“Kitten.” She stopped to consider an adult cat, but she’d never had a pet before and really wanted a little one. “Maybe a young cat. I never experienced the joys of being owned by a cat before, so I don’t want to miss out on the fun antics of a kitten.” She let out a whimsical laugh as she imagined a little furball bouncing around the house. “I always wanted a cat growing up, but my mother didn’t want to be stuck taking care of a pet. I’ve always loved cats. I should have gotten one sooner. They’re adorable and fuzzy and aloof. They’re independent so they’re OK home by themselves while I’m at work all day.”
Robert looked at her suspiciously. “Does that mean you’re a cat person? Because I always thought of myself as a dog person.” He stood up, shaking his head, and began to get dressed. “I don’t think this is going to work out after all. Cat people and dog people don’t mix.”
She reached down and picked up the first thing she found, which happened to be one of her slippers, and threw it at him. “Stop it.”
The furry slipper bounced off the hard muscles of his chest and landed on the floor.
He dropped his pants, stood there completely naked, and looked from the slipper to Amber.
She jumped to her feet. Even though she knew the soft slipper didn’t hurt him, it almost hit him in the face. “Sorry!”
“Oh, it’s on.” He lunged at her, picked her up, and jumped on the bed with her in his arms where he repeatedly kissed her neck and tickled her with his lips while she laughed uncontrollably.
Eventually, they both calmed down and stared up at the ceiling, catching their breath from their antics.
“A cat, huh?” he asked.
“Yes.” She turned and rested her chin on his chest. “I take it you had a dog growing up?”
“No. I’ve never had a pet either.” His brow wrinkled with consternation. “I don’t know why we never had a pet. My father worked a normal nine-to-five job, and my mother was a homemaker. Me and my brother helped around the house all the time. We could’ve easily had a dog. I’m going to ask my parents about that. We missed out. That sucks.”
She huffed out a breath, feigning annoyance. “Can we get back to my cat, please?”
“Oh. Yeah. When do you want to get a cat?”
“Can we go tomorrow?”
“OK. Did you pick one out on one of those websites that shows all the animals that need adopting? That’s how Manny got his dog.”
“No,” she confessed. “It would break my heart. Hope got me the name of a rescue where she adopted her cats. I already put in my paperwork so I’m pre-approved.”
“Pre-approved?” He lifted his head to look at her. “Are you getting a cat or a mortgage?”
“There’s a screening process. So no one adopts on a whim. Plus, they check references.”
He stared up at the ceiling for a second, lost in thought. “Hope?”
“Yeah.” She gave him a confused look. “You know Hope.”
“No. I don’t.”
Amber got up on one elbow. “She’s my best friend. I talk about her all the time.”
“I know who she is. But I don’t know her. Am I ever going to meet her?”
He sounded offended that she hadn’t introduced them to each other yet, but it was only because she and Robert had such little time together between games, practice, drills, and everything else pertaining to football. “Of course, you are. Why?”
“Because you met my friends and my parents. I never met anyone in your life.”
She grunted a laugh. “You’ve met my father. And my mother.” Amber’s hand went to her forehead. She still couldn’t believe the way her mom showed up at one of the games. She realized that Robert was right, and imagined he felt slighted, and now she felt bad. Her phone was on the nightstand, so she walked over to it and called Hope on FaceTime.
“Hi,” Hope said, answering the call. “I haven’t seen you lately. Do you want to get a drink?”
“No. I want you to meet Robert.”
“Cool. I can’t wait. I’ve been—”
“Robert, this is my best friend Hope.” Amber briskly walked over to where Robert was sitting on the bed and joined him so they could both share the screen.
