Match Made in Virginia [s. reid]

seven

CHAPTER SEVEN
"YOU HAVEN'T SEEN
HAMMY, HAVE YOU?"
( A RUNAWAY CAT )

"YES, I DID IT!"

There's one thing you should know about Natalie: if she could, or wanted, or even needed to teach herself how to do something, she would without question or hesitation. She would Google and read articles and sites on whatever she was trying to learn, maybe get a book about it and read that as well, and then call a few professionals just to make sure it was able to be done alone, or wouldn't endanger her in anyway. She taught herself how to change a tire one time. She had been on the side of the road with a grumpy eight year old, unable to call Kathrine because she was in an important meeting with a client and Natalie, once adamant on teaching herself, was too stubborn to call a tow trunk or someone else to help. So, she changed the tire by herself, luckily still having the tools she needed from when Ben stuffed them in her trunk in case of emergencies. She taught herself how to paint, how to cook certain meals, how to put together a bed frame and other various furniture, and other things. She even chopped up a tree that had fallen down in her back yard. Albeit small, a tree nonetheless.

So when she found the time, Natalie figured out what exactly was keeping her trunk from closing and fixed it. She just needed to adjust the trunk latch. It sounded simple, and maybe to a mechanic or anyone else familiar with cars it was. But to the 30 year old teacher who could care less how cars worked, it wasn't so easy. She had to wear protective eye wear and once she read that on a reliable website, she knew things wouldn't go smoothly. Now, it went smoother than she thought it would but, still. There was a reason Natalie was a teacher and not a genius on trunk latches and car parts and whatever the hell a latch striker is.

She was proud of herself, though.

The blonde grinned under the glowing light in the garage, eyes shining with pride as she looked at her car trunk which was now shut without the use of the cords Jennifer's husband gave her – Will, that's his name, right? She crossed her arms and took off the eye protection and put it plus the tools she had used back where she found them in the garage, looking out of the opened door and to the street where she had brought the trash cans to a few or so minutes earlier. Her brown eyes then went to the opened door that lead inside of her home, brows knitting together.

"Oh, fuck." Natalie's eyes widened and she rushed inside, searching everywhere in every nook and cranny, calling out for Hamburger. They never let the cat outside in the front yard; only the back yard, which was fenced in, and Hamburger was quite content with it. She climbed the few trees and the fence to sit on top of it and played around with cat toys, but she never left. Let out front, though, and she would disappear within seconds. There was no telling how long the door had been opened or how long it took for the feline to figure out, "Hey, I can go out front with out getting caught," and leaving to go on an adventure.

"Mom?" Holly's groggy voice caught Natalie's attention. "What time is it? And what are you doing?"

Natalie tried to smile as she stood up from looking under the couch for the fifth time. She was pretty sure it came out as a grimace, though . "It's nearly two in the morning, and I'm looking for Hamburger. She isn't in your room is she?"

Holly shook her head, yawning. "She wanted out around ten, right before I went to bed, so I let her. Why?"

The mother ran a hand over her face and through her face. "Crap. I left the door to the house and the garage door open while working on the trunk, she must've gotten out."