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“Chosen me?” Emily froze, and the kitten protested, bumping his head against the fingers that had stopped scratching his neck.
“Oh, yes. You’re his person. He didn’t budge for Damian, even when offered milk, but he came right out for you.” Mrs. Martine laughed. “That’s the cat distribution system at work right there.”
“I…” Emily looked down at the kitten, then over at Damian. “I’ve never thought about having a pet before.”
“It does look like he’s adopted you. He didn’t want anything to do with me.” Damian picked up the useless saucer of milk and got to his feet, holding it in front of him for her to take. She did so and put it down next to the kitten, who sniffed it and turned up his nose. Brushing the dirt off his jeans, Damian’s eyebrows rose at the cat’s snobbery. “Huh. Well, maybe he just doesn’t like milk. But he clearly likes you.”
“I told you skim milk wouldn’t work,” Mrs. Martine scolded him, shaking her head and pushing her glasses up her nose.
At times like this, she reminded him of his mom. Damian shrugged. It was all he’d had on hand. He didn’t drink a lot of milk.
“Though Emily didn’t need milk at all.” Mrs. Martine looked at Emily. “That’s how we know he’s your cat.”
“Huh.” Picking up the little kitten, who seemed thrilled to be handled, she blinked. “I… what do I do with him?”
“Take him to the vet to get checked out. Get him a collar and a tag, register him with the city, and get him microchipped. Get food and toys, and a litterbox. A bed.” With every item he listed, Emily’s eyes got bigger and bigger.
“I can help you buy some of the things,” Mrs. Martine offered, clearly thinking that Emily’s reaction was due to the cost. Getting a new pet was always expensive.
“Oh, no, I’ve… I’ve got it. The new job is going to pay really well,” Emily replied, cuddling the kitten closer. “I just, wow. That’s a lot.”
“It’s easier than a dog.” Damian chuckled. “You’ll need to clean the litterbox, but he won’t need walks, and he’ll be fine being on his own while you’re at work during the day.”
“That’s true,” she said softly, stroking the kitten between his little ears.
Deciding it was weird of him not to, Damian stepped forward to let the kitten sniff his hand and give him a little pet, too. Standing so close to Emily nearly took his breath away. She huffed out a breath, peeking up at him through her lashes as she blushed.
Fuck.
He could only hope Mrs. Martine didn’t pick up on the simmering tension in the air between him and Emily. Quickly stepping away, he brushed his hand off on his thigh and cleared his throat.
“Tell you what, I’ll go get you the things you’ll need for the first week or so. You go set up your trailer for having a kitten. You’ll need to find a space for all his things.”
“Oh… well, okay. That makes sense. I’ll pay you back.” The way she was looking at him made him take another step back because what he really wanted to do was take her by the hips and pull her forward. Getting this close to her had been a mistake.
“No, that’s okay.”
“I insist.”
“Just let him pay, dear. There’s no harm in accepting help.” Mrs. Martine smiled benignly. “I want to give you some cash, too. Pick him up some treats for me. I might not be able to pet him without breaking out in hives, but I can still spoil him a little.”
“Of course, Mrs. Martine,” Damian said, smiling back at her and giving Emily a look. See? People want to help. It makes them feel good to help. Let us help.
She probably felt like he’d already helped enough, but it would be incredibly suspicious if he didn’t offer to do something. Besides, he liked helping her. And it was good practice for her to accept help, especially from him, with no expectation of him receiving anything in return. He wanted her to know that she didn’t have to repay him in any way.
Emily took a deep breath as he raised his eyebrow at her.
“Thank you both very much.” The kitten rubbed his head against the underside of her chin, purring loudly, as if he could sense that a decision had been made. Her smile widened. “I guess I’m a cat mom now. I should think of a name for him.”
“Let me know what it is when I get back.” Damian needed to get away from her before Mrs. Martine picked up on the vibes around them. He gave them both a salute and started toward his trailer.
As first encounters post-taking-her-virginity went, that one hadn’t been so bad.
Emily
I have a cat.
This was the last thing she’d expected to happen today.
