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I felt my cheeks heat up.

“Yes, she was,” Ava said excitedly as she came down the hall from the break room. “Wasn’t she awesome?”

Glenda gave me a long, thoughtful look, then snapped her fingers. “What song did you sing again? It sure was a hit with everyone. You were amazing!” Glenda enthused.

I blushed. “I don’t know about amazing.”

“No, seriously! You killed it.” She laughed. “I wish I had half your confidence. What was the name of the song you sang again?”

“I Kissed a Girl,” I croaked out. “These two picked it out.” I pointed accusingly at Roxie and Ava.

“It was great. They did a good job. I was really having fun while you were singing,” Glenda gushed. Then she shook her head, and I watched her mood deflate. “It was a good night for a while. Too bad Rob ruined things...”

“Who’s Rob?” Ava asked.

“I thought he was The One,” Glenda answered. “We’d been together for over four years. He broke up with me that night.”

“Are you kidding me?” Ava gasped. “Did you have any idea it was coming?”

“None,” Glenda shook her head. “He seemed to really be enjoying the night too. I know he liked your performance, too.” She looked over at me and gave me a small sad smile. “Him breaking up with me came totally out of the blue. It happened maybe twenty minutes after you sang.” She bit her trembling lip. “Oh well, his loss… right?”

We all nodded. “Absolutely,” Roxie said.

“Bet your ass,” Ava concurred.

“He didn’t deserve you,” I promised her.

She stood up straighter and gave us another smile. I admired her attempt to treat her breakup as no big deal, but it must have hurt like hell.

She looked around at all three of us. “So, does my paperwork look good enough for me to check out the cats and kittens?”

“You should come out with us sometime,” Roxie said decisively.

And that was why I loved Roxie. I’d been thinking the same thing.

Glenda hesitated. “Oh, I don’t know… I wouldn’t want to cramp your style.”

Ava rolled her eyes. “Please. We’re all about women supporting women. We’re your new girl gang, Glenda. No backing out now.”

Glenda laughed. “Well, when you put it like that… count me in.”

With that decided, I took her back to the kennels. The dogs barked, but I was impressed by how Glenda didn’t flinch. She was calm, cool, and collected. I unlocked the area for the cats.

“Ooooh, look at this fella,” Glenda whispered. Her fingers slid across the bars, slow and deliberate. “She’s so tiny.” She turned to me. “She is a she, isn’t she?” Glenda’s tone was coy, almost flirty.

I nodded. “Yes, Rosebud is a girl.”

“She’s just so small,” Glenda said softly as she pushed her finger into the cage. “So defenseless.”

“Exactly. That’s why she’s going to need someone who can be there for her. Someone who can spend a lot of time with her.”

“I get it. Having someone who won’t hurt you. Someone you can trust and rely on is one of the most, if not the most, important things in the world.”

“What kind of personality are you looking for in a cat? I’ve been taking care of some of these boys and girls for over three months. I can give you the lowdown.”

“I’m looking for someone I can teach and train. I want a cat that’s young.”

I opened up the cage for the eight-month-old snowshoe Siamese cat. He was beautiful. I took him out and started to pet him. “How about this guy? He was brought in after I started. His name is Star because of the white spot on his forehead.”