Josh shrugged. “Yep. I work in litigation.”
“Isn’t that, like,especiallyevil?” Then Paige thought better of it. “Sorry. We just met, and I don’t actually really know anything about law firms.”
Josh laughed. “It’s fine. You’re not wrong. Well, not evil, per se. But the firm represents some, uh, less nice people.”
There was a metallic jingle followed by a feline howl that interrupted the underbaked joke Paige was about to make about lawyers. Probably for the best.
“I think we got one,” said Josh. He approached the closed trap carefully. Paige walked up behind him and gazed into the trap.
A very angry black-and-white cat was indeed inside. He hissed at Josh, which made Josh jump back and bump into Paige. She grabbed his waist to keep from falling and was startled both by how strong and hard his body was and by how good he smelled.
Hoo boy.
She cleared her throat and backed off. Her heart raced as she realized what was happening. They’d caught a cat! Paige cautiously leaned down to get a better look at the little guy in the trap. Josh stood near her, close enough that she could still feel the heat from his body.
“Not sure I can carry a crate full of angry cat by myself,” Josh said, sizing up the trap. “I think if you grab the handle on the far end, I’ll take this side, and we’ll carry it over to Mitch. Deal?”
“It’s worth a shot.”
The cat fought ferociously, jumping around the trap and snarling while Josh and Paige carried it over to the van. The walk was only about ten feet, but Paige was terrified she’d drop the trap and injure the cat. She wished the cat would calm down, but he was pretty mad about getting stuck in the trap. Mitch smiled as they approached, which was unnerving. “Got a live one, eh?” Mitch said.
Paige was happy to be relieved of the trap. Mitch took it from her and put it on the floor of the van. “I got it from here. Take this new trap.”
And so Paige and Josh set up another trap. Once it was ready, Josh sat on a curb made by a little island in the parking lot, so Paige sat beside him. Her heart still felt a little fluttery, but Josh’s presence was reassuring.
She really liked this guy. He was charming and handsome. Paige liked how his hair fell over his eyes, liked his strong body, liked the way he moved as he helped her set up the traps. His voice had a nice cadence to it. He licked his lips and she thought about what it might be like to kiss them. Which was crazy, because she never just went for it like this on a first date, and they weren’t even on a date!
“You have any pets?” Josh asked.
“I do have a cat. She’s a lot nicer than that guy was. She doesn’t much like going in her carrier, but usually I can lure her in there with treats. I really thought that cat would get out and kill us.”
Josh glanced back toward the van. “Yeah. My heart is still pounding, actually.” Then he shook his head. “Was that a bad thing to admit? Do you think less of me now?”
“Nope. These feral cats are scary.”
“Oh, good.”
His honesty was something else, too. Many other guys would have tried to be all macho, but Josh seemed to have no trouble admitting that cat had scared him. That was endearing.
A cute guy who was smart and had a real job and seemed genuine? He was a real diamond in the rough. Paige wasn’t normally very aggressive with men, but she felt like she had to do something to make the most of the universe putting Josh in her path. Maybe she could invite him for a drink or to her place or…
But that was all so forward. Not at all like her. On the other hand, whatever she’d been doing with men hadn’t been working. She wanted Josh. Why shouldn’t she go for it?
“Well, what now?” he asked.
“I guess we wait.”
* * *
That first cat must have been an outlier, because no other cats even approached the traps while Paige and Josh sat there. Some of the other volunteers floated over to chat as the hour wore on. Mitch suggested changing out the lure in the trap to a smellier brand of cat food, so they tried that. A few of the other pairs snagged cats, but Paige and Josh stood between two empty traps while nothing happened.
Which wasn’t a hardship. Josh was enjoying spending time with Paige. She was friendly and funny and kept the conversation moving when Josh felt like he was running out of things to talk about. She was gorgeous, too. Long, wavy blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, revealing a heart-shaped face and plump pink lips. Even in just a hoodie and jeans, she looked beautiful, the sort of woman who could pull off a burlap sack and make it look like high fashion. Her laugh was angelic. This was a woman he wanted to get to know better. He was about to ask her a question when Mitch announced that they were gonna start shutting down for the night within the next ten minutes.
“Time really flies when nothing’s happening,” Josh said.
Paige laughed—wow, that laugh hit him right in the gut—and said, “Sure does. I’m almost sad this is ending. It’s been fun not trapping cats with you tonight.”
“Yeah, same. Although, we could go get a drink or something now. If you know anywhere in the neighborhood, I mean.” Josh tried to give her his best suggestive face. “The night doesn’t have to end here.”
