Sprinkled with Love

“No. But I’m sure he’s napping somewhere warm.”

Her mother’s face was creased with worry lines. “Romeo. Here, boy. Come to Momma.”

Jillian stopped and listened for the now familiar sound of the pitter-patter of his tiny feet. But as the seconds ticked

away, there was no rush of footsteps.

Perhaps he was curled up, snug in a blanket, and didn’t feel like moving. As her mother continued to call for the cat, Jillian had a stroke of genius. She rushed over to the pantry and reached for a pouch of cat treats. This would work.

She jiggled the bag and waited.

Nothing.

Jillian moved to the living room and jiggled it again.

Still nothing.

Last try was in the hallway outside the bedrooms. Jiggle. Jiggle.

Not a murr or a purr.

And then Jillian had the worst flashback of when he’d snuck out the door at her place. As quickly as the thought came to her, she dismissed it. There was no way that cat would venture back out in the brutal cold. He would have learned his lesson. He was a very smart feline.

Besides, there was no way she was calling Avery, not after the way he’d dismissed her during their last conversation. And she didn’t want him thinking she’d made up this excuse in order to have a reason to call him. Romeo would be around here—somewhere.

“Hey, Mom, did you find him?” Jillian returned to the living room to find her mother down on her hands and knees checking under all of the furniture.

Her mother sat back on her heels. “No. And I’m worried.”

“When did you last see him?”

“I don’t know.” She paused as though to give the question some thought. “I think it was when I left this morning.” Her mother’s eyes filled with unshed tears. “Do you think he got outside while I was carrying in the groceries?”

“No. He knows how cold it is out there.”

“I hope you’re right. I don’t want to imagine him out in the dark, cold night.” Her mother sniffled. “And he’s not used to it. And…and it would be all my fault.”

Now definitely wasn’t the time for Jillian to confess about Romeo’s prior excursion. It would just make her mother worry all the more and then she’d insist Jillian call Avery. And there was no way Romeo would be at Avery’s house. He probably wouldn’t even remember how to get there.

Jillian checked behind the couch for a second time. “Before you think the worst, we should keep checking here. He could have gotten closed in a cabinet or closet.”

Her mother’s eyes widened. “You’re right. I’ll start checking upstairs.”

“And I’ll search down here,” Jillian said, already headed for the kitchen. “Yell, if you find him.”

“You do the same,” her mother called out.

In the kitchen, Jillian stopped next to the cabinet closest to the back door. Romeo was the curious sort and he had managed to pull open a cabinet door before. One by one, Jillian inspected the inside of each cabinet.

And then her phone buzzed. She thought of ignoring it, but then she realized that if Romeo had gotten out that her cell number was on his tag. She pulled the phone from the back pocket of her jeans. She glanced at the caller ID and found it was Avery.

Was it possible Romeo had actually made his way back to Avery’s house?

Impossible.

She was about to let the call go to voicemail and deal with Avery later, but she couldn’t ignore the fact that Avery might have seen Romeo roaming about town. Now, that was a very real possibility because Avery wouldn’t have any other reason to call her.

On the fourth buzz, she pressed a button and lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello.”