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CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
Maxi hoped the others didn’t think she was avoiding them. She wasn’t—well, not exactly. She had to drop stuff off at the animal shelter, and she had to admit that she hoped Bert and Harry would have finished their morning coffee and moved on by the time she was back. Although she was making progress on the painting of Goblin, she couldn’t bear their hopeful looks and didn’t want to make excuses again.
She pushed her doubts about the painting from her mind and focused on the joy of seeing all the animals at the shelter. Even though they were in between homes, the animals were always very happy, and the place was spotless. She definitely wasn’t bringing home another cat, though. But there was no harm in looking at them.
She stopped in front of a cage containing a huge, fluffy striped cat with big yellow eyes. The tag said his name was Norse.
“Hey there.” She poked her fingers through the cage, and the cat pressed his head against them. She scratched him, eliciting a low purr.
The cat in the next cage must have been envious. A dainty pink nose poked out of the cage, and the gray-and-white cat meowed loudly. Maxi moved over to give him attention.
“Maxi! Are you looking for another cat already?” Marie Lapino appeared from the back room with a mop in one hand and a sparkle in her eyes.
Maxi laughed. “I think the two I have are enough for now. I’ve been collecting towels and leashes from various yard sales and buying pet food when it’s on sale. I wanted to drop it all off.”
“Thank you so much.” Marie leaned the mop against the wall and took the two large bags Maxi had brought. She peered in. “This is wonderful. I really appreciate it.”
“I’m happy to do it.”
“So, how are Rembrandt and Picasso doing?”
Maxi moved on to the next cat. She had a gorgeous charcoal-gray coat and blue eyes. “I think they’re finally out of the terrible kitten stage. Some of my furniture didn’t survive.”
Marie laughed. “Kittens are rambunctious. Next time you could consider an older cat if you want to add to your family.”
Another cat? Maxi wasn’t ready for that yet. Maybe someday. Or if one caught her eye… Glancing around, she saw that almost all the cages were full. There were all kinds of cats with different colorings and markings. Most of them looked at her with curiosity in their eyes. She found herself thinking about how she would paint those eyes using the techniques she’d learned from Bunny. When she noticed the way the light reflected off them, she thought about where she would put the shadows and highlights and considered all the colors she would have to blend to get them just right. “You’re pretty full up right now.”
“We took some overflow from a shelter in Biddeford. Don’t worry. They never stay long. All these little guys will get a forever home soon.” Marie poked two fingers into a cage and petted a petite little calico. The cat rubbed her cheeks against Marie’s fingertips. “Got a lot of dogs too. Maybe you need to adopt a dog to balance things out.”
“Nice try. I don’t think so, but I wouldn’t mind saying hi to them.”
“If you want to help me bring this stuff out back, you can check them out.”
Maxi agreed, and they went back to the dog section. There was a German shepherd mix, a bulldog, a hound, and a little pug-terrier mix. The pug mix made her think of Bert and Harry. Were they ready for another dog? Maybe she should mention it to them.
She bent down in front of the bulldog’s cage. The plate on the door said the dog’s name was Shania. Her big brown eyes looked up at Maxi as if pleading for a home.
“Hey, Shania, you sure are pretty.” Maxi turned to Marie, who had squatted down beside her. “It’s funny—their expressions seem human. And very different from cats. Cats seem to want to be waited on while dogs just want to be loved. You can see it in their eyes.”
“Yep.” Marie opened the door, and Shania stepped out so Maxi could pet her properly. “Cats’ eyes are a different shape. Light hits them differently, and it makes them appear deeper but also without emotion. That’s why their eyes seem so luminescent, almost glowing. It helps them see at night. Dogs’ eyes just seem to go right to their souls.”
Maxi stared at Marie. She was right! Could that be why her paintings of the cats were good while she was still struggling to paint Goblin? Could the answer be as simple as just adjusting the shape and reflection of the light?
Suddenly, she couldn’t wait to get home and work on her painting, but first she had to meet her friends at Sandcastles.
