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My mom and dad didn’t have much, but they always offered to wire me some cash if I was falling behind. Then there was Travis, of course, who occasionally pressured me to take “just a few million.” It was a golden plated safety net, but I still took pride in never having used it.
I didn’t really have much to pack, so Trinity and Lance were mostly sitting around on my couch while I caught them up on everything that had happened since the coffee incident. One notable detail I left out was the pregnancy. To be completely honest, I was still embarrassed that I’d been careless enough to get knocked up by a guy I’d just met. It made me feel cheap and stupid. Yeah, I’d made sure he used protection. I knew I’d tell Trinity before long, but I just wasn’t ready to admit it yet.
“This is crazy,” Lance said. “You give the guy a coffee facial, run from his security, and wind up as his cat-sitter?”
“Crazy things happen when a guy has had the pleasure of dicking you down,” Trinity said.
“God,” Lance said. “Sometimes I think you purposefully try to creep me out.”
Trinity smiled, her voice sickly sweet. “Then you’re not as dumb as you look.”
I grinned as I stuffed all the clothes I could fit into the one suitcase I owned. Trinity brought one for me to borrow and we planned to jam the rest into the trunk of the car Sebastian sent me in.
Lance went to the window and looked out where the fancy black car was waiting. “I still can’t believe this guy actually has a driver.”
“How does that work, anyway?” Trinity asked. “Do you have to pay them a salary to just stay parked in your driveway? Do they keep the car running and stay behind the wheel all day? Or is there like a little driver’s house on property where they come running the moment you need them? Where do they use the bathroom?”
I shook my head. “Somehow, I forgot to ask Sebastian for all the details.”
“Well,” Trinity said. “Ask the driver for me. I’m curious now. Was the driver cute? Did he wear one of those little hats?”
“He was forty something, well-mannered, and no. There wasn’t a hat. But Sebastian does have a butler.”
Trinity jumped up from the couch. “He has a freaking butler?” she gasped. “I’ve always wanted to meet a butler. Why didn’t I meet him when I barged into his house?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “Maybe you scared him.”
Something in my kitchen clattered. I groaned and went to look. I found Mr. Meatball on my counter looking down at a plastic cup he’d just punched off the counter. “I don’t have any sparkling water here, Mr. Meatball. Relax. We’ll get you back home soon.” I’d fought him to put on his ridiculous little black harness with decorative metal spikes sewn into the fabric. For a cat who supposedly demanded walks, he certainly made it a chore to get the thing on.
“Wait, why didn’t you tell me you brought the cat?” Trinity asked.
“I didn’t think it was that exciting.” Until that moment, Mr. Meatball had been busying himself by prowling indignantly around my small kitchen. I got the impression he’d never seen such a small, cramped living space. Maybe he was trying to figure out if it was my litter box.
“Can I meet him?” She was already trying to push past me toward the kitchen.
“It might be better if you didn’t,” I said slowly.
“Excuse me?” Trinity asked. “Animals love me.”
“This animal is very particular. It took me like two hours this morning to get him to stop trashing Sebastian’s kitchen and finally eat.”
Trinity blew me off and rushed over to him, making kissy noises and leaning her face in close. Meatball reared back on his hind legs, lifted his paws, and then hit her with a jab cross combination that made two muted popping sounds.
Trinity stood up. Her eyes were wide and her fingertips were resting softly on her cheek. “He just slapped me.”
“Twice,” Lance noted.
“Every animal loves me,” she said quietly to herself.
“I told you. This cat is very particular.”
“Why did you bring him here?” Lance asked. “Couldn’t you have just left him at Sebastian’s mansion while you got your stuff?”
“No. He’s supposed to have a walk soon. I didn’t want to find out what would happen if I wasn’t home when he was expecting it. I let him cruise around before we came in. He lifted his leg and peed on a tree just like a dog. I got the weirdest looks.”
Lance laughed. “I can’t decide what’s crazier. The bestselling author who kidnapped you and hired you to cat sit, the cat, or you for agreeing to be part of this.”
I zipped up my backpack and gave it a confrontational pat, glaring at Lance. “This is my ticket to make real progress on my book. And I’m planning to cash that ticket. Thank you very much.”
