Page 112 of The Wrong Groom

“What if the house starts to smell like cat piss?”

“Keep the box in a side room, get some air fresheners, and keep a scented candle on the coffee table.”

He gives me a wry smile. “You have this all figured out, don’t you?”

“Oh, I do. I stopped just short of making a slideshow to convince you.”

He laughs, shaking his head. “I shouldn’t have folded,” he remarks. “I would’ve loved to see your ‘Peyton should have a kitten’ PowerPoint presentation.”

“It would’ve been very professional.”

“I have no doubt.”

We follow Peyton into the corridor that houses the cats. She’s already peering into one of the kennels, her eyes wide with excitement as she meets the gaze of a stately orange tomcat, curled up on a pile of blankets. On the opposite side of his kennel, another cat, a dark gray tabby, laps at their shared water bowl.

“Aw, he’s so cute!” Peyton gushes excitedly.

Gabriel chuckles, leaning slightly toward me as we walk up behind her. “That one looks like he owns the place.”

Peyton turns to us, her eyes shining. “Can we see him? Please?”

Gabriel steps closer, crouching down to read the label on the orange cat’s kennel. “It says here that this guy is bonded with his roommate. We can only get one cat today, Bug, and we don’t want to separate him from his friend.”

She sighs, then nods. “Okay. I’ll keep looking!”

She takes off down the hall. Gabriel straightens, shaking his head with a small smile as we watch Peyton dart from kennel to kennel, her energy seemingly endless.

Ahead of us, Peyton suddenly stops and lets out an excited gasp. She’s crouched in front of a cage where a little tuxedo kitten is batting at a bundle of feathers.

“Daddy! Alexis! Look at this one!” she cries.

We hurry to join her, and the kitten pauses mid-swat, tilting its tiny head to observe us. It’s mostly black, with a white chest and paws. Its yellow eyes are wide with curiosity as it studies us, one paw frozen mid-air as if deciding whether to continue playing or not.

Gabriel kneels beside Peyton, reading the tag on the cage. “Let’s see here,” he says, scanning the details. “Female, four months old, friendly. Looks like she’s available.”

Peyton bounces in excitement. “Can we meet her now?”

I glance at Gabriel, who gives a mock sigh of defeat, his expression softening as he looks at his daughter. “Alright, Bug. Let’s meet her.”

Peyton beams as Gabriel wanders off to flag down a staff member. I watch with her as the kitten goes back to playing. Her little white paws are a blur as she swats at the dangling toy, her tiny tail flicking back and forth with determination. I get the sense that she’s showing off for her audience.

Eventually, Gabriel returns with one of the shelter’s volunteers, who smiles warmly at Peyton. “You can follow me to our playroom,” she says. “That’s where we always introduce people to the animals.”

She unlatches the cage and pulls out the kitten, holding the cat’s small body against her shoulder, and starts down the hall.

Peyton bounces on her toes, clutching my hand as we follow the volunteer. The kitten peers over her shoulder. Her eyes are bright and curious, watching us carefully.

“She’s so cute,” Peyton whispers, her voice barely containing her excitement. “Do you think she’ll like me?”

I squeeze her hand, smiling down at her. “I’m sure she will. You just have to be patient and let her get used to you.”

The playroom is a cozy space filled with soft rugs, a few cat trees, and a variety of toys scattered about. The volunteer sets the kitten on a felt-lined platform at the top of a cat tower, then retreats, closing the door behind herself to leave the four of us in privacy.

Almost immediately, the black-and-white kitten scampers down from her high perch. She briefly runs over to paw at a burlap mouse attached to the cat tower by some twine, then pauses and turns to look at us. She creeps closer, her tiny nose twitching as she sniffs the air.

“How do I get her to come say hi?” Peyton whispers, her eyes huge as she takes in the tiny creature.

“Why don’t you hold out your hand?” I suggest. “Let her sniff you.”