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“You don’t need him at work?”
“We always need him, but he’s been running himself ragged. He’s no good to us if he makes himself sick. And when we lost him before… I just want him to be here and whole and healthy.”
“Me too,” I murmured, thinking of the book with his cover I’d tucked away carefully in my bedside bookshelf. I didn’t want him to reach that point of needing to leave his job again if it could be helped. “I’ll talk to him. His family is in town and, well, I’d appreciate him being home. And I think maybe he needs it, too. If you’re sure the clinic will be okay.”
“We’ll be okay. He took home that sweet kitten with cerebellar hyperplasia today when we simply ran out of room.”
“Will she be okay? She’s so sweet.”
“Yes, I can send you some information about her condition, but essentially yes, she will be like any other kitten other than some special considerations. Luckily her case appears to be very mild.”
“Oh, thank God.” I let out a long, slow breath and let some of the tension seep out of my muscles.
“Not to mention his friend Dex, who adopted Bob the pug here after the poor lad hurt his paw.”
I smiled, my eyes dampening no matter how fast I tried to blink them away. “Aww, he did? The pug was hurt the first night we…”stop speaking NOW, Kitty,“became friendly,” I finished, inordinately proud of myself for keeping it appropriate with Clint’s boss.
Until I finished it up with, “He turned me down for sex then but we’re good now.”
Behind me, Magnus groaned and the spoon he was using to scoop food into a shallow dish for Charise fell to the counter with a clatter.
“Anyway,” I said, rushing ahead, “he should be home anytime now. I’ll be sure he stays here. Not through any special means, because there are many people here.”
Grant coughed out a laugh. “However you manage it, Katherine, you’ll be in my debt. Call Alice when you’re ready to make that appointment for Princess, okay?”
“Okay.” I hunched my shoulders and tried not to tense up again at the thought of bringing her into the vet. I hated all the old feelings that invariably came up when I thought about those past trips to the vet and my sweet Muffin’s downfall. But this wasn’t that circumstance, and God, I was so tired of being afraid. “You’re not going to try to lure me away from Clint, are you?”
Naturally that was when Clint appeared in the kitchen doorway.
I hadn’t even heard the front door open and close, but who could have with all the ruckus in the living room?
Working on my timing was definitely going to be one of my New Year’s resolutions.
“I’ll try to control myself. I’m happy for the two of you, Katherine. Have a lovely holiday.” He clicked off while the word holiday struck cold dread in my heart.
Clint strode over to me, the shoulders of his leather jacket dusted with snow, and with a carrier in each hand. Princess was peering out in a bored fashion as if to saynow what?
I knew the feeling.
Lucky, however, was not holding in his displeasure. The little bugger actually hissed as Clint set down his carrier next to Princess’s on the floor and leaned in to give me a resounding kiss.
“Who’s going to get my wrath?” He kissed me again while I tried to figure out the meaning of words.
Wrath? Path? Eh, whatever.
“Kitty?” He cupped my elbows and tugged me against him to demonstrate the cold had not affected any of his bodily functions, particularly below the waist. “Who were you talking to?”
“Your boss. Can you just keep kissing me? It has a pleasant brain-neutralizing effect I’ve found I enjoy.” When he paused to gawk at me, I gripped his cold cheeks in my hands and yanked him right back down to me again.
The swinging kitchen door slammed shut and I winced.Sorry, Magnus.
I was possibly the most insensitive friend on the planet. If we were even still friends and business partners. But hell, he’d gotten to at least fondle a damn fine pair of breasts today. More than I’d gotten on this particular day.
Not that I wanted breasts, per se.
Dammit, Clint had stopped kissing me to stare down at me. “My boss?” he repeated slowly.
“He doesn’t want me. I think he just was teasing about you trying to get Princess off his roster so you can be her vet. You’re not, are you? Though I would be more comfortable with you. Not that I’m not comfortable with Grant.” I groaned and pressed my forehead into Clint’s chest. “Can we go back to just talking through instant messenger? I’m not cut out for all this interpersonal relating. My mouth moves way faster than my brain.”
