by Annette Mori
“Speaking of sweet exploration, you’re single, right?”
“Single, yes. Available, no.”
“Aren’t they the same thing?” Deb asked.
“No. I’ve been driving my own bus to hell, and I’m not taking on any passengers. I haven’t gotten over my partner’s passing, and honestly, I’m not sure I want to. I can offer friendship, though.”
“Doesn’t it get lonely?”
“Terribly. Even when I surround myself with great people, potential long-term partners, or family, I still feel alone. I haven’t found the secret to filling the void yet.”
Deb’s soulful eyes met Olivia’s. “I guess you’re right. I never thought of it like that.” Changing the subject, she added, “Um, I need to pick up something from my condo before visiting with the kittens.”
Olivia looked at the pain and hurt in Deb’s eyes. Somehow, she knew it didn’t have anything to do with the little boy’s tragic death. This time, when she felt the urge to wrap her arms around the woman, the waitress showed up barely in time to stop the insane gesture.
“Um, I’ll meet you at the clinic, okay? Do you know how to get there?”
“Yeah, I think so, it’s the one on Third, right?”
Chapter Eleven
Bri sat at the front desk, swinging her legs in Evie’s chair. She was glad to see her aunt’s smiling face. Instead of trying to make the appointments in the computer, she’d carefully written the names and phone numbers down on the message pad. Olivia had offered to show her how to make appointments on numerous occasions, but Bri didn’t want to make the machine beep and turn into a blue screen—like it did that one time she’d messed with her mom’s computer.
She jumped up and greeted her aunt. “Hi, Aunt Olivia. Two people called for appointments. I wrote it all down. You’re smiling. Did you have fun? Is Kathleen your best friend now?”
“Kathleen had to go back to work early, but I met her sister, Deb, and we had lunch.”
“Is she as pretty as Siera and Kathleen? Are you going to be her next best friend? She’s not married. You could kiss her.” Bri frowned. “But then Kathleen won’t have a best friend.”
Olivia chuckled. “I’m pretty sure Jeremy is Kathleen’s best friend, and I’m not looking to replace Aunt Irene. But it is good to have people to lean on and do things with. You can have more than one person to go to the movies or go on picnics with. I’m sure you’ll be able to add Deb to your growing list of friends.”
Bri wrapped her arms around her aunt and squeezed. “I’m so glad I came to live with you. I love working with the animals and making a lot of new friends.”
“I’m glad you came too. You’ve been indispensable to me.”
Bri scrunched up her face. Sometimes her aunt used big words, and she didn’t exactly know what they meant. She figured it was a compliment by the way her aunt was looking at her.
“It means you are very important to the success of the clinic.”
Bri beamed. “Aunt Olivia, can I use some of my money for the movie tonight? I want to pay for Siera too and get some popcorn and candy. I’ve been saving almost everything. I want to use some of the money I earn.”
“Sure, honey. I’ll give you some cash.”
Bri folded her arms over her chest. “I don’t want your money. I want it from my job.”
“It will be part of your paycheck. I’ll give it to you in cash. Okay?”
She unfolded her arms. “Okay. It’ll be like a real date then.”
“Yes, it will.” Olivia slung her arm around Bri’s shoulder. “By the way, I invited Deb to come by and see the kittens. Are they here yet?”
“No. They’re supposed to be here soon. How come she didn’t come back with you? Were you embarrassed by your messy truck?”
“No, silly. She had to drop by her condo to pick something up.” Olivia’s brow furrowed. “I’m not sure why though; she didn’t say. Oh, and before I forget, your mom called earlier. She mentioned she hasn’t talked to you in a while. Can you please call her tomorrow?”
Bri nodded. She knew her mom worried about her, and she felt bad she hadn’t called sooner to tell her mom about her new friend.
†
Deb rushed back to her condo to pick up the pet carrier. She knew she should have gone to the humane society and picked out a new kitten after Artemis died, but Himalayans were her favorite breed. They tended to be very affectionate, and she missed having a little ball of fur to snuggle up with at night. Besides, she’d have to keep coming back to see the lovely vet if she bought the kitten. She’d have to make sure her beloved pet got all his shots.
The tinkle of the bells on the door announced Deb’s arrival, and she immediately heard the chorus of tiny meows. She knew the woman sitting at the desk wasn’t Bri. A young woman with thick, blonde hair and a big smile poked her head out from one of the exam rooms off to the side, and Deb couldn’t help but return the warm greeting.
“The kittens are in here. Aunt Olivia says you should come on back. They’re so cute. I’ve been petting their fur. It’s really soft. Hey, how come you have a carrier? Did you bring your cat to meet my aunt?”
“You must be Bri. I’m Deb, Siera’s aunt. Can you keep a secret, Bri?”
Bri nodded her head enthusiastically.
“I brought the carrier, because I want the kitten your aunt described to me. The one that looks like the spokeskitten for those got milk commercials.” Deb pointed to her mouth. “You know, the one with a large white marking on his nose and mouth.”
“Oh, you mean, Socks. He’s my favorite. He has white paws too. Aunt Olivia says he gets that from his Birman daddy. They’re a Himalayan/Birman mixed breed. It gives them those special markings. Come on in.”
Four adorable balls of fluff were squirming around, stepping over one another in a large carrier, while an older woman watched over them. Olivia plucked one out and began checking him or her over. Deb wasn’t sure how you could tell the sex when kittens were only six or eight weeks old. Their junk wasn’t very big. She never got the sex right when they were young.
“Hey. I’m glad you came. I was about to give this little guy his deworming medication.” The kitten squirmed in her hand. His mewl was pitiful. “Bri, can you pull out some more medicine please?”
Bri prepared the eyedropper and handed the loaded medicine to her aunt. “It’s all ready to go, Aunt Olivia.”
“Thanks, Bri.” Olivia expertly turned the kitten until she was able to push the dropper into his unsuspecting mouth and squeeze while gently massaging his throat. “One down and three to go.”
“Is the one named Socks still available?” Deb asked.
The older woman smiled and glanced in Olivia’s direction, lifting her eyebrow.
“No, I cannot add another kitten to my household, no matter how cute he is,” Olivia announced.
“Yes, he is,” the woman answered.
“I’d love to take him.” Deb squatted in front of the carrier and peered in. She saw Socks yawning, and it was love at first sight. She reached in to stroke his soft fur. “Can I pick him up?”
“Sure.” The woman nodded.
Socks curled into Deb’s neck and began purring.
“I think he’s found his new mama.” Olivia handed the kitten she’d wormed to Bri, who put him back in the carrier and handed Olivia the next kitten.
“How much?” Deb asked.
“Are you a friend of Olivia’s?” the woman asked.
Deb glanced at the lovely doctor.
“She is,” Olivia answered.
“Then he’s free. I was going to give him to Olivia. She’s been my vet for a long time and saved quite a few of my babies over the years. I know you’ll take good care of him, and now Olivia can visit him whenever she wants.” The woman winked.
“I will take great care of him, and Olivia is welcome to visit him anytime.” Deb grinned.
“You should come to the movie with us tonight. We’re going to see the new Twilight movi
e. You can be Aunt Olivia’s date. Siera is mine,” Bri announced.
“I accept.”
Olivia coughed and looked away, but hadn’t corrected the date comment. Not only was Deb getting a new kitten and had finagled a movie date, but now she had a reason to invite the gorgeous doctor over. Yes, things were looking up.
†
Siera skipped along, swinging the loaf of bread she’d bought at Walmart after finishing her shift. She wanted to contribute in some small way to feeding the geese and wasn’t exactly sure what they ate. Her boss told her chunks of bread would work. She tried to remember what Bri brought to feed them. She knew it wasn’t bread, but she’d forgotten to ask her the night before.
Bri was swinging her feet on the bench and tossing something yellow to the geese who were brave enough to come close. Siera saw her bobbing her head and wondered if she was listening to music. When Siera got close, Bri turned her head and pulled out her headphones. Her wide grin let Siera know she was pleased she’d finally made it to the park.
“I brought bread for the geese,” Siera said proudly. When Bri’s smile disappeared, Siera wondered what she had done wrong. She couldn’t help it when her eyes began to water.
“I’m stupid. I should have asked what to bring.” Siera flopped down on the bench, dejected.
Bri tossed another handful to the eager birds before putting her arm across Siera’s shoulder and pulling her close. “It’s okay. I can teach you about what they eat. I didn’t always know either. Aunt Olivia had to tell me. Bread is not the best thing for them. Sometimes we throw too much out. It stays on the ground and gets moldy. When they eat the moldy bread, stuff gets in their lungs and can hurt them. Bread isn’t very nutritious. We’re supposed to feed them cracked corn, birdseed, or other grains. You can also bring stuff you put in a salad. Aunt Olivia says they like leafy greens, especially cauliflower leaves.”
“Oh.” Siera looked down.
Bri kissed her cheek. “It was sweet of you to think of them. Aunt Olivia always says, ‘it’s the thought that counts.’ It was a real nice thought. We can save it to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I like those. Maybe we can have a picnic lunch. Do you work tomorrow?”
Siera shook her head. She touched the place where Bri had kissed her cheek and felt something fluttering around in her tummy, but not in a bad way like when she got the stomach flu.
Bri grinned. “Neither do I. Do you want to have a picnic here by the lake tomorrow? We can bring some more food for the geese.”
Siera wanted to say yes, but she’d already told her mom she’d spend the day with her. She liked to have special mom days sometimes. Dad got to have those with her a lot when he wasn’t working his long shift or having a man day with Toby.
“I wish I could. I promised I would do something with Mom. Just the two of us. Could we do it on Sunday?”
“You don’t work on Sunday?” Bri removed her arm and began scooping up more bits of corn from the plastic bag. She tossed a handful to a lone bird, who slowly approached the group. Siera noticed how Bri always seemed to make sure everyone got a share of the food. She thought that was kind.
“Nope. I have the whole weekend off. I have to work next weekend.”
It was too bad Bri had removed her arm. Siera wanted to sit with Bri’s arm around her shoulder all night long, but then they would miss the movie. She was looking forward to that.
“I wish we had the same schedule.” Bri sighed.
“Me too. I wish I didn’t work at Walmart. I hate it. I’d rather work with animals. I’m probably not as good as you. I’m not as smart about what they should eat. I work really hard and I’m strong. I could carry things or move heavy boxes.”
“I’m gonna ask Aunt Olivia if we need another person to help at the clinic. I’ll bet she would hire you if we do. Can we have our picnic on Sunday then?”
Siera beamed. “I’ll make the sandwiches. Do you like strawberry jam?”
“It’s my favorite,” Bri answered.
“We got some from the farmer’s market. It’s so good. I put it on everything—even my pancakes. I like it better than maple syrup.”
“I don’t like maple syrup. Aunt Olivia buys blueberry syrup. ’Cause she makes blueberry pancakes. She says the syrupy goodness makes the berries burst with flavor.”
“I might like that.”
“You should come over for Sunday breakfast.”
“Okay. I’ll ask my mom if I can.”
They sat on the bench engulfed in tranquility, tossing bird seed and cracked corn to the geese and a few ducks that had wandered over for the free food. Bri tossed the last of the bird seed out across the lush, green grass. As Siera leaned back into Bri’s embrace, Olivia’s truck pulled into the parking lot.
Siera turned her head and saw Olivia walking over to them. She thought her Aunt Deb was sitting in the passenger seat. She squinted to get a better look, but the sun created a glare.
“Hey girls. Are you ready to grab a Subway sandwich before we head to the movie? We won’t have a lot of time before the show starts. I hope you don’t mind that I picked up a hitchhiker who wants to join us.” As Olivia walked up the path, the geese scattered.
“That’s dangerous. My mom said you should never pick up strangers,” Siera parroted what her mom always told her.
Olivia chuckled. “She’s not a stranger. Sorry, Siera. I was teasing. Your Aunt Deb decided to join us. I met her today at lunch, when your mom and I were talking. She’s been hanging out at the clinic and helped me close up tonight, after Bri took off for her nightly ritual. Bri’s been leaving a little earlier than usual these days. I can’t imagine why.” Olivia winked.
Siera blushed. She sensed Olivia was teasing her and Bri. She liked how Olivia treated them as if they were like everyone else.
Bri turned her head, placed her hand above her eyes, and looked in the direction of Olivia’s truck. “Is Socks in the truck? We can’t leave him while we’re at the movie. Can we, Aunt Olivia? That wouldn’t be good for him.”
“Don’t worry, I followed Deb back to her condo, so she could drop off her car and Socks. We stayed for a few minutes to make sure he got used to his new digs. He seemed quite content when we left. I believe he staked a claim on her bed right away.”
Bri shook cracked corn and seed crumbs from her lap onto the ground and stood up. “I gotta get my bike.”
Siera jumped up and linked her free hand with Bri’s. “I’ll help you.”
“I hope you girls don’t mind crawling into the back. I know the seats aren’t very big, but there’s four of us. Even if we had room in the bed of the truck, it’s not safe to travel back there.”
“It’s okay, Aunt Olivia. We’re both a lot shorter than you and Deb. We don’t mind. It’ll be like a double date.”
“Really?” Siera’s eyes opened wide. “I never went on a date before.”
“I got my own money and everything. It’s my treat.” Bri smiled.
Chapter Twelve
Kathleen glanced at the clock on the wall for the tenth time. It was only nine thirty, but she couldn’t help her nervousness. She was expecting Siera home any minute. Jeremy had picked up a last-minute shift, so it was up to her to interpret how Siera’s evening went and whether her budding friendship with Bri was cause for concern.
When she heard a truck door slam, she jumped up and peeked out the window. Bri and Siera were walking up the sidewalk, hand in hand, with huge smiles on their faces. How could she squelch the pure joy she saw emanating from Siera? Besides, how dangerously could the relationship evolve? They were two innocent girls, who probably didn’t have the foggiest idea about attraction or physical intimacy. She shook her head at her earlier thoughts and concerns.
She hovered by the front door and couldn’t help eavesdropping on their conversation. She continued to observe them through the opening in the blinds.
“Thank you for asking me to the movie. This was the best date ever,” Siera said.
“I’ll see you on Sunday. Do you think we could ride our bikes to the park? Can you make it that far?”
“I think so. I’ll have my dad look at my bike. He likes to make sure everything is in tip top shape. That’s what he always tells me.”
Bri hugged Siera and kissed her cheek. “Goodnight. I hope you have very sweet dreams.”
The porch light illuminated Siera’s blush. “Goodnight, Bri.”
Kathleen stepped back, when she heard the door handle turn. She rushed to the couch. She didn’t want it to appear obvious she had been impatiently waiting for Siera to return.
Siera bounded into the room. “Hi, Mom. The movie was so good. I felt sorry for Jacob, because Bella chose Edward. He was so hurt. I’m glad Bri doesn’t have another best friend. I would be really sad if she chose her over me.”
“Did I hear something about Sunday?” Kathleen asked.
“Oh yeah. I forgot to ask. Can I go on a picnic with Bri on Sunday? She asked about tomorrow. I told her I couldn’t, because that’s our special day. I’m making the peanut butter sandwiches with the bread I got.” Siera held up the loaf of bread clutched in her hands.
“Why do you have bread?”
“I was going to help Bri feed the geese. She told me bread wasn’t very good for them. I’m going to use it for our picnic lunch. Dates are fun.” Siera sat on the couch next to her mother.
Kathleen frowned. “Dates?”
“Yeah, me and Bri are dating like Aunt Deb and Olivia. Aunt Deb went to the movies with us tonight. We had a double date. She said Olivia isn’t one of her new friends.” Siera knitted her eyebrows. “I didn’t understand. It kinda looked like it to me, and I said so. That made Olivia choke on her Coke.”
“Do you know what a date means, Siera?”
“Yeah, it’s when you like someone a lot and want to do things with them. I like Bri. I’m happy when I go to the park to feed the geese with her. Or when I go to her house and have pizza. Or she comes here for dinner. When two people who like each other go to the movies together, it’s a date. Bri said it was a date. She paid for my movie and popcorn. That was nice of her, wasn’t it, Mom?”
