He glances up, already reaching for his phone. “Jamie? Aye, she still is. Makes house calls, too. I’ll give her a ring and see if she’s free to swing by this morning.”
“That would be great. I’ll pay extra if she can.”
Cal sets the kitten down and straightens, already dialing.
While he talks, I yank open the fridge and swear under my breath. Bare shelves.
Cooking has always been something I enjoy, but when I’m on my own, it’s never a priority. The state of my fridge is a clear reflection of that.
I grab a notebook from the drawer, flipping it open just as Cal finishes his call and drops onto a barstool.
“You know there’s an app for that,” he says, nodding at my pen.
I shoot him a look. “Paper doesn’t die when you forget to charge it. What’d Jamie say?”
“It’s your lucky day. She was already coming out this way for another house call, so she’s going to stop by in a bit to check the little guy out.”
I nod, relieved. “I owe her one then.” I pause for a moment, eyeing the fridge once more before glancing back at him. “Would you mind hanging back, so I can make a quick trip to the grocery store?”
“Aye, no problem.” He waves me off. “Hey, what’s my nephew’s name?”
I roll my eyes. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Figure it out before your date tonight.” His tone is all serious. It’s hilarious when he thinks he can boss me around. “You can’t tell a woman you own a kitten and then say it doesn’t have a name. Red flag,” he adds.
“Okay, coming from the guy who burns through flings like kindling.”
He just grins. Smug as hell. “Exactly. I would know.”
I shake my head and let out a laugh. “Noted.”
“You’ll thank me later,” he says. “Go ahead and get out of here. My sweet nephew and I will befine.”
I grab my list and keys, slip on my boots, and double-check that my wallet is tucked safely in my back pocket.
“I won’t be long,” I call back to Cal, who’s already snatched the kitten off the floor.
He waves me off, barely looking up from the TV. “Take your time.”
The instant I'm outside, I’m hit with a wall of rain. It’s coming down in sheets, the kind of downpour that soaks you to the bone in seconds. I make a mad dash for my truck, my boots splashing through the rapidly forming puddles. By the time I wrench the truck door open and haul myself inside, I’m completely drenched.Great.
After a quick trip to the store, I head back home, steering through the rain-slicked streets. Pulling into the driveway, I spot an unfamiliar SUV, its tires caked in mud. Looks like the vet’s already here. Perfect timing. Now I get to find out what’s going on with the nameless kitten, though if Cal has any say in the matter, it’s most likely already named.
I grab as many bags as I can from the back of the truck because no way am I making more than one trip. Carefully dodging puddles, I climb my way up the porch steps, the weight of my shopping spree threatening to cut off the circulation in my fingers.
Shifting the bags to one arm, I push the door open and step inside. It’s quiet…suspiciously so. No rustling, no tiny paws tapping across the floor.
I can just barely see Cal and Jamie posted up on opposite sides of the kitchen island from my spot in the foyer, gazes locked. Their mouths move as they talk a little too closely, but I can’t make out what they’re saying.
Not that it matters. In the next breath, the squeakof my boots on the hardwood cuts through their conversation.
Cal is the first to pull away. “Knox! This is Jamie. Jamie, Knox.”
I shrug off my soaked jacket and hang it by the door, water dripping in streaks onto the floor. As I head into the kitchen, I catch my first real look at her. Jamie’s tall, with red hair pulled into a sleek ponytail, freckles across her nose, no makeup. She looks like someone who knows how to handle herself in a barn full of half-ton animals or a bar full of rowdy locals. Exactly the kind of woman Callan might end up arguing with just to flirt.
“Jamie, hey. Appreciate you coming out this morning,” I say, dropping the grocery bags with a dull thud and brushing rain from my sleeve.
“No trouble at all. I already did the exam. He’s feisty, healthy, and full of attitude. Gave him a flea treatment and his vaccinations, so he’s good to go for a while.”
