Jake
The sex had knocked me the hell out. I didn’t hear the door when Skylar got home the previous night, or the first phone call this morning. What Ididhear was Skylar pounding on my bedroom door so hard it sounded like he was trying to knock it down.
“Jake!”
I jolted upright, my hazily conscious mind filled with confusion.
“What…?” I mumbled.
Griffin - who I’d nearly forgotten had spent the night - woke up in a daze next to me, blinking.
With a grunt, I trudged out of bed and quickly tossed on a pair of boxers before I answered the door. Behind me, I was aware of Griffin awkwardly getting dressed.
“What?” I asked Skylar.
Skylar met me with a panicked expression, his eyes wide. Instantly I knew something was wrong. He clutched his phone tightly in one hand and waved it around as he spoke.
“Jake, there’s a - ”
Skylar cut himself off. His face flushed and he looked shocked, and I realized why - he was staring at Griffin’s half-naked form through the gap in the door.
“Sorry, I didn’t know you had… company,” Skylar said. His face screwed up in thought, like he was trying to figure out where he recognized Griffin from.
“What’s the big emergency?” I reminded him.
“Right.” Skylar shook his head. “Um, there’s a problem. At your store.”
“Atmystore? The pet shop?” I asked.
Skylar nodded. “Kaden called.”
I wracked my brain to remember why that name sounded familiar. “That’s one of your co-workers at the café, right?”
“Yeah. Anyway, he has an aquarium at home, and - I don’t know, he was talking really fast, I think his tank heater broke or something - so he went to the store first thing in the morning, since it’s closest to his place and - ” Skylar paused and took a breath. “He found - um. A cat.”
“What do you mean, hefounda cat?” I asked irritably. “You mean the ones for adoption by the window?”
“No,” Skylar said with a frown. “A cat was left outside the store in a box, right by the alley.”
My irritation turned to anger. “What? Someone dumped a cat outside the store?”
Skylar nodded sadly. “Kaden didn’t know what to do, but I’d mentioned to him earlier that you worked there, so he called me to tell you.”
If I wasn’t fully awake before, I definitely was now. I swore and threw on a shirt and jeans.
“How long ago was this?” I demanded.
“Just now.”
“Is he still there?”
“I think so,” Skylar said. “The café doesn’t open for another hour. Do you want me to tell him to stay there with the cat?”
“Yes,” I said, glad that Skylar and I were on the same wavelength. “Call and say I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Skylar nodded. “Okay.” He glanced to Griffin, who was also fully dressed now, and looking out of place.
“Come with me,” I told Griffin. “I might need an extra person to help.”
