April shook her head. “But Jack—”
“I’m sorry that you had to cut your night short.” He was. His job was to make things easier and encourage her to relax so she could get back to the business of being calm.
“We’ll make it up to you,” Travis said, letting his southern accent hang right on out there.
Funny, that thing hadn’t been so pronounced until just then. Jack had a hunch that bit of an accent was one of the things that had drawn his sister to this guy in the first place. Because it wasn’t his coordination when it came to sock surfing on tile.
“I know, but—”
April was cut off as a whole passel of kids barged through the room on the way to the television.
“Harmony?” Jack asked.
She shrugged and held out her palm. “Another twenty if you want me to pick the show for them.”
“Harmony.” April scowled at her daughter. “Go help the kids with the show and do it out of the goodness of your heart.”
Harmony rolled her eyes like only an eight-year-old denied her twenty dollars could. “Fine.” She stomped toward the television.
“Okay, serious now.” April clapped her hands in a one-two, one-two-three rhythm that Jack remembered from elementary school.
Muscle memory kicked in because he gave her his full attention.
That was a neat little trick he should add to his arsenal. Would it work in a boardroom with a bunch of fund managers?
“The cat,” April said, expression earnest. “I don’t have one.”
“Then whose cat is upstairs in your bedroom?” Jack asked, looking to the top of the stairs. There was definitely a cat up there.
“That’s what I’m asking you.” April held his gaze with hers, eyes wide, a slight tilt to her mouth.
“Damn.” Jack turned and bolted up the stairs, praying the cat hadn’t scratched the hell out of April’s bedroom.
He jerked open the door and there was one remarkably pissed feline staring at him. A cat with no collar. A cat who, while looking remarkably ticked off, didn’t seem to have an inclination to leave.
April moved behind him, Lola in her arms.
“Cat.” Lola pointed to the cat.
Jack immediately sneezed because, while he liked to think of himself as invincible, he puffed up like a balloon when he was around cats. That’s most of the reason he’d put the cat in April’s room to begin with.
“Yes, it is.” April raised her eyebrows at Jack. “A cat who should probably go back outside so he can return to his family.”
Outside was a great idea. Jack bent to pick up the cat, but the feline wasn’t having it. He hissed like Jack had tried to neuter him, not break him out of April’s room.
Though, to be honest, April’s bedroom smelled very, very nice and Jack probably wouldn’t have wanted to leave, either.
Jack sneezed again as he unfolded himself, standing. Huh. How did someone move a cat who didn’t want to budge?
“Uh…” Jack slid his gaze to April.
“What’s wrong?” Simone climbed the stairs, Yelena at her side.
“Jack brought a cat inside, and now he won’t let anyone in my bedroom,” April said dryly.
“Jack or the cat?” Simone asked. “Because we can call Beast if we need to.”
This made no sense, but that was pretty much how the night had gone. So Jack rolled with it.
