Juliana woke later when her stomach rumbled. Judging by how
the light had changed, she must have slept a few hours. When she
glanced up at the clock, she was surprised to see that the cat had
hopped up on the bed and curled himself into a little ball, sleeping up
against her. She made a mental note to figure out how he was getting
in the house. He woke when she patted him and came to her, loving
on her cheeks and her hands some more.
“You know, you remind me of someone I know. Or thought I
knew. Turns out he was a tomcat, too. Maybe I should call you Ashes
since you’re such a pretty, dark grey color. Would you like that?”
“Meow.” Bash on the cheek.
“Ashes it is, then.”
“Meow.” Bash on the chin.
“I’m hungry. Let’s make some lunch.”
It was after one o’clock when she put the washed dishes in the
drainer, put on her shoes, and locked up the house. She went around
to the Hawkinses’ back door, and Ashes was hot on her heels until he
saw Bill. The cat beat a hasty retreat, stopping to look back at Juliana,
seeming to wink at her before he disappeared through the hedge,
purring.
“I think you’ve found a lifelong friend there, Juliana,” Bill said.
“Any chance you’d take him with you when you go back home?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Bill. I’m not home much. It would be cruel to
have a pet like him cooped up in the house all day long. I couldn’t
give him the care and attention with the kinds of hours I have to
work.” She grinned at him and added, “Nice try, though.”
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Heather Rainier
“Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“I guess he’s claimed me.”
“Do us all a favor and claim him right back?”
“Bill, will you stop!” Gladys said, trying to hide her laughter
behind an admonishing tone. “The poor girl just got here.”
The Hawkinses were thoughtful and seemed to sense her quiet
mood and so didn’t press her too much during the boat ride, letting
her enjoy the cool, quiet afternoon. They fished for a little while, but
nothing was biting, so they rode over to a restaurant that had a boat
dock and had supper together.
The water was peaceful in the canal as Bill motored down to his
boat dock and lift. He helped the girls from the boat, and then they
helped him get it secured and winched back out of the water.
Juliana felt better for having been in the company of good friends,
and being out on the water always helped her to feel loose and
relaxed. She was pleasantly surprised that the motion of the boat over
the water had not bothered her stomach at all, especially after eating,
and for that she was especially grateful.
After thanking them for dinner and hugging them both good night,
Juliana walked back to the house. She unlocked the back door and
reached inside to flip on the light.
* * * *
Exhausted, dirty, and utterly spent, Ash finally pulled next to the
curb in front of the house Allen had given him directions to. Seeing
her white Camaro parked in the drive filled him with a mix of
jubilation and humility. He had some explaining to do.
Getting out, he went to the front door and knocked. No one
answered. He knocked a couple more times. Maybe she’d gone out
with friends for supper. He climbed in his truck and rode back into
Rockport. He picked up supper and brought it back to eat so he could
be there when she got home. It was nearly twilight, and she still
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215
wasn’t there when he returned, so he lowered the windows and ate his
take-out supper.
After he’d eaten his sandwich, he put his seat back and pulled his
hat down to cover his eyes. He nodded off for a while, keeping an ear
open for sounds of her return. He awoke to the strangest sensation
tickling his fingers. He reached up to tilt his hat back on his head and
looked into the eyes of the biggest damn tomcat he’d ever seen.
“Well, hello, big fella. Who might you be?” he murmured,
allowing the cat to continue licking his fingers. He must have smelled
Ash’s food and jumped in the truck to investigate. “You’re a big old
boy, aren’t you?”
“Meow.” The cat climbed in his lap and rubbed his face against
Ash’s fingers then bumped his chest with the side of his head.
“You marking your territory? You’re doing a better job than I’ve
done.”
“Meow.” The cat rubbed the side of his head against Ash’s jaw
and turned to be petted.
“You know any pretty, redheaded city girls staying around here?”
Ash asked, making conversation with the tom as he rubbed against his