Page 85 of David's Love

Her legs, chest, and belly are white, and her back, ears, and face are red-brownish. It's a beautiful cat with jade green eyes and an aristocratic look on her face.

A hint of suspicion flickers through her eyes.

I can’t blame her.

I bet no one has walked closer to her owner’s house lately.

A trimmed hedge separates the two properties.

I shift my focus to the house in front of me.

Still no sign of people. Cautiously, I stop a few feet from the doorbell and look at the windows.

“Hello? Is anybody home?” I ask, loud enough so anyone in the neighborhood can hear me.

I don’t want to make it look like I’m sneaking up to this house.

No answer.

I speak again.

The silence is deafening.

Eventually, I walk to the door and ring the bell. The sound is hollow and produces no results. No lights come on, no footsteps trail the living room, and no dog barks.

A door creaks to my side, and my eyes go quickly in that direction.

A tall woman with short silver hair, a hint of tan, and a dozen bangles around her left wrist picks up the cat from the railing.

Comfortable with the woman’s touch, the cat regards me with frosted indifference while the woman’s fingers slowly move over her head.

“May I help you?” she says, her gray eyes coasting over my face.

“Uh… Yes.”

I pivot in her direction and stop at the hedge.

“I’m looking for Eleanor Winston. I was hoping to find her and talk to her today. Do you know when she comes home?”

She narrows her eyes at me with mistrust.

“Who told you she’d be here today?”

I instantly know that I need to earn her trust.

“Frankly, no one. I thought she’d be here and willing to talk to me. Clarify some things. This is about a friend of mine. A man…” I say, realizing I’m not making any headway with her. “He is connected to this woman in some way. And I want to learn more about her.”

“Why don’t you ask him?”

My cheeks burn with a blush.

“I wish I could do that, but we are not that closeyet.”

Her eyes defrost to a degree, a hint of curiosity sparkling in them.

“I think it’s better if I learn on my own,” I go on, trying to win her over.

“What’s his name?” she asks.

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