“It’s going well. Thanks again for being my reference,” I tell her and when she waves me off, I keep talking. “Chloe’s a gem and Rhodes—as you know—is a good guy.”
When Chrissy heard I did nanny work in my spare time, she’d taken it upon herself to make some connections—and now I’ve had a kickass job for almost a month with an adorable little girl, a nice dad, and plenty of time to work on my blankets and finalize my travel plans.
“Are you going to stay on permanently?”
My heart kicks hard, but I shake my head. “Just through the season. I’m saving up for my trip, remember?”
“Your tour around the world. That’s going to be a blast.” She smiles but there’s something in her eyes I can’t quite read—worry or sadness or maybe it’s just that she’s running an event with lots of moving parts. Case in point? Her head jerks to the side, her smile growing. “Oh, I’d better go rescue that little troublemaker.”
I grin, watching as she hurries over to a cat tower (and the toddler who’s attempted to scale it…and gotten stuck) then move across the room, sitting down beside Chloe and Rhodes.
“Uncle King said he likes my daddy’s shirt,” she announces.
I straighten her braid, fighting a laugh. I’d met Kingston Bang, and I’d bet my life savings that himlikingit is going to come with lots of teasing the next time the guys get together. “Well,youdid a great job decorating it.”
“Uncle Huddy says I should put more glitter on it next time.”
I chuckle. “More glitter is never a bad thing.”
Rhodes sighs, shakes his head, but he doesn’t otherwise comment as a senior cat crawls into his lap and starts purring. He shifts to make her more comfortable then lightly strokes a hand down her back.
And there goes my heart again.
Tearing my eyes away from him, I supervise Chloe as she scratches a juvenile cat. She’s doing a great job of being gentle. But that’s not a surprise—she’s a great kid.
And had a great teacher.
The adoption event is busy, and there are people everywhere—teens scratching sleepy tabbies, kids trying to coax shy older cats from beneath chairs, parents wrangling toddlers who want to grab tails and ears.
It’s chaos central.
Feather toys flying, balls with bells ringing, meows all around.
And we’re sitting plunk dab in the middle of it.
“Look, Daddy!” Chloe points to a pair of kittens who are scaling a cat tower like it’s their job. “They’re funny.”
“And busy,” I say dryly.
Rhodes slants a look in my direction before gently dislodging the cat in his lap and following Chloe when she walks over to the tower. The kittens’ tiny bodies move with graceful chaos, dashing down the tower, careening across the floor. They scale the side of a couch then leap onto a shelf mounted to the wall, claws clinging like they’re about to reenactThe Lion King.
Chloe giggles.
Rhodes bends and scoops up the senior cat he’d been holding. “Look at this kitty, Chloe. She’s a sweetheart.”
Chloe scratches the cat behind her ears, but her attention is on the pair of crazy kittens.
And Isoknow where this is going.
Rhodes does too if his quiet sigh is any indication.
I stifle a laugh as I make my way over, crouch down beside her. “Why don’t you sit on the couch? That way, if one comes over you can say hi nicely.”
She does exactly that, plopping down and holding very,verystill.
It takes approximately two seconds.
Then one of the kittens jumps down from the shelf and onto the cushion next to her. Two seconds later, it toddles into her lap and, miracle of miracles (or more likely, it senses that this is likely a chance at forever), the kitten curls up and closes its eyes.
