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A sort of strangled sound comes from Chase. I look at him over my shoulder, but he just keeps walking, following me to the door.
“What time do you leave in the morning?” I ask.
“I don’t have to head out until a little later tomorrow because of the gala tonight.”
“Okay if I swing by around nine then?”
“Yep.”
“All right, see you then.” He opens the door for me, and I step across the hall. I open my door and turn to look at him one last time. “Thanks again for tonight. For all of it.”
Then I let the door close, pretending I didn’t notice the soft expression that fell across Chase’s face.
Ten
Chase
Idrop my bag on the floor by the door and head into the kitchen to make a smoothie. I’m not two feet into my apartment when a knock lands on my door, so I circle back around to answer it. I’m not sure why I didn’t expect it to be Twyla.
“You look tired,” Twyla says.
Normally I’d be fixated on her, but she has the cat in the carrier. The cat that wassupposedto be dropped off at the shelter today. The damn cat meowed at the bathroom door all night and even closing my bedroom door didn’t drown out its cries.
“Practice and a long, sleepless night will do that.” I arch a brow.
A guilty look washes across her face. She looks down at the carrier and I already know I’m not going to like what’s about to come out of her mouth.
“What’s that thing doing here?” I step back to let her in.
“Well… funny story. When I went to the nearest shelter, they said they were full, so I thought it would be a good idea to have him checked out by a vet. You know, just so we’d know what we’re dealing with.”
I equal parts hate and love the “we” in that sentence.
“What did the vet say?” I’m only asking because I should, not because I actually care. It’s obvious Twyla’s already half in love with this little creature, but she’s alone in that department.
“Vet says it’s a Maine Coon, which seems fitting and he gave him all his shots.” She bends at the waist and sets the carrier on the floor.
“Which means?”
“They’re the biggest domesticated cats you can get, and we were the ones who found it and you’re, well… big.”
I hold back the flippant response on the tip of my tongue that I can show her just how big I am. “That still doesn’t explain why you still have it.”
“Hehas no place to go,” she says. “All the shelters are full—I called around to a bunch of other ones in the area. And the nonprofit rescues I found aren’t taking any more animals.”
“That doesn’t answer the question… what’shedoing here?” I cross my arms and look down my nose at her because there’s only one place this is going and I see a lot of sleepless nights in my future.
“Can he stay here a little longer? It will give me time to see if I can find a family to take him.” She puts her hands up in a prayer pose. When I say nothing in response, she continues. “Please, Chase?”
Those two words in that sweet voice go straight to my dick.
She bends over and opens the carrier, pulling out the orange hairball. “If I leave him at the shelter, he’s liable to be put down. Look at this sweet little face. Could you imagine? He’s so little and hasn’t been given a chance in this life.”
I’m looking not at the cat but only at her. Those big, expressive eyes and the way they hold so much hope. How can I be the asshole who stomps all over that?
My teeth grind together as the realization that I’m going to have a furry houseguest for a while sets in. “Fine. But I get to name him while he’s here.”
She grins, eyes sparkling now, face full of sunshine. Putting that smile on her face is worth every irritation this cat will bring into my life.
