“Oh.” Nora reached in her hand, letting Greg sniff her. He warmed up really fast, and soon enough, Nora was playing with the older guy and laughing her face off.
Seeing her smile did weird things to my chest, and the more she played with the cat, the stranger that feeling got. Dressed in her beautiful, sexy outfit, she sat crisscross on the floor with the cat, covered in dirt and evidence of sweat all over her, yet…she was so fucking gorgeous. She caught me staring at her. “Best. Date. Ever.”
“Good.” I bent down to pet Greg and found the pang in my chest grow. How could we put him back in the cage? What if he liked us? What if he thought we were going to take him home? Shit.
A pressure grew behind my eyes, and I stepped away.
“You know…” Nora said, picking Greg up and speaking in a soft, low voice. “Greg reminds me of you, actually.”
“Are you saying I’m getting old and think myself a royal?”
“No,” she said, laughing. “He just has this thing about him. Makes you feel at ease. Taking care of a cat isn’t that much work, you know.”
“Nora,” I warned, already thinking along the same lines. I couldn’t stand to put Greg back in the small kennel when he could’ve gotten his hopes up. She handed him to me, and the cat purred when I scratched his head. Purred.
Fuck.
“Take him away, please,” I said, my throat getting tight. This plan had backfired. This was supposed to be about her, and now I was thinking of adopting a cat because he could be sad? Who the hell was I anymore?
I was staring at the other end of the room when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Then, she moved and wrapped her arms around me from behind so her head rested against my back. I never cared for being the little spoon, but with her tiny arms holding me, it felt right. “Nora.”
“I know why you brought us here, and I can’t thank you enough for everything. I can see myself involving shelter cats at the greenhouse. Maybe I could let some live there or have a class for kids? Maybe I have adoptathons there or bring awareness to the shelter. I know exactly why you brought me here, but, Fritz? I think you needed to come here for a reason too. Life has a weird way of working out and I know you’re fighting it, but Greg is yours.”
The tightness grew in my throat, and I cleared it a few times before nodding. Life did have a weird way of working out, and Greg wasn’t the only one who felt like mine.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Grace and Gillyeach held a mimosa the next morning as Sir Greg moved from the couch to the carpet, eyeing them like he couldn’t decide if they were enemies or allies. I had to agree. I didn’t need a guilt trip from them. IknewI had to tell the truth.
With her huge presentation coming up…it felt rude to distract her from it. Once that was done, then I’d come clean. Tell her everything.
Gilly took a large swig and set her glass down, but Grace held hers with her knowing eyes pinching at the sides. “G, I don’t wanna hear it.” I held up my hand. “I will tell her, eventually. When the timing is right.”
“This is worse than what your sister did. She was still herself, just hid the fact she had a trust fund. This is pretending to be someone you’re not,” Grace said, a little pink to her cheeks. “This isn’t you. You’re not that guy.”
“When I saw her at the airport, and she assumed I was the chauffeur, I took the easy way out. I didn’t think she’d make it a week before giving up and going back to her palace, and then I’d be off the hook. If I’d known that we—that I’d feel—” I paced the living room, and Sir Greg tracked me with his shrewd gaze. “She has me feeling all sorts of ways when we’re together. Different. Like…I don’t know. She bought me plants. I own plantsanda cat now. I look for ways she could add things to her dream plant business idea and just…” I pulled on the ends of my hair. “I like her. A lot.”
“So you’re scared,” Grace said, smiling a bit. “This is for real then.”
“I know I need to tell her. And I will, but yes, I think you’re right. I am scared, but I didn’t invite both of you over here to lecture me. We have shit to talk about.” I cleared my throat.
Grace’s face paled, and she set the mimosa on the table, untouched.
Gilly sighed and reached for Sir Greg and put him in her lap. The traitor decided she was a friend and curled next to her. “I love him.”
I smiled. “Yeah, it’s been a weird couple of weeks for me. Learning all sorts of things about myself.”
“Like the fact you’re a cat person.”
“That.” I ran a hand over my jaw and felt the pressure in my chest build. It got so heavy that it overflowed, like someone forgot to turn the faucet off in the sink. Ihadto tell them. “I’m doing something crazy this week.”
“More than…what we’ve already discussed?” Grace said, furrowing her dark eyebrows. She had a twinge of an accusation in her tone, and I narrowed my eyes, looking at the mimosa and then to her stomach.
I wasn’t the only one with secrets, but I wouldn’tdareguess why she wasn’t drinking. Not my business or surprise. But I enjoyed how she sat up straighter after my pointed look. I winked, trying to tell her without words that I wouldn’t just blurt it out. If she and Brock werereallyhaving a kid, I couldn’t wait to spoil that baby rotten. And get them clothes because Grace and Brock wore too much athletic gear. They needed someone to teach their baby style. Even Nora had her own style that was unique and fun, but she’d probably dress a kid to match her flowers.
Whoa. Nora and a baby. Hmm.
“Fritz, what is it?” Grace asked, her voice pleading.
