“Yep, I’m me. I’d been planning to pop down and introduce myself properly, but things haven’t really gone to plan with the move so far. It’s all been a bit chaotic handing things over at work, so…” Jules’s smile gave way to a grimace. “Look, I’m sorry again to disturb you, but Juni, do you know if he…?” She subtly moved to peer around Catherine.
Instinctively, Catherine stepped aside, as if to prove there wasn’t a cat hiding behind her.
“Er, no… I mean, he was still in the empty furniture box when I left. I moved it into your hallway before I headed back down here.”
“Right, it’s just that he’s pretty sneaky. He’s got out once or twice before. He can be very quick when you’re not looking…”
“I’m think I would’ve noticed if he’d—” Before she’d even finished her sentence, Jules had moved inside. She stepped out of her court shoes, and Catherine gawked at the woman’s back in disbelief, watching helplessly as she padded through to the lounge, clicking her tongue.
“Juni? I’m here, puss puss.”
Catherine shut the door and followed on, peering around the doorjamb to see Jules on all fours, looking under her sofa.
“Hey, naughty boy, there you are!”
“Wait, what… he’s actually under there?”
Jules lay on her stomach and stretched her arms under the sofa. “Gotcha!” She kicked her legs and tried to wriggle backwards. “Juni, stop it. Let go of that… fuck!”
Catherine craned her neck, surveying the scene from above. The slightly-dishevelled-but-exceptionally-hot woman on her lounge room floor rolled onto her back and met Catherine’s wide-eyed gaze.
“I’m sorry, but he stuck his claws into something soft under your sofa, and… it’s come unravelled.”
Catherine stepped forward to look. A few of the jigsaw pieces had scattered out from the mat. “Oh, it’s my puzzle mat. Don’t worry.”
Jules’s lip quirked as if she were biting back a laugh at discovering Catherine’s nerdy hobby, but she didn’t pass comment. Catherine swallowed her mild mortification.
“I probably should’ve tried this first.” Jules sat up, popping her eyes as she pulled a yellow pouch from her pocket.
“Dreamies,” she said, answering the question Catherine hadn’t asked. “They’re like crack for cats.”
Jules shook the packet; the contents rattled inside, and Juni darted out from under the sofa. She tipped a couple of the little pillow-shaped biscuits onto the floor, and Juni sat crunching them as she stroked his back.
Catherine shook her head. “I can’t believe he’s been under there all night and I had no idea!”
Jules chuckled and scooped up her cat. He purred as she cradled him in her arms like a baby.
“No harm done. I’m sorry again for the intrusion… and for the mess he made of your puzzle. I promise it won’t happen again.” Her eyes sparkled in a way that made Catherine wish she’d retract that promise, because even though she didn’t recognise herself for thinking this, she’d enjoyed the audacious intrusion. In a heartbeat, she’d welcome more wake-up calls like this if they were on offer.
“Right, well… we better leave you in peace.” Jules moved to the door, and Catherine trailed behind, words failing to come once again as her brain was still buffering. She watched in silence as Jules pushed her feet back into her shoes and unlatched the door.
She turned and shot Catherinethatsmile.
“Oh, I will thank you properly, by the way. I mean, for everything you’ve done for me — what with Juni…” she smiled down at the floppy grey mass of cat now lolling in the crook of her arm, “…and the flatpack construction. I’m a bit hopeless when it comes to all that.”
Catherine swallowed. “Anytime. Happy to help, I mean… it was my pleasure.”
“Good to know.” Jules’s eyes sparkled again, then she turned and headed up the stairs.
Catherine pinchedher arm to make sure she hadn’t just dreamt that.
Her new neighbour was the gorgeous mystery woman she kept bumping into around town. Her new neighbour was her lovely old neighbour’s daughter. Now, here she was — living right above her. And she knew Catherine’s name and had given herthatsmile.
Jules McPherson had just smiled at her, and it had made her knees go weak, so much so they still felt a little boneless.
Wait, she knows my name!
As far as Catherine was aware, Bridie and her daughter weren’t close. The old woman seemed to bristle whenever Catherine asked her any personal questions, so she probed no more. Catherine was off the clock whenever they spenttime together, so she eased into the woman’s company like it was a comfy old armchair. She enjoyed Bridie’s sense of humour, and they shared a taste for anice wee dram,which they took turns to supply.
