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Her eyes were wide open now, and she cautiously moved in her seat. “Oh my God,” she whispered frantically. “What do I do?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s a possum!” Her whisper cracked with a squeak.
“I know.” The little guy was at the corner of the patio munching on some food. “They’re gentle. It’s not going to hurt you.”
She narrowed her eyebrows. “Then why did you tell me I couldn’t make harsh movements.”
“Because I don’t want you to scare off Henry.”
“What?”
“Do not freak out, but he’s behind you, eating with more possum babies.” She stopped breathing, and I poked her in the stomach. “Will Henry run off?”
Her breath released with a whoosh, and she licked her lips. “I don’t know, I don’t think so.”
“Want to try to call him?”
“Yeah.” She put her feet on the ground, slowly turned toward the bowl of food, and her shoulders tensed. “Holy crap, there’s a lot of them… Henry.” She raised her voice like she was talking to a baby. “Baby, hi. Come here.”
He lifted his head out of the bowl and meowed just before running and jumping up on her. She hugged him to her chest, and when she stood, the possums all scurried away. “Told you he’d come back.”
“You did.” Then she surprised the shit out of me because she came right to me, leaned down, and kissed me on the lips. It was quick, but it was more than I thought I’d get, not that I expected anything. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything, but you’re welcome.”
I scratched his orange head, and he looked up at me with a runny eye. “Oh no, what happened, baby?” Paris brought him closer and studied his injury. “We’ll go to the doctor right away, okay? I promise you’ll be all right.”
There was nothing wrong with anyone loving their pets. I loved mine. But there was something unusual about how deeply attached she was to them. It was almost as if she believed they were her actual children. After what I’d uncovered so far, I understood why.
“Why don’t you get him inside and I’ll clean this stuff up.” I pulled the door open and closed it just as she sat on the couch and was bombarded by her other cats. After I put the litterbox away and rinsed out the dish, she met me in the kitchen. “Glad he’s back.”
“Thank you again for your help.”
“Anytime.” Henry stuck a paw out and smacked my face with it like he wanted to play. “Hope his eye is okay.”
She didn’t have many wrinkles, but when she scrunched her face, some faint lines feathered out by her temples. “Oh no, I forgot. Bristol’s baby shower is today.” She set Henry down and tossed a pod into her coffee maker as she checked the time. “There’s no way I can miss it, not after how much she’s been there for me, but I don’t want to wait to have Henry looked at. Shit.”
“I can take him to the vet so you can go.”
Her mouth fell open as she gaped at me. “Um, no. I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Sugar, you’re not. I’m offering.”
I could see the wheels spinning in her head. “Are you absolutely sure? I’d owe you one.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Friends help friends without expecting anything in return.”
She removed her mug and blew on the steaming contents. “Want a cup?” I shook my head, and she studied Henry. “Well… if you promise it won’t get in the way of your plans, I’d appreciate it. I’ll give you my credit card to pay for it.”
Like I’d use that. “Okay. I have no plans, though, so I’m positive. I’ll run home and grab a shower, then come back for him. Is your vet open on Sundays?”
“No, you’ll have to go to the emergency clinic.”
“All right. I’ll get all the info when I come back.” I went out the slider and into my own, then took a cold-ass shower to calm my dick, then got dressed.
As I ate some oatmeal, I quickly checked my email in case there was anything pressing, then put the bowl in the sink and refilled a travel mug with ice water, before returning to Paris’s front door.
