Maeve places her hand to her mouth. “Logan,” she breathes. “That was so kind of you.”
I shrug. “They needed a place to go, and I had already performed the surgery on Trooper.”
“You saved their lives,” Maeve whispers. “You could have just left them at the shelter afterward, but you took them home?”
“Of course,” I say, surprised at her reaction. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because you’re a bleeding heart,” Ivan adds.
“It was the right thing to do,” I say, confused.
What kind of person would I be if I left Stella and Trooper back at a shelter?
There was no other choice but to take them home with me.
A cat with only three legs and another with litter box issues would likely be the last two to be adopted out.
Furs and Purrs is a rare organization that would have space and the resources to keep them happy, but I had been back in my old town, and the county shelter would not have been the place for them.
“It’s really sweet,” Maeve says wistfully. “Hopefully, one day, I’ll be able to get a cat of my own.”
“Why not take Bean?” Ivan asks. “He adores you.”
“I…”
And for the first time tonight, Maeve appears uncomfortable. My instinct is to reach over and take her hand, but I keep it at my side. “I’m a little worried about…the worries.”
“Worried about the worries?” I repeat.
She heaves a deep sigh. “I just don’t want to start panicking about every little thing if I take Bean home. I would love him to pieces, but I’m worried that I would freak out if I thought he evenblinkedwrong.” She looks down at her lap. “It’s pathetic,” she murmurs.
“No, it’s not,” I say quickly. “You’re protective.”
“You are absolutelynot,” Ivan adds.
She can’t think about herself that way. I won’t allow it.
Maeve is the exact opposite of pathetic. She’s brave, funny, clever, and lovely.
But her smile is thin when she looks at me. “Maybe one day I’ll get a cat,” she says softly. “But by then, Bean will be adopted.”
Stella and Trooper would take a while to get used to Bean, but I imagine different ways to take the kitten home with me.
I have enough spare bedrooms to give Bean his own room.
I could adopt Bean, and then she would have to visit me…
“There are other fish in the sea,” Maeve adds. “Well, other cats, I guess.”
Ivan reaches over and takes her hand, doing what I can’t. I watch him lace their fingers together on the table and try to ignore the cold stab of jealousy that takes over.
Mine.
“When the time is right, you’ll know, babe,” Ivan says. “You’ll be a great cat mom.”
The shadow that crossed her features disappears, and she’s back to her bright, beautiful self.
“Speaking of cats,” I add, forcing the words out. “I have to head out. Thank you for the company.”
