I made a face but didn’t comment. Maureen had four roommates in a three-bedroom house, and that place got… loud sometimes. Plus, she couldn’t have any pets there, so she always jumped at the chance to housesit for me just to have some peace and quiet with Chili and Clyde.
“Well, have fun on your trip.” She glanced toward Eric’s room, then back at me, and smirked. “Maybe not too much fun, though.”
“Shut up,” I muttered.
She giggled, elbowed me, and headed out, and I refused to think too hard about what she was seeing between Eric and me. Just because it was her M.O. to immediately find someone new after a breakup didn’t mean that was what I was doing.
Not even when I thought Eric was seriously hot. Or when I had carnal knowledge of him and knew exactly how good the sex would be if we got carried away together.
The man had just found out his fiancée was cheating. I’d just found out my girlfriend was cheating. We were freshly single, still finding our post-Selena equilibrium, and yeah, no, we didn’t need to be hooking up. We’d just take off to some remote place in Maine, decompress, maybe commiserate, and then come back and resume our lives.
We weren’t going to get involved with each other.
No matter how tempting that thought might be.
“So they’ll be okay on their own?” Eric looked down at Chili, who was purring in his lap and kneading on his leg. “They seem kind of… attached to having people around?”
“Oh, Maureen will be staying here while we’re gone.” I reached over and tousled Chili’s ears. “She insists it’s so they don’t get lonely, but I think she’s just getting her cat fix.”
“She doesn’t have cats?”
I shook my head. “Lease won’t allow it, and she’s got too many roommates anyway. She swears the minute she can buy a place, she’s opening up a cat rescue.”
“I don’t blame her.” He stroked his hand over Chili’s back. “I’ve been itching to have some kind of pet for a long time.”
Chili tipped his head back and gazed up at Eric, purring even louder as his claws clicked in and out of Eric’s jeans. Ericgently popped the claws out of the denim, and… oh God. The way he smiled as he petted Chili? No wonder my sister thought there was something going on between us. Whowouldn’tbe absolutely swooning over this guy?
Unaware of me losing my cool over him, Eric said, “So, tomorrow… we’ll do about seven hours, then stay in Hartford, Connecticut. I made us reservations there for tomorrow night.”
“Oh. Uh. Let me know how much I owe you for the room.”
“I’ve got it.”
“But I can?—”
“I’ve got it,” he repeated a little more firmly. Apparently sensing I was still unconvinced, he added, “You’ve been putting me up”—he circled his finger in the air—“here. The least I can do is cover a hotel room for a night.”
I wasn’t going to win this one, was I? Probably not, so I shrugged. “All right. Well, what time do you want to get moving in the morning?”
He shrugged. “Maybe ten? So traffic has had a chance to clear out?”
“Sounds good to me.” I smiled. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Yeah.” He smiled back. “See you in the morning.”
As I settled into bed, Clyde joined me. Chili was nowhere in sight, but I was quickly getting used to that. He loved Eric, and apparently he’d been sleeping in Eric’s room.
That was good. Eric probably needed the company right now, and Chili was always game to take advantage of someone who was willing to cuddle with him. He’d probably be bummed out when we left tomorrow.
Which…
My heart sank.
Yeah, he probablywouldbe bummed. Even with my sister coming to keep them company, I always felt guilty about leaving him and Clyde. I’d always been a softy for my animals, andthey’d been a huge part of why I’d jumped at the chance to work at home. Going on vacation, even for a weekend, always left me feeling a little guilty.
And now I was worried about how Chili would feel with not only my absence, but Eric’s. And after this trip, when Eric moved out. This arrangement was temporary. Eric was here until he got on his feet after his breakup.
What if my cat missed him after he moved out?
