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Ralph barked out laughter, and I dropped my fist on the table, laughing with him. Only our friend Vincent would think you need to take steps into asking someone out. I guess that went with the territory of jewelry creation.
One step at a time.
I rolled my cup around in a circle. “Know what I think?” I raised my eyebrow up. “I think I might get a cat.”
“I heard the animal sanctuary has some beautiful ones.” Ralph smiled. “Cats are good company.”
“Hell.” Vincent chuckled. “Maybe that will keep the gnomes away?”
Dolly came walking over with a huge tray and sat our food before us. She reached into her server’s apron and pulled out hot sauce, ketchup and jellies, and then gave us a little bow as she walked away.
I tilted my head and watched her retreat. The beautiful young woman had once been made of wood. Her curves were full and proportioned, her muscles toned. She had a beautiful smile and her green eyes sparkled with life. Long blond hair finished her look, and she kept that in a high ponytail.
I could easily see why Vincent mooned over her. Hell. I’d love to find someone to share my life with, too.
“You seriously think a cat is the answer, Vincent?” Ralph asked, pouring syrup on his waffle.
Vincent dribbled hot sauce all over his eggs and hash browns. “It can’t hurt. Plus, it’ll be good company.”
Ralph stopped pouring and pointed at Vincent. “Unless it’s an asshat.”
“There is that.” I nodded. My last cat was a nightmare. He was destructive, hated me, and hated being touched.
I’ll try a female cat this time. Maybe a girl cat will be cuddlier?
I finished spreading the jelly on my toast and ketchup on my eggs, then the three of us tucked into our meals. TipTop served the best home-cooked meals in Cloud City. Unless you cooked at home, of course, that would be better.
The entire time I ate in silence, I thought about what kind of cat would be nice to have. Maybe something long-haired? Maybe a pretty black one? Whatever it might look like, as long as it wasn’t an asshat like Alfred, I’d call it a win.
After setting down my fork, I wiped my face and threw some bills on the table as I stood up. “I’ll catch youze later. I’m gonna go check out the animal sanctuary.”
I flagged down a coach to take me to the next mountain peak over and enjoyed the scenic view. The mountain top we were on had warm weather, the one we were heading to had cooler temperatures and some snow on the ground.
Snow fascinated me, but I never really played in it. Around the city, you could experience all four seasons just by where you were located. My preference would always be sunny and warm, bordering on hot.
The driver pulled up in front of the Fur Get Me Not animal sanctuary. The large brown building had memorials on the walls and runs out back for the animals to stretch their legs. The front doors were oversized, even for a giant with large windows and handcrafted door pulls.
My grandfather crafted those. He believed in giving back to the community any chance he could. There was a whistle on my lips as I walked up and opened the door. The smells of wet fur and dog food slapped me in the face and I smiled at the young lady behind the adoption desk.
“Afternoon, miss.”
“Afternoon, Mister Hammer.” She beamed at me. “What can I help you with?”
“I’m looking for a cat to call my own.”
She held out a clipboard for me to fill out and then, while she did her thing with the paperwork, I headed off to the cat area. The room felt huge, and they had it divided up into individual living spaces.
Trees, tires, swings, scratching poles. Each one looked homey and the cats all seemed content. There were a few tigers, all male. A lion that looked pretty beat up, another male. A couple of jaguars, both were male.
I sighed and leaned against one of the dividers with my eyes closed. And I don’t know why, but I felt the need to tell them what was on my mind. “Sorry guys. I have my heart set on a female.”
The lion roared at me, then ran to sharpen his claws on his pole.
Standing there, I felt little puffs of air on my hand and I glanced down to see what it was, especially since I thought the enclosure I leaned beside was empty. In my peripheral vision, I saw golden fur. I turned my head slowly and saw there wasn’t a mane. It was a lioness.
Finally! A girl.
I slid down the smooth wall until I sat on the ground and wiggled my fingers for her. She gave them a couple of quick licks, probably tasting what was left of breakfast, and slunk off to the other side of her home.
