Page 178 of Waiting Game

Her voice wanes off so I gently murmur, “And so the tradition commenced.”

Mentions of her parents still come few and far between so I let her shift focus onto the path ahead without prompting her to talk, knowing she will when she’s ready.

Be that in ten minutes or ten years, I’ll be here, ready to listen.

Both of us maneuver around a kid on a tricycle who’s racing alongside his mom on the path as we merge toward the business district for a coffee shop we found last week.

Without saying a word, both of us speed up.

It’s become this stupid competition—who’ll touch the door handle of the coffee shop first.

While Mia races toward it, she’s two feet from touching the door when she brakes to a sudden halt.

It’s so sudden, in fact, that it’s borderline comical.

Her head whips around again to face me but this time, she’s scowling. “Not funny, Cole!”

Confused, I stop running and quickly shift my gaze higher. “What are you talking about?”

“Meowing like that.”

“I didn’t meow,” I deny, utterly bewildered by her annoyance.

She stacks her hands on her hips. “Sure you did. You were trying to cheat.”

Because that’s ridiculous, I huff out a laugh and mimic her stance. “I don’t need to cheat.”

“You haven’t won the race once.”

“So? I’m getting faster.” Her ass is my version of hanging a carrot in front of a donkey. Except it’s worth losing to watch her run.

“You meowed.”

“I swear to fuck I didn’t.”

She scowls at me, then her head jerks around. “There! That was that noise again.”

“I didn’t hear it.”

“Are you deaf or something?” she grumbles, but she stalks toward the corner of the coffee shop building.

Call me a jerk, but I make sure to tap the door handle before I take off after her.

At first, I don’t see her.

Then, I realize she’s kneeling on the ground.

“Oh, Cole,” she cries.

“What is it?”

Rushing over to her side, that’s when I hear it too—the lowest, quietest, weakest meow.

And I barely hearthatover Mia’s sudden sobs.

“There were three,” she moans, her tone miserable. “Only one made it.”

Looming over her, I see the tiny bodies that are forever still and I clasp her shoulder, fingers digging in.

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