“I’ll name them, then,” Josie said with a shrug. “And I’ll put together a box of supplies for you. Call me anytime with any questions. I’ve bottle-fed hundreds of kittens, even smaller than these.”
“All the more reason you should be doing it, not me.”
“I would if I could,” Josie said. “It kills me that I can’t take them, but I need to get back to the bar before Adam messes up too many orders and has everyone drinking on the house.”
“Fine.” Eve tugged at her blouse, wincing as she felt the urine-soaked fabric stick to her skin. Ugh. It smelled awful. And it looked worse.
“Do you want a clean shirt to wear home?” Josie asked.
Eve opened her mouth to decline, but the thought of wearing this shirt for the thirty-minute ride back to her apartment… “Actually, that would be great.”
“You bet.” Josie went through the open door to their left, entering what Eve presumed was her bedroom. She returned a minute later with several shirts. “Whichever you like. Bathroom’s in there.”
“Thank you.” Eve took the garments and went through the door Josie had indicated, finding herself in a small bathroom painted a sunny yellow. A large orange cat rose from where it had been asleep on the bathmat, glared at her, and stalked out of the room.
Eve closed the door. She unbuttoned her blouse and slid out of it, taking a moment to rinse the cat pee off herself at the sink before she grabbed a fitted black tee off the top of the pile and pulled it over her head. It was such a relief to have on something clean and dry, she wouldn’t have cared if the shirt was as iridescent as Josie’s hair.
She balled up her soiled blouse and walked back to the kitchen, where Josie was busily putting supplies in a box. She grinned. “I had a bet with myself that you’d pick that one.”
“It was on top,” Eve snapped, then sighed, reminding herself none of this was Josie’s fault. “Thank you for lending it to me. And for the supplies.”
“No problem. And please, call me at any hour if you’re worried about them or have any questions. I’m working until two, so chances are, I’ll be up anyway.”
Eve nodded.Just tonight.
“Okay, I’ve packed you a day’s worth of formula, towels, warmers, a stuffed cat for them to snuggle against as a replacement for their mother…” Josie kept going, rummaging through the box as she spoke, going over feeding schedules and formula preparation. “I know it’s a lot to remember, but I’ve got YouTube videos detailing all of it. If you just search my channel, you’ll find them.”
“I’ll do that.”
“And they’ll need to see a vet tomorrow,” Josie told her.
“I don’t have time—” Eve cut herself off at the hurt look on Josie’s face. Maybe she could send one of the interns to the vet with them while she worked. “Fine.”
“I’ll email you the name of a vet I’ve worked with in Manhattan who’ll put their bill on the tab for my rescue.”
“I can pay for it,” Eve said reflexively. She could afford it, and she had the impression that most small charities like Josie’s struggled in that area.
“Okay,” Josie said evenly, not putting up the fight Eve had expected. “I really appreciate that. If you send me a copy of the bill, I’ll give you a receipt from the rescue so you can write it off as a charitable donation on your taxes.”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll help you carry this stuff out, on my way back to the bar,” Josie said. “Did you come here in a cab?”
“I did. It didn’t seem wise to take a sack of barely alive kittens on the subway.”
“Probably not.” Josie paused, eyes locking on Eve’s. “Before you go…”
“Yes?”
“You probably guessed that I watch your show, and…” She looked away, seemingly flustered for the first time since they met.
Was she trying to ask for an autograph? Sometimes people did, and it still caught Eve off guard. She used her marketing skills on television, fixing real businesses for real people. Yes, some of it was staged, but she didn’t consider herself a celebrity, or even a public figure. She was a businesswoman at heart, and she always would be. “I did assume that, yes.”
Josie sucked in a breath, meeting her eyes. “I don’t know how to say this other than to just…say it. Swanson’s is in trouble. It’s…it’s on its last leg, to be frank. I can’t pay the bills, and I’m working almost every shift because I can’t afford to hire a staff. I actually put in an application toDo Over, but it was rejected.”
Eve straightened as she realized what Josie was asking. Not an autograph request after all. And this was worse.
“I know you probably have someone screen the applications for you, but now you’re here, and it feels like kismet, so I have to ask.” Josie’s hazel eyes bored into Eve’s, steady and intense, dripping with emotion. “To beg, really. Have Swanson’s on your show. Do your thing, work your magic, save my bar. Please.”
