I’ve been an optimist my entire life.I will not let one shitty day take away my hope.
Call me back.Please.
I read his messages again, analyzing every word.
If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have come over to say goodbye.See!I knew he cared.
When I get to the part about Kat in a shelter…
It hadn’t even registered the first time I read it.
Poor, sweet little kitten.
What if no one adopts her?What if she’s all alone in a cage, scared and depressed?
I don’t want her to be on her own.
Maybe we could start a “Missing Ethan Davis” support group.
I slam my door closed and turn the key in the ignition, but nothing happens.I try again and again and again, but my damn car has given up on me too, which leaves me pedaling like a madwoman down the road on my bike.
Please, let Kat be there.Please.
Ten minutes later, I’m shoving through a pair of glass doors.A young woman glances up from behind the front desk, her brows lifting with surprise.
“Hello.Hi.Sorry,” I wheeze, pressing a hand to my heaving chest as I try to drag air into my lungs.Sweat drips down my forehead, burning my eyes.“Sorry,” I say again.“Man, I’ve really got to do more cardio.”Is this what dying feels like?After a few more ragged breaths, I prop my hands on my hips to keep myself upright.“Do you have a Kat?”What am I saying?Of course they have cats.I can hear them whining from out here.“I mean a kitten named Kat.She’s orange, and she swipes at everything in sight, and she’s probably the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.A super hot, grumpy guy dropped her off a few hours ago.”
The woman’s brows come together over the rims of her baby-pink glasses.“Yes, I remember him.And yes, we do.”
“Oh, thank goodness.Can I have her?”
“I’m sorry, but we’re about to close for lunch.Can you come back in an hour?”
I don’t want to come back in an hour.I want to bring Kat homenow.
“Please.The guy who dropped her off this morning, he and I…” I swallow hard.“We looked after Kat together.I don’t know why I let her go, because I care about her and miss her, but I did, and now she’s gone, and I want her back.”
Wow, there is alotto unpack in that run-on sentence.
Problems for future Chloe.
The woman glances at her watch.“There’d be paperwork, and I’m supposed to meet my?—”
“I am begging you.Please don’t make poor Kat wait any longer.I don’t want her to be alone.I’ll… give you a free lunch.At Mugs.Every day for a week.”
The woman’s expression brightens, and she motions for me to follow her to an office.“All right, then.Come with me.”
I have to fill out this long-ass form asking about my living situation and whether or not I have any other pets.After that, I have to pay a fifty-dollar fee, which is fully refundable once I get Kat fixed.
Twenty minutes later, the little orange bundle of fluff is cradled in my arms, pawing at my necklace like it’s her new enemy.The woman and I step out into the sunny day, and it isn’t until she locks the door and turns away that I realize my mistake.
What was I thinking, riding my freaking bike to adopt a kitten?
Kat and I could walk back to my house, but in this heat, that would be torture.
I could ask the woman for a ride, but from the way she’s sprinting over to her car, I’m pretty sure she’s finished with me.
Wait!I know.I drag out my phone and call Lola.It’s not too early, but she was working late last night.Risking her wrath is a small price to pay for surviving this heat.
