“Isn’t she cute?”Sally asked.
“She is,” he agreed, not taking his eyes off the kitten.Dot must have decided he was okay because she circled around in his hands a minute, lay down, and, like Dash, began to purr.
“Look,” Sally said to Raven.“She’s purring.”
Raven chuckled.“I told you.She takes a little longer, but she gets there.”
Simon looked up, a question on his face.
“Raven was saying that Dot sometimes takes longer than Dash to feel comfortable or try new things,” said Sarah.“But you seem to have taken all her cares away.”Sarah was sure that if he were stroking her like he was stroking Dot, she wouldn’t have a care in the world either.
He looked up at her and their eyes met.It was just a moment, but long enough for heat to rise up her neck.She quickly turned toward Raven.“Are we able to take them now?What’s next?”
“Well, since you have the carriers, once you pay the fee, you can take them home today.I’ll arrange a time to visit you in the next few days to see how they’re settling in.”
They placed the kittens in the carriers and stopped at the front counter.“There are coupons inside for the vet,” said Raven, handing them each an envelope with their receipts.“They’re up to date with shots, but they should be spayed and neutered soon, once they grow a bit more.They were pretty tiny when we rescued them.There’s also a brochure there for insurance.”
They thanked Raven, and Sarah and Simon carried the cats to their respective cars.
“Well, we’ll you soon,” said Sarah.
“Yes.”Simon bent to place the cat carrier into the back seat and told Sally to get in the car.
“Do you have dinner plans?”she found herself asking.“It’s just that my mom left us several lasagnas and… Well, would you like to help us eat one?”
Simon looked across at Sally who nodded up and down quickly, and then back to Sarah.“We’d like that,” he said.“Let us take Dot home first, show her the house and get her used to the place, and then we’ll come over.”
“How about an hour and a half?That will give us time to cook it.”
“See you then,” he said.
Sarah slid into the seat beside Riley, started up the car, and waved to Raven, who stood outside the building, watching them leave.
“Well, Dash, welcome to the family,” she said, pulling away from the building.She felt like this was the best decision she’d made in years.
ChapterNine
Raven went back into the center to feed the cats.Mal and Daisy were heading out tonight, and she was alone for the first time in a week.
After the lead-up to the Pages and Paws launch, she now had a flurry of adoptions to contend with.Which was, in truth, her favorite part of the job.
When she was finished, she walked back across the gravel to her home, fed Jackie, and settled down on the couch to take in the early news, and a news report about a break-in in Calgary.Calgary—where her daughter was now living, apparently.Not in Edmonton with McKenzie.What was she doing in Calgary?
She had learned her daughter’s whereabouts during her lunch with Rosalyn.When her friend asked how Wren was enjoying her new city, she had to admit she didn’t know.
“I think you should call McKenzie,” said Ros.“She hasn’t said much, which means she knows more than she’s letting on.”
They spent the rest of their brunch talking about the center, the new garden Rosalyn was growing with Andrew, and any other topic they could think of—anything to keep from dwelling on why Wren was keeping her mother in the dark.
As soon as they were done their meal and had said their farewells, Raven grabbed her phone and called McKenzie.
“She’s got a boyfriend,” McKenzie told her, almost at a whisper, as though she were still twelve and didn’t want to share a confidence.
“And what’s he like?”asked Raven.
“He’s… I don’t know.He’s okay.He’s got a job working as a mechanic in Calgary.So she decided to get a job there for the summer.”
“And school?Is she planning to return in the fall?”
