Page 77 of Autumn at the Cat Cafe

Her mouth was inches from his. “On—”

“Ahem.”

Via froze, her fingers still in Leo’s hair, his eyes the size of dinner plates. Slowly they both turned their heads. Fergus was looming over them.

Leo practically flew off Via and landed on his feet. “Uh, hey,” he said, shoving his hand crookedly on his hip like he hadn’t just been caught lying on top of Fergus’s sister. “How’s it going?”

She almost laughed at his adorable awkwardness. But he wasn’t smiling. Neither was Fergus. She was about to stand on her own when Leo grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

Fergus crossed his beefy arms and leveled his gaze at Leo, who stared right back at him. Via’s eyes jumped from one man to the other. “What’s going on here?”

“I was about to ask the same question.” Fergus looked at her. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

He looked back at Leo. “Just checking.”

She rolled her eyes. Fergus was doing his annoying protective big brother thing again. She punched him in his massive bicep. “Knock it off.”

“Ow!” He rubbed his arm. “That actually smarted a bit.”

“Good. C’mon, Leo. I’m sure lunch is ready by now.” She looked up at Fergus. “Right?”

“Yeah.” He shot Leo another warning look and turned around and went back to the house.

“That was embarrassing,” Via mumbled, picking up her sleeping bag.

“He’s a concerned brother.” Leo picked up Fergus’s bag. “Nothing embarrassing about that.”

But Fergus’s disruption brought her back to earth. What would have happened if he hadn’t interrupted them? Something definitelynot friendly... and undoubtedly phenomenal. Another shiver went through her at the thought.

Then she had another, less lofty thought. What would that have done to their friendship? Now she really felt awkward. She was the one who touched him first, and she wondered if the whole thing had been in her imagination—that he was just going along with her teasing to be polite.

But as he opened the sliding door for her, she caught the heat in his eyes. That definitely wasn’t her imagination.

When they sat down to eat, they avoided looking at each other. Good decision, considering Fergus had shot Leo another warning look over egg rolls and kung pao chicken. Dora had chosen to go over to Charlie’s and eat with his family—another arrow in the direction of their relationship getting serious.

Thankfully, none of her family brought up Earl or Second Chapter. Shortly after the meal ended, Via started gathering her things. It was time to get back to their apartments, and reality.

She expected Fergus to give her the third degree about Leo before they left, but he didn’t. He was probably saving it for later, and she wasn’t going to poke that bear right now.

The ride home was quiet, with neither of them talking. Unlike the ride to her parents, it was comfortable, with Sir cozied up in Leo’s lap. When they arrived in the parking lot behind their businesses, he helped her carry things upstairs and into her apartment. Once he set them down in her living room, she turned to him.

“Thanks,” she said, suddenly feeling unsure. Should she invite him to stay? A huge part of her didn’t want their time together to end. But while the vibe between them was companionable, it wasn’t as charged as it had been when they were camping. It was... friendly. Again.

Still, she felt like she needed to be hospitable. “Do you, ah, want to come in—”

“I’ve got work to do in the apartment,” he said, taking a step back. “Thanks, though. Rain check, maybe?”

“Sure. Rain check.”

He nodded and left without being accosted by Sir, who was in the back, presumably using his litter box.

Via shut the door. It was a wise decision for him to leave, considering what had almost happened at the campsite. That didn’t mean she wasn’t disappointed.

The next week flew by. Other than the two evenings Leo and Via worked in the shop, where together they had found three more of Earl’s specified books, they hadn’t interacted with each other. It was like everything that happened on the camping trip had been a dream.

Realtor Susan had stopped by midweek to tour the property and would list it November first. Leo was over halfway finished with Earl’s apartment, and Second Chapter was starting to resemble a normal bookstore. He was hoping he would have learned more about his uncle by now, but he hadn’t. Earl Smith didn’t throw anything away. He also didn’t reveal much, not even in his own personal effects.