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Whether or not I liked Dr. Roman, the truth was we were all going to be stuck in this car together for quite some time. I could at least listen to what Dr. Roman had to say. Especially considering Nan and Octo-Cat now hung on his every word. Even little Paisley sat with both ears erect as she happily squinted her eyes in that special way Chihuahuas do when they are completely content with life.

I listened without complaint as Dr. Roman delivered his list of seven must-haves for creating romance, and I said nothing when he launched into his guided meditation for romantic mindfulness. But by the time he started in on the aphrodisiac effect of certain foods and beverages, I’d had enough.

“Let’s stop for coffee,” I said, then let out a giant, demonstrative yawn.

“Shhhhhh,” all three of the others hissed at me.

Even though they were talking to me, it was Dr. Roman’s voice that quieted as a ringing sound poured out of the car’s speakers.

Nan pressed a button on the radio and Charles’s voice filled the car. “Hey, how’s the drive going?” he asked.

“I hope you don’t mind, dear,” Nan said, “but I hooked your phone up to the Bluetooth because I knew your fellow would be calling before too long. Looks like I was right.”

I smiled, so incredibly grateful for the distraction I could have cried. “Totally fine,” I told both Nan and Charles since it applied to both of the things they’d said. “We’re making good time. How are things there?”

Charles sucked in a sharp breath.

And that was all I needed to know good news wouldn’t be coming.

Chapter Nine

“The flock is here,” Charles whispered into the phone.“They’re in my front yard. Dozens of them.”

“What?” I shouted, eliciting a fresh string of complaints from the crabby tabby in the back seat.“Why?”

“I don’t know. I can’t exactly talk to them on my own,” Charles pointed out, and of course he was right.

“Do you want me to turn around? We’ve only been at it a few hours. I can come back. You don’t have to deal with this on—”

Even before I finished that offer, Octo-Cat flew forward from the back seat, scaring the life out of me. When he landed on my lap, claws and all, I swerved into the next lane. Thank goodness, the road was still mostly empty on this stretch.

“Easy there, girl,” Nan said, stroking the dashboard of her car lovingly.

“Is everything okay?” Charles asked, his worry echoing around the car’s cushy interior.

“No, we’re fine. But I guess I’m not turning around.”

“You better not be,” Octo-Cat warned, digging his claws into my thighs once again to emphasize his point.

“Do you want to put me on FaceTime or something?” I offered meekly.“So that I can talk to the seagulls for you?”

“It’s okay. I mean, it’s definitely unnerving, but I think they’re just keeping an eye on me,” he said.

The tap turned on, and the sound of fresh water rushing into his empty coffee pot gave me a wicked craving for my favorite caffeinated beverage. Oh, how I wished I was there with him rather than on this obnoxious road trip.

“They must’ve followed me home last night,” Charles continued. “I’m getting that they don’t trust me.”

“I don’t know much about birds,” I admitted as we passed a semi-truck on the left. “They’ve never been willing to talk to me before now, but my guess is they just want to make sure you don’t forget about them.” I shrugged even though he couldn’t see the gesture.

“Well, it makes me uncomfortable,” he informed me. “Whenever I look out the window all their beady eyes snap to me. They’re sizing me up. It’s unnerving, really.”

“I’m sorry.” And I truly was sorry. “I shouldn’t have asked you to—”

“No,” he cut me off. “I want to do this for you. For your family. I’m just not sure I totally understand what’s expected.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Charles still had more to say.

“I researched case precedents last night before going to bed. You know, just in case those things matter to seagulls, and I did find a few cases that could work. Winning this for the flock should be pretty simple, but whether or not we can win isn’t what concerns me here.”

“It’s having the whole flock camping out in your yard,” I finished for him.

“Yeah. It doesn’t seem right. Why don’t they trust me? What do they expect me to find?”

“You don’t think they told us the full truth about the war?” I asked.

“Or the disappearance of the other flock,” he confirmed. Coffee now gurgled and brewed on Charles’s side of the conversation.

“Do you think there’s something important we’re missing here?” I prompted while my mouth salivated for the hot bitter rush of that coffee.

“I definitely think it’s worth checking out,” he agreed. “I know they’re just birds, but still I’d like to know the truth.”

“I wish I were there to help,” I moaned. “It feels wrong to be so far removed from the situation, especially since you wouldn’t even be doing this if it weren’t for me.”