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Unfortunately, any resolve I had to fight Nolan soared straight out the window when he handed me the kitten. It sank into the folds of my chunky sweater, and I melted with an audible sound.
Damn it. We now had a new kitten.
“Don’t tell Declan,” Nolan whispered.
“I can hear you, Nol,” Declan called out.
“No, you can’t.”
“Yes, I can.”
“If I can pretend I don’t hear you screwing your fiancé in your office when you think I’m not here then you can pretend you don’t know about the new cat,” Nolan shot back. The playful animosity that had blossomed between Declan and Nolan over the last month or so was gold-star entertainment.
The following pause was palpable. I giggled. Raven giggled from wherever she was in Declan’s office—painting thankfully and dealing with her gallery manager in Chicago.
“What cat?” Declan relented finally.
“Exactly.” Nolan leaned against the counter and affectionately scratched the kitten behind the ears. A fond smile crossed his lips as he studied the orange fluffball. “Clover.”
“Clover? Is that her name?” I was guessing. I couldn’t tell a male kitten from a female kitten.
“I found her in a little crate with a clover on it,” he explained. Oh, I liked that. “It seemed fitting. But I don’t think Sir Remington will take to another cat. He just barely tolerates the others now.”
“Make her Declan’s office cat,” I suggested playfully, knowing full well that Declan was listening to us. The scrape of wheels on the tile made me laugh. Seconds later, he appeared in the doorway with a deep scowl on his bearded face. Where Nolan was lanky and all limbs, Declan was a solid wall of muscle with broad shoulders, muscles made for one of Nolan’s romance books, and this whole rugged lumberjack thing about him. Granted, maybe that was because he was a lumberjack.
“No cats,” Declan announced with an attempt at finality in his voice. Like he had a choice. If this little kitten was going to be an office cat, he’d be stuck with her. When Nolan said nothing on the matter, Declan sighed and ran hand through his auburn hair. “I can’t have a kitten fucking up all my client files, Nol.”
“You won’t even notice her,” Nolan said.
“Look how small she is!” I swooned. I held Clover up, pressing her tiny little cheek to mine as we tried to talk Declan into it. That scowl only deepened. “But she’s so cute!”
“I want to see!” Raven shouted.
“Raven! Honey! What the fuck are you doing?” Declan demanded, freezing as she crawled under his legs.
“You’re blocking the door, baby,” she retorted as her blonde head popped out of the doorway. I laughed and angled the kitten in her direction, watching her whiskey eyes light up with excitement. She was on the cat train with us.
“Then ask me to move!”
“Oh, we need an office cat!” she exclaimed, completely ignoring him. She crawled the rest of the way out and hopped to her feet. I handed Clover over for a shower of kisses and baby talk. “Aren’t you just the cutest little thing? How can you say no to this face, Declan? Look at her itty bitty nose!”
“It’s a nose,” he said dryly. Despite his tone, I caught the little smile hiding behind his beard as he watched her melt. He always looked at Raven that way—like the sun rose and set with her. I had a feeling that’d never change. I hoped that never changed for them. It was enviable. “All cats have noses.”
“She can’t live in the store, Nolan,” Raven told him. “She’ll get lonely.”
“She has a point,” I agreed. I would’ve offered to take her, but truthfully, I didn’t want a cat in my house. Entertaining and loving on Nolan’s was enough for me. “It’s not fair for her to be stuck down here while you’re upstairs. Especially not when she’s so little.”
“I guess I can ask around and see if someone can take her,” Nolan replied wistfully. Oh, he was already attached. Poor guy.
“No,” Declan cut in immediately. I glanced away from Nolan long enough to see Raven and Declan in a stare-down.
“We can’t just leave her here,” Raven replied.
“He can find her a new home.”
“Holly could use a friend.”
“Holly has you,” Declan said with the utmost seriousness. “Her job is taking care of you. She doesn’t need a cat distracting her. What if something happened to you while Holly was distracted?”
