Page 39 of How Not to Date a Griffin

The cats on the towers made their way down at the promise of treats, and they were a lot more friendly from that moment forward. Earning their trust one treat at a time, he let them get their sniffs in, and behind him, Reid gasped at the first cat who nudged into Nolan’s hand for a pat of the head.

“Well, look at you, cat whisperer,” Reid called out in awe.

It made Nolan’s chest tight, and he swiped his fingers between the gray cat’s ears as he purred. Cats were easy. They only liked interacting as much as they could stand, and then they fucked off to be on their own. Nolan personally related, and knew to give them their space when they asked for it.

Together, they finished the rest of the cages, cleaning the last few bowls and litter trays. Nolan tied up the trash and brought the laundry tote with him as he exited the room.

“Bye, guys,” Nolan whispered as he latched it back. It broke his heart a little as the gray cat followed him with his big green eyes.

But Reid was waiting for him at the end of the hallway, eyes locked on him, some unrecognizable emotion in their warm depths.

“What?” Nolan asked, cheeks flushing at the attention.

His question seemed to shake Reid out of his stare, and he shook his head, a smile quirking one corner of his mouth. “Nothing, nothing. Now what?”

He turned as Nolan neared and together they made their way back into the reception area. Amanda was nowhere to be found.

Setting the laundry basket down, Nolan leaned over the desk and grabbed the volunteer sheet. He signed his name and noted the time, then handed it over to Reid. “Now we sign out. Then we can find Amanda and tell her we’re done.”

He scooted the laundry basket out of the way and grabbed the bag of trash. “We can drop this off in the dumpster, too.”

Reid grabbed the bag from him and waved a hand out. “Lead the way,” he said.

Nolan huffed out a quiet laugh and pushed out the storm door, holding it open for Reid.

The wood creaked beneath their feet as they took the ramp leading down, and crossed the parking lot, gravel crunching under their shoes.

It was still hot, even as the sun began to set and cast the whole area in a golden orange glow.

After tossing the bag, they made their way to the attached building, following the sounds of excited barking.

“I’ll wait here,” Reid said.

Nolan was going to protest until he saw the sheepish grin on Reid’s face. “Oh, the dogs, too?” he asked, disappointed.

“Unfortunately so.”

Nolan shook his head in sympathy and knocked on the outer door. It sent the canines inside into a ruckus, and he grimaced at the noise level. Amanda called out to him, but it was muffled over the barking and through the door, so Nolan decided to risk it. He cracked open the door. “Amanda?” he called out.

“Come in,” she shouted. “My hands are busy.”

They most certainly were. She had two tug toys going, held at the other ends by a gray pitbull and a smaller terrier.

“We’ve wrapped up the cat room and locked everything up. Is there anything else I can do for you?” he asked, politeness winning out with the offer.

The terrier began growling and shaking the toy back and forth, making his lips twitch. Meanwhile, the pitbull was just snuffling as he gently tugged every so often.

“No, not really. You two work fast,” she said, glancing over her shoulder. “You make a cute couple.”

“Oh, well, we’re—thank you,” he finally said. Amanda didn’t need to know the details. “I appreciate that.”

“Of course. We’d be happy to have you anytime; just give me a call.”

“Will do. Have a good night.”

The door clanged a little too loudly behind him, and he jumped, which made Reid chuckle.

“Your face is all red. What’d she say?”