Page 5 of Autumn at the Cat Cafe

“Hey, it’s just me—”

Leo?

Whack!

His legs flew out from under him and he hit the floor.

Leo gave his head a hard shake. He’d never been hit with a beaded lampshade before. First time for everything. He was more surprised than hurt, having already been off-balance from skidding into the hallway.

After he’d gotten into Second Chapter using the key he’d picked up from Pipkin’s secretary, he went upstairs to find Earl’s apartment. Bennett wasn’t due into the office for another hour or Leo would have had his meeting right then and there. Bennett’s receptionist, Marge, had neglected to tell him which apartment was his uncle’s, so he had to guess. As was his habit, he’d taken off his shoes and entered into what he was 99 percent sure wasn’t his uncle’s place.

Initially, he thought maybe his uncle took safety for granted and liked crazy-quilt-type decor. He’d never met the man. But when he walked down the hall into a definitely feminine bedroom and saw the hot-pink dresser with a picture of Octavia holding her strange cat that looked like he’d just said “cheese,” he knew he was in the wrong apartment.

“Are you okay?” she asked, hovering over him.

Octavia Dalton. She looked more like an Ashley or a Taylor, or any number of equally common names. Definitely not an Octavia.

“Maybe you should wait a minute,” she said, sounding surprisingly concerned. “I hit you pretty hard.”

“I slipped and fell.” But he was feeling a tad off-kilter. Less than twenty-four hours ago he’d been back in Los Angeles, working hishedge fund job and planning to take a long-overdue vacation... eventually. Then he’d gotten the phone call that had him throwing a few clothes in a suitcase and racing to get to Pecan Corner by ten thirty this morning.

“You don’t look so good.” Octavia placed the back of her hand on his forehead.

A pleasant tingle went through him. Unexpected. Even nice. But unwanted. “Don’t worry. You didn’t give me a fever when you smacked me.”

“Why are you upset?” They both stood and she crossed her arms, the lamp on the floor at her feet. “You’re the one who broke into my apartment.”

“I was looking for Earl’s place.”

“You mean Uncle Earl?”

The name sounded foreign to him because it was. No one was more surprised when he found out he had an uncle who had given him an inheritance. “Yeah. Him.”

“You sound so sure.”

He met her peeved gaze. Then for some bizarre reason, his mind started shifting faster than his Gran Turismo. She’d taken off her colorful hat, and luscious auburn waves tumbled over her shoulders, wild and lovely, resting on her rust-colored suede jacket that was buttoned to the neck. Her faded jeans were paired with gray, platform tennis shoes. Nothing matched, nothing was current, but it all bizarrely coordinated.

Her eyes were honey-colored, wide, and questioning. Small nose, a few freckles across the bridge. A bottom lip that jutted out a little farther than the top. A kissable bottom lip.

Another unexpected jolt ran throughout his entire body. Attraction. He’d felt it toward other beautiful women. But thismismatched woman wasn’t anything close to his type. Yet the shocks running through him were stronger than he’d ever felt.

His head started to pound. He wanted to be back in his mansion in Los Angeles, working sixty hours a week managing venture capitalists’ money, living the life he’d spent so much blood and sweat building for himself. Not in small-town Ohio on the verge of a splitting headache with a fetching yet crazy woman who had a thing for cats.

Leo rubbed his throbbing temples. He needed food, water, and some real sleep. He hoped Earl—Uncle Earl, he’d have to get used to calling him that—had a decent bed. At this point a lumpy couch would suffice. He took a step forward, his legs shaky. “I’ve... got to go.” His voice sounded tinny. Far away. And where did those spots come from?

“Leo?”

He looked at her, her image growing blurry. His upper lip broke out in a sweat.

Everything went black.

Chapter 2

“Should we call an ambulance?” Via looked at Birdie, who had helped her move Leo from the hallway to the couch.

“Nah. His pulse is fine. He’s just sound asleep.”

She’d panicked when Leo fainted in front of her, and at first she thought she’d killed him. The notion lasted less than a second, but it scared her. She checked his breathing, even putting her ear to his mouth. Thank God he was still alive. He still smelled delicious too.