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I looked at the man who looked to be in his seventies and raised my brows.
“See the rumor was true.” He pointed at my face. “You deserve those shiners, son?”
What the hell was it about this town where everyone talked to a total stranger with the same bluntness as someone they’d known since diapers?
I decided that answering honestly was probably the best. After all, these folks seemed to know everything about everything any damn way. “Yes sir.”
“Huh.” He looked me up and down. “Takes a smart man to admit when he’s a screw-up.” He lifted his coffee mug and slurped from it. I nearly opened my mouth to thank him when he finished with, “Guess you’re smarter than you look.”
Well, looked like this place wasn’t going to cut me any breaks. Not only was I going to have to prove myself to Alma, but it looked like I was going to have to prove myself to everyone else as well.
I thought on that and quickly discovered I didn’t mind at all. This tiny town was so different from Nashville, and the longer I stayed here—the longer I was subjected to the thoughts and opinions of the people who lived here—the more I liked it. I was really glad Alma had found her home here.
Sally appeared in front of me a minute later, a huge plastic container full of soup wrapped tightly in a plastic shopping bag dangling from her grip. “One chicken noodle soup, to go,” she announced, passing the bag across the counter. “You’ll have to come back in and let us know what you think.”
I gave her a sincere smile and pushed off the stool, reaching for my wallet in the back pocket of my jeans. “I think I can do that. Thanks so much, Sally.” I passed her some cash to pay for the food and shot her a wink for good measure. I didn’t miss the way her cheeks heated just a bit before I turned and headed out of the diner.
14
ROAN
Istood on Alma’s porch, the bags of flu remedies and soup hanging from my forearms as I rifled through the key ring I’d had the forethought to steal from the entryway table before I left earlier.
I slid the key into the lock and twisted, mindful to push the door open carefully. I didn’t want to risk waking her up if she was still asleep. Unfortunately, my plans to remain quiet were thwarted the moment the door opened all the way and I stepped inside.
Sitting in the middle of the floor was something that looked an awful lot like a bright orange basketball with fur and big yellow eyes.
“Jesus,” I grunted at the thing. “What the hell are you supposed to be?” If it was a cat, it had to have been the fattest cat I’d ever seen in my entire life. “Jeez, Alma,” I spoke to myself. “Ever heard of moderation?”
I wasn’t sure if cats could have high cholesterol, clogged arteries, or high blood pressure, but I was guessing the thing in front of me had all three.
The animal opened its mouth and emitted a sound that was like nails on a chalkboard mixed with a jackhammer on granite.
“What the fuck?” I winced, lifting my shoulders and trying my best to cover my ears. “What the hell was that?” I asked, like the thing could answer. But the noise that had just come out of that jumbo cat was unlike anything I’d ever heard before. It wasn’t natural.
It stood up and waddled closer to me, making the sound again.
“Hey, knock that the hell off,” I hissed as I nudged the cat back with my boot so I could come in and close the door behind me. “You’re going to wake your mom up.”
It meowed again, only it sounded like its vocal cords had gotten caught in a meat grinder. “Shh! Christ, okay! What do you want?” I whisper-yelled, desperate to get this cat to shut the hell up so it wouldn’t wake up Alma. Not only did she need sleep, but if she wasn’t awake, she was less likely to kick me out, and at this point, I would work with what I got.
When I’d heard her throwing up earlier, this insane need to take care of her had grabbed me by the chest and refused to let go. I wasn’t leaving while she was sick. Not a chance in hell. But we were less likely to fight about that little fact if she wasn’t conscious, so I was going to wait as long as possible before kicking that hornet’s nest.
There had only been one other time in my life when I felt the level of panic I had when I read the temp on that thermometer earlier, and it was when I’d given her no choice but to end us. As much as I wanted to fight it back then, wrap my arms around her and never let go, I’d forced myself to walk away when she asked me to. I thought I had been doing the right thing. Hell, there were even days now when I felt I’d done her a huge favor by ending us. But the panic that had squeezed my chest like a vise when she shouted how much she hated me in my face had almost crippled me. I felt it again earlier, but this time, I wasn’t going to take the coward’s way out and walk away. I was here until she was on the mend, simple as that. She’d scared the hell out of me, getting sick like that, and I needed to see for myself that she was getting better.
The cat tried to wind through my feet but was too fat to make it, forcing me to step wider as it continued to make that god-awful noise.
“Okay, okay. What can I do to make you shut the hell up, huh? You thirsty? Hungry?”
At that word, as if it understood what it meant, the fat-ass cat bolted down the hallway. I followed after him, right to the kitchen, and found him waiting patiently by the pantry.
“You know you need to go on a diet, don’t you?” I asked as I placed the shopping bags down on the counter. “I don’t know if cats can have heart attacks, but if they can, you’re standing on the threshold, my man.”
The thing blinked at me, unimpressed. With my arms empty, I opened the pantry door and looked around until I spotted a bag of cat food, and snatched it up. There was an empty bowl against the back wall of the kitchen, so I picked it up to fill it.
Spotting the name that was painted on the side, I let out a little scoff as I looked down at the cat, now waiting patiently and silently. “You’re name’s Tortellini?” I shook my head on a chuckle. Of course Alma would name her pet after a food. “Fitting.”
I’d barely returned the bowl to the floor before he shoved his entire face into it. “Christ, no wonder you’re the size of a toddler.”
