She nods, but there’s a tiny crease in between her brows that I want to smooth over with my thumb.
“Hey,” I tell her, holding out my hand to help her up. “Cheer up. You’re saving cats and doing the world a huge favor at the same time.”
“No, that’s you,” she says, taking my outstretched hand. I swallow at the sparks that shoot down my spine from her touch. “You’re the one patching up the injured and sick animals.”
“Yeah, well, who brings them to get help in the first place? We make a good team.” I reluctantly let go of her hand, even though I want to hold onto it as long as possible. Maybe just lead her outside the building and take her back to my apartment, tuck her into a nest with the secret supplies I have stashed in my closet.
I bought them just for her, even though we’re not together.
It’s ajust in casescenario.
Even if we don’t end up together, those nesting blankets will only be for her.
“Thanks again,” she says, stepping away from my touch. “I mean it, Ivan. For everything.” Her amber eyes shine with sincerity as she gazes at me. “Thanks for being so patient with me and Bean.”
I shake my head. “You don’t require patience.”
“Oh, I very much do,” she giggles.
Not for me. I’ll never get enough of you.
But those words don’t come out. Instead, I hold eye contact with her a bit too long, until her lips slightly part and we’re both staring at each other intently.
Now would be the time to ask her out officially.
I inhale a breath. “Hey--”
“MROW.”
Creed proudly places his latest kill, a plush mouse, at my foot, and interrupts the moment. He sits and looks up at me with green eyes, black tail swishing in anticipation.
I sigh, pick up the mouse, and toss it across the playroom, and the cat gallops after.
“I’ll see you later,” Maeve laughs, unaware of what I was going to ask her. The moment is ruined.
“Later,” I say, my smile slightly wavering.
There’s always tomorrow.
Maybe then, I won’t be cockblocked by a cat.
3
MAEVE
“Morning,”I say, entering the building and greeting Alvin with a pet on the head. “How is?—”
“Bean’s fine,” Piper assures me from the front desk. “No sneezing at all. Much better. You weren’t worried about it all night, were you?”
I feign innocence. “Of course not.”
Okay, maybe I was worried alittle.
Piper was kind enough to text me last night that Bean had stopped sneezing completely late yesterday afternoon, and while it settled me a bit,what ifsstill swirled in my head all night.
“Good, because hedidhave a speck of dried wet food on his nose,” Piper says. “That was the culprit, likely. But we’re going to keep him isolated for one more day, just to be sure.”
“Okay,” I sigh. Alvin nuzzles into my hand, and I lean my head and press my face right into his back. I inhale his cat scent and sigh.
