“I can’t remember ever seeing her like that,” Laney agrees. She’s deflated too.
Theo shakes his head. “Never had a broken heart like this before either. Give her time. She’ll be back.”
“Did it hurt when she yelled at you?” Laney asks him.
He grins, but he doesn’t answer. A grey kitten pokes its head out of the kitchen like it’s making sure the coast is clear, and when Laney clucks her tongue, that kitten and two more dash out to join us. Theo scoops up two of them and deposits them in Laney’s lap with the first two, kisses her on the top of the head, and eyes me like he’s considering kicking me off of her couch.
Yes. Yes, they have an army of kittens that they saved in Hawaii.
No, they collectively cannot get more adorable.
I loop my arm through hers and lay my head on her shoulder while the kitten in my lap finally disentangles himself from my pants and climbs over to join his siblings in Laney’s lap.
“Mine,” I tell Theo. “You get her later.”
The kittens meow like they’re offended that I’d claim their human mama. Theo rolls his eyes and heads to the kitchen.
The man sits still about as well as these kittens do.
They’re adorable, even with their super-sharp claws.
And way tinier than my overgrown puppy.
“So, Bean & Nugget,” Laney says, clearly trying to distract me from what just happened with Emma.
“It’s hopeless. It’s all hopeless.”
“Everything’s hopeless with that attitude,” Theo calls.
“Don’tnaked-motivational-knitter-adviceme,” I call back. “I’m not one of your adoring fans.”
“Anymore.”
“Stop, both of you,” Laney orders. “Theo, more cookies, please. Sabrina, more positive attitude, please. You have a plan. I cansmellit.”
“That’s the kitty litter,” Theo says.
Her lips wobble in amusement.
A month ago, she would’ve chewed him out for the joke.
Today, she’s laughing.
And I utterlylovethat for her.
She deserves all of the laughs. All of the love. All of the happiness.
Meanwhile, I’m just a drag.
“Can you tell me that I should do the thing I’m thinking about doing, even if it’s a terrible idea?” I say while I reach for one of those cookies on the plate on her other side.
“Would you have hesitated three weeks ago?”
“No.”
“Then do it.”
“Will you hate me?”
