“I once overheard a student say I made her look like a pushover.”
Finn broke into his heartiest laugh yet, crinkling the dimples beneath his stubble. “Not a people, kid, or animal person. Got it.”
“Not an anything person,” Teddy grumbled. “This was a bad idea.” He grimaced as he tried to get up, not thinking and doing it the way he used to without care for his hip. It was infuriating to have to think twice about every move he made.
“Here.” Finn stood to help him, and Teddy grudgingly allowed it.
Smudge stayed on the coffee table.
“I have an idea,” Finn said. “Why don’t we share a cup of coffee or something and sit a while so Smudge can see that I trust you. Once he realizes I like you, he’ll warm up to you too.”
“And why would you like a grumpy old man?”
“I’ll let you know if I run into any,” Finn teased, forcing Teddy to finally free himself from self-flagellation and smile back.
They left Smudge be and went to the kitchen to fire up Teddy’s Keurig. He chose a cappuccino to appease his sweet tooth, while Finn was fine with dark roast, cream, and one sugar.
Smudge still sat on the coffee table when they returned, watching them with a flick of the end of his tail as they lounged on the sofa. To pass the time, Teddy asked Finn when he’d moved in, since he’d always remembered that beach house being empty.
“Five or six months ago. I probably just missed you and moved in after your last stay here. It used to be my parents’, just for vacations when I was a kid, but I decided to move out here for good, get away from the city. I have some friends in town, and my sister and her husband live here. They were all over the other day. I hope we didn’t bother you.”
“It was fine,” Teddy dismissed. “You’re hardly raucous partiers.”
Smudge moved to the sofa suddenly but remained a cushion away from Teddy, still watching them.
“Keep focused on me,” Finn said in a low whisper that made Teddy realize how close they sat and how teal Finn’s eyes were.“See, the trick with most cats is to ignore them until they come to you, everything on their terms.”
“I see why we’re having trouble getting along. Too much alike.”
“So, I should try ignoring you?” Finn gave him that endearing smile again, and Teddy’s stomach flipped. “Sorry.” He pulled away as though Teddy looked shell-shocked. “You can tell me to buzz off if I’m being too forward.”
“You’re not, I’m just not really….”
“Gay?”
“Definitely gay.”
Finn chuckled. “But not interested, I get it.”
“More that it’s bad timing.” Teddy thought of his hip, his retirement, his misery.
“You’re in a difficult place right now, big life transition.” Finn nodded. “You don’t need some nosy neighbor getting too familiar.”
Licking his lips as he clutched his coffee cup, Teddy focused on the comfort Finn managed to exude as effortlessly as he’d lifted Teddy from that beach chair the other day. “This is an okay amount of familiar,” he said.
Finn’s eyes followed the trail of Teddy’s tongue. “I’m glad.”
Electricity buzzed between them like there was a storm brewing outside. Despite everything Teddy had said, he felt drawn to Finn’s orbit like nothing could stop him.
Weight on his thigh snapped his attention to Smudge, who’d snuck closer and had his front paws on Teddy’s lap now, peering curiously at him as though wondering why he wasn’t being petted yet. Taking a chance, Teddy reached to stroke his head, and Smudge bucked up into his hand.
“There you go, see?” Finn said. “You just have to be patient and eventually they come to you.”
Crisis averted. Teddy had a cat, whose name could now never be anything but Smudge. Teddy couldn’t change it after their adventures today, not with Finn living next door.
He felt a heat in his chest and low in his belly just from having Finn beside him, tempting him to forget all about his hip and disrupted life, but all too soon, Finn was getting up and heading for the door.
“Sorry, my sister’s bringing dinner over, so I need to get back. But if you have any more trouble with Smudge, don’t hesitate to call.”
