“Hi, Coop,” his mother said and hugged him.“We were just talking about you.Ellie has already bought the cat an activity center.I don’t think you’ve met Rose, have you?Rose, my youngest son, animal whisperer and all-around nice guy, Cooper Weston.”
Cooper lifted his hat.“We’ve met,” he said.“You weren’t very nice.”
Rose turned away.“Neither were you.I’m just going to walk home, thanks for picking me up, Vivian and Annie.”
Before anyone could say anything, she jogged down the stairs and ran in the direction of Laura’s house, where she was still staying.
“Was it something I said?”Cooper asked as he looked after her.
“How do you know Rose?”Annie asked.
“She hasn’t been out of the house as far as I know,” Vivian said.
“We haven’t really met.Mom, I’ve mentioned to you and Willow how I met Rose when she’d nearly ended up in a ditch.I think that was the same day she arrived at your shop, Ellie.Eventually she managed to get her car back on the road and stopped.That was when I offered my help.She was so upset, rattled and angry, though, and was very adamant about the fact she didn’t want my help.Anyway, you wanted a cat,” he said to Ellie.“I’ve brought Marmalade.You don’t have to keep her, if you decide she’s not what you want.Duke wasn’t very happy when I took her away, so let me know if the two of you aren’t a match.Or if you want Duke as well?”
As he put the basket down, everyone bent down as Ellie opened it.Big, green eyes stared up at her from an orange and white face.Gently, she picked up the small kitten.“Oh, she is so soft,” she sighed, pressing her face against the fur.
Cooper lifted the bag in his other hand.“I’ve brought everything you may need for her.A bed, food, toys.Becket should be able to install the cat door for you.
“Um… I don’t think so,” Willow said.“They had a fight.”
Ellie sighed.“We didn’t have a fight.He’s moved on.Thanks, Cooper, please let me know what I owe you.”
“Has Becket told you he’s moving on?”Cooper asked.
“No,” Annie said.“But he’s had coffee with another woman.Aurelia Hill made sure Ellie heard about it.”
Cooper grimaced.“Oh, yes.Aurelia Hill.Of course you should believe everything she says.”
“I heard him making the date!”Ellie cried out.
“Have you asked him who she is?”Cooper asked.“And why he was meeting her?”
“No, of course not.He didn’t mentioned it to me.”
Cooper looked at Willow.“Does she know?”
“I’ve texted her the link,” Willow said.
Nodding, Cooper picked up the basket.“Let me know if you and Marmalade aren’t a match, okay?I’ll install the cat door for you over the weekend.”
With Marmalade still in her arms, her mind in turmoil, Ellie waited on the porch until everyone had left.“Well, little one, now it’s just you and me.”Picking up the bag Cooper had brought she entered her house and closed the door.
With everyone gone, the house was very, very quiet.The cat in her arms, she slowly walked through the rooms downstairs.Rose really knew what she was doing.She had a knack for placing each piece of furniture in the perfect spot.
“Okay, Marmalade, let’s see where we can leave your bed when we’re downstairs.But don’t worry, you can sleep in my room tonight.I’ve already bought you an activity center.We’ll try it out in the morning.”
As Ellie kept a conversation going, she put the kitten down and opened the bag Cooper had left.Inside were lots of tins of cat food, a few toys and a bed.“Let’s see if you like this,” she crooned and gently put the kitten in the bed.For a moment she looked a little lost, but Ellie sat down next to her and gently stroked her back.With a soft sigh, Marmalade closed her eyes.
Ellie’s phone pinged again, and she took it out of her pocket.Willow had said something about sending her a link.There was also a message from Becket, but she ignored it.The message from Willow, though, she opened.
Please read.And a link.
It was a link to an Instagram page, she registered as she clicked on the link.For the past ten days, she hadn’t had time to read a book, post anything about her shop or visit her favorite Instagram page.Becket had taken over her evenings, her mind, her life.
The link opened.She recognized it immediately; it was ET Beck’s page.Why would Willow want her to…?”
As her eyes moved down the page, she lost her breath.Since the last time she’d visited this page, the artist had added a human to the sketches of his three dogs.
