As I was filling the glass, a pair of glowing yellow eyes pierced through me.
“What the fuck?” I yelped, stumbling backward and into the counter. A black cat leaped to the floor in front of me. It peered at me through slits, probably trying to decide whether I was there to rob the joint and how much of a fight it was willing to put up if I was.
Apparently, I wasn’t worth the effort, because the cat began cleaning itself, revealing the tiniest white patch on its chest.
McKenzie has a black cat. Of course she does.
With the water in hand, I started back toward the couch, taking in the pictures on the wall. There was some quirky pop art of cats, including one that was dressed like Dolly Parton. There was McKenzie with Katie and Dallas outside Katie’s Kitchen, and a few photos of her with more people I assumed were friends. Then there were some photos of what looked like a young McKenzie with a woman who had her nose and her eyes, and a slightly older boy who shared her smile.
He appeared in many of the memories along the wall, but my gaze snagged on one picture in particular. It was of McKenzie and that same boy, both of whom appeared to be teenagers at the time. He wore a My Chemical Romance shirt, and she was grinning up at him like he was her whole world.
The door to the bathroom flung open, and McKenzie stepped out on wobbly legs.
“How you doing?” I asked, rushing to her side.
“I’ve definitely been better,” she said, gratefully taking the water and chugging it down.
“I met your cat, by the way.”
“Which one?”
“There’s more than one?” I asked. “The one I saw was black.”
“That’s Binx,” she said. “I’ve always had a thing forHocus Pocus. Creative, I know.”
“Where’s the other one?”
She snorted. “Probably hiding under the bed because there’s a stranger in the house. If you see a round raccoon-looking cat on stick legs running around here, his name is Earl Grey.”
“I’ll make sure to introduce myself,” I joked. “How about we get you in bed and let you sleep this off?”
She nodded, and I followed her to her room, hovering in the doorway.
“How are you feeling? Should I bring a trash can in here just in case?” I asked.
“Actually, that might not be the worst idea.” She gave me a weak smile.
“You have some ibuprofen? I could bring you some and refill your water while I’m at it.”
“Yeah,” she answered. “It’s in the medicine cabinet.”
“I’ll go get that while you get changed. Just open the door when you’re done.”
I didn’t run into any other cats as I took her glass and set about getting what I needed, and it wasn’t long before I heard the click of the door opening. When I entered, I found McKenzie in an oversized sweatshirt that nearly went to her knees and nothing else. I didn’t know how it was possible for someone to be that fucking adorable.
“Thanks,” she said, taking the water and pills from my hand, and knocking them back as I placed the bathroom trash can beside the bed.
I peeled the covers back, and she climbed inside.
“How’s that?” I asked.
“A lot better than the bushes, where I’d probably still be if it wasn’t for you.”
I grinned. “Glad I could help. Are you sure I can’t get you something to—”
“God no,” she groaned. “I can’t even think about food. Actually, I’m kinda hoping this bed swallows me up, and I can disappear into the abyss.”
I shook my head and chuckled. “All right. Well, I’ll just be in the living room if you need anything.”
