As soon as I pulled around the side of my house toward the garage, the lights from the guest cottage caught my attention, an idea taking shape. A bad fucking idea, especially when I’d just decided to stay as far away from the woman as possible.
But I didn’t have much of a choice, now did I?
It was either ask the little demon nurse for help or watch this pitiful creature waste away, all because it was unlucky enough to find itself in my driveway.
Glancing down at the nearly drowned animal tucked in my coat, I clenched my jaw, blew out a heavy sigh, and accepted that this was my only option.
Without allowing myself a moment to second-guess my decision, I stalked over to the cottage, pissed off every step of the way, thanks to the rain pelting my face and this damn animal I didn’t want tucked in my jacket.
What appeared to be every light in the cottage was on, and the front window was open despite the downpour, the covered porch granting it shelter.
I rang the doorbell and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Stepping to the side, I ducked down and glanced in the front window.
Sutton’s mini-me sat on the couch, her feet propped up on the coffee table while she scrolled on her phone. Completely fucking ignoring everything else, me included.
“Hello?” I knocked on the window, but she didn’t even spare me a glance. I knocked again, harder this time. “I can see you, you know.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be a weirdo who stares in windows, then.”
“I wouldn’t have to if you’d answer the door. Didn’t you hear me knock?”
“You mean the pounding that rattled the floors? Yeah, I heard it. So what?”
“So,why didn’t you answer the door?”
“Who answers the door when they’re home by themselves except a woman who wants to get murdered in a horror movie? Not on my watch, buddy.”
“I’m not here to murder you.”
“I don’t know. That’s probably what every murderer in the history of the world has ever said.”
“We’ve met. I’m the landlord. And the football coach. I’ve seen you at school this week. Laurel, right?”
“Knowing my name isn’t helping your case, weirdo.”
“Will youpleaseopen the door?” I said through clenched teeth. “I’ve got a serious situation here.”
Her entire body sagged with a heavy sigh. But she dropped her feet off the coffee table and stood before stalking over to the front door and swinging it open for me. “Didn’t learn your lesson the other day, huh? Well, whatever. Doesn’t matter. My mom’s not home.”
Eight o’clock, and Sutton wasn’t home? There wasn’t a whole hell of a lot to do in Starlight Cove this late. And the thought that she could be out on a date sparked something low in my gut that I refused to examine.
“I’m not here about your mom,” I barked, as much for her as for myself.
Laurel just raised her brow at me, a move so eerily similar to her mother, I nearly staggered back. “Then what are you here for?”
I reached into my zipped-up jacket and pulled out the still-soaked ball of fur.
Her other brow followed the first as she split a glance between me and the animal. “You came to show us your kitten?”
“I came to see if you had a kitten or a cat or…I don’t know. Anything at all to take care of this…thing.”
“Thatthing? Shouldn’t you have gotten all that before you picked up your new cat?”
Jesusfuck. Why did teenagers have a way of making you feel so fucking stupid with every word that came out of their mouths?
“I didn’t plan for this. I found it in the middle of my driveway. Should I have left it there for your mom to run over whenever she happens to show up?” I snapped my mouth shut, shoving down whatever misplaced irritation I had when it came to that woman. “Look, I just need some help. Do you or don’t you have any cats?”
“We do not.”
