?” Amanda returned weakly.
“What are you doing?” Hailey asked, and seemed unable to hide her curiosity.
“We’re just hangin’,” Travis explained, his gaze shifting nervously between Amanda and Hailey.
It didn’t escape Amanda’s notice that being seen with her wasn’t good for his image. Someone just might guess that he needed tutoring, and that definitely wouldn’t be cool. What was that saying she’d heard—no good deed goes unpunished?
“Really. I didn’t figure the two of you … you know.” Hailey left the rest unsaid, as if she was afraid she might have wandered into uncomfortable territory.
An unsettling silence followed that Amanda felt no obligation to fill. She’d let Hailey make all the assumptions she wanted.
Their classmate continued to study them, as if she wasn’t sure what to think.
Coming out from behind the counter, Connor approached just as the silence was getting more than a little awkward. His gaze went from Amanda to Hailey. “Did you hear Hailey recently got hired at Rose Harbor Inn?” he asked in a blatant effort to change the subject.
“That’s great, Hailey. Congratulations.” Amanda needed a summer job herself, but prospects were few.
“It’s just until I head off to college in the fall,” Hailey clarified. “The lady from the library introduced us.”
“Grace Harding?”
“Naturally, you’d know the librarian,” Travis whispered under his breath to Amanda.
“Naturally,” she repeated, unwilling to let him think he’d scored a point.
“As soon as Grace heard I was interested in majoring in hotel management, she contacted Jo Marie and arranged for an interview. It’s not every day, but I’m learning a lot.”
“Cool,” Connor said.
“Speaking of which, I was headed up to Rose Harbor Inn now. See ya.”
Amanda raised her hand. “See ya.”
Travis waved farewell.
As soon as Hailey was out the door, she heard Travis heave a deep sigh. “You know what’s going to happen, don’t you?” The words were more accusation than question.
Amanda did know.
“By tomorrow morning, it will be all over school that you and I were sitting in a corner, cozying up with each other.”
He made it sound like a disaster in the making.
“And that bothers you?” she asked, and then, before he could reply, she added, “You don’t owe anyone an explanation, and for that matter, neither do I. Besides, you can make up an excuse—we just happened to run into each other or something.”
His frown deepened. “You mean to say having gossip spread around the school about us won’t bother you?”
“Should it?” she asked flippantly. “What about you? Will this ruin your chances with the nominees for prom queen?”
“What about you and Chad?”
Chad Mullin had been her date for the Valentine dance. The fact that Travis knew anything about the two of them surprised her. “What about Chad?” she asked, needing to know.
“I thought the two of you—”
“You thought wrong,” she said, cutting him off.
Travis shook his head as if it was of little concern to him one way or the other. “Are we done here?” He was halfway out of his seat, eager to escape.
Unwilling now to drop the matter, Amanda asked, “Is gossip a problem on your end?”
He took a moment to answer. “I guess not. What you said about making up an excuse should work.”
Amanda had no idea if he was dating anyone or not, and he had taken a risk letting Hailey make an assumption.
She’d barely touched her latte, so when she stood to leave, she reached for her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder, and grabbed hold of her drink. Travis seemed more than eager to leave. “When’s the test?” she asked as they walked toward the door.
“Friday.”
Travis hesitated and then nodded toward her as if to show his appreciation before stepping outside.
It was better than nothing, Amanda supposed, as she followed him.
Thankfully, it had stopped raining, and the sun was out. Large drops dripped off the roof and bounced against the pavement, causing a prism effect.
She was a couple steps behind Travis as she headed toward the parking area behind Java Joint.
“Are you following me?” Travis asked as he glanced over his shoulder.
“That’s a pretty egotistical question. Why would I be following you?”
“Maybe to add to the gossip.” Unsure how to answer, he apparently threw out the first thing that came to mind, which was ridiculous.
“Oh please.” If she wasn’t so irritated, she might have laughed. All in all, this tutoring session hadn’t gone well. Amanda wasn’t sure what she’d expected from Travis. Gratitude, perhaps. Or at least a little appreciation. Wrong again. She wasn’t getting anything out of this other than the satisfaction of being able to help. Deep down, she’d expected more. Unfortunately, they were too far apart in the social ranks to connect, even as friends, and that disappointed her.
She was only a few feet away from her car when all at once a dog appeared and started barking, first at her and then at Travis. The animal wouldn’t allow her to get near her car. Every time she stepped in that direction, the dog barked. It wasn’t a threatening bark but more a warning bark.
“What’s he trying to tell you?” Travis asked.
“I don’t have a clue. Do you?”
“No.”
Amanda tried again, and the dog’s barking grew more frantic.
“You might as well give it up,” Travis said.
“You think I should leave my car here and walk home?” As far as she was concerned, that was a ridiculous idea.
“No, give it time.” He hesitated and then sugges
ted, “Do you wanna hang out at the waterfront park? We could finish our lattes there.”
“Aren’t you worried about your reputation?” she asked, enjoying egging him on.
“I can live with it, if you can.”
Amanda shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. “I suppose I can, too.”
As soon as they started toward the gazebo, the dog trotted off in the opposite direction. The sky had turned a South Sea shade of blue. This was actually turning out to be a great day, after all.
Chapter Three
Jo Marie’s cell buzzed, and she grabbed it out of her purse, praying with all her heart that it was someone with news about Rover. She’d been out searching for hours and had lost heart that she would ever find him.
“Yes?” she said eagerly.
“Jo Marie, it’s Olivia. Is everything all right? You don’t sound like yourself.”
“I’m not myself,” she admitted, struggling to hold herself together. “Rover is missing.”
“So I heard. Grace called and asked if I’d check with Hank Hampton over at Animal Control.”
“Did you?” She hated to sound this anxious, but any word was better than the agony of not knowing. This limbo should be familiar. It brought back a far-too-familiar ache. Paul’s body had yet to be recovered from the side of a mountain in Afghanistan. At the time his helicopter went down she’d been told the crash site was in an inaccessible area. Translated into civilian speak, that meant it was deep inside enemy-held territory. She’d been assured there were no survivors. Still, she couldn’t help wondering if it was possible, if there was any way Paul might have come out of the horrific crash alive.
“I was able to talk to Hank,” Olivia continued, breaking into Jo Marie’s thoughts. “He’s got the word out. If Rover is out and about, then I’m sure he’ll be located soon.”