That was key.
Timing was everything.
Mom was in the basement finishing her workout while I sat cross-legged on my bed with the kitten curled in my lap. She was still damp from her bath, the water I’d used turning brown with grime, but she was impossibly soft now and clean. I’d already bathed her in the bathroom sink, dried her as best as I could until she stopped shivering, and given her a little dish of milk that she’d attacked with desperate hunger. Now she looked like an entirely different creature—clean, fluffy, her gray fur puffed up around her tiny body like a cloud.
Irresistible.
Exactly how I needed her.
“Okay,” I whispered, scratching gently under her chin, and she tilted her head back, exposing the white patch on her throat. “You’re my secret weapon. Don’t mess this up for us. I want you to stay, but we need to convince the hard-ass herself. Deal?”
She blinked up at me with those enormous eyes, promising nothing.
I scooped the kitten up and headed downstairs, sitting on the couch until Mom wandered up. She had a towel draped around her neck, catching sweat, a sheen of it still on her skin, making her face glow. Her black hair was pulled back in a messy bun, loose strands sticking to her temples.
She paused when she saw me on the couch, the kitten snuggled contentedly against my chest, shielding behind my arm. Her eyes narrowed. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
I put on my sweetest smile. “How much do you love me?”
She didn’t even hesitate, twisting off the cap on the water bottle in her hands. “Is that a question?”
“I think so.”
She took a long drink. “What are you up to, Malibu?”
I moved my arm, carefully revealing the kitten. “You know how you said someday we could get a pet?”
“What is that?” she asked, moving deeper into the room toward where I sat on the couch.
“Well…” I lifted the kitten slightly, adjusting my grip so Mom could see her face better. Those eyes. That tiny pink nose. “I think that someday is today.”
“Mallory Iris Hales.” My full name. Not a good start, but I had my defense locked, loaded, and ready.
“I found her in the alley, Mom,” I rushed on, the words tumbling out faster now, needing to get them all out before she could form a concrete no. “She was abandoned, wedged between boxes, and so dirty I could barely tell what color she was. I couldn’t just leave her there to starve.”
The kitten yawned, her front paws stretching out on my chest.
Mom sat on the edge of the couch, her gaze flicking from the kitten to me and back to the little fluffball, her deep blue eyes softening.
The kitten let out a well-timed, adorable little mew. She pressed her tiny face into my hand, her whiskers tickling my palm.
Mom’s lips twitched, fighting a smile as her shoulders loosened.
This was the time to strike, get her when her defenses were weakened. “I already bathed her. And fed her. I’m totally responsible.”
“Hmm.” Her lips pursed as she gave the kitten’s head a gentle stroke. “Is that so?”
“For girls my age, I’d say I’m above average.” I hadn’t meant to point out that my upbringing hadn’t exactly been conventional, but maybe it would work in my favor. Still, I hated seeing the flash of guilt in Mom’s eyes, even for a fraction of a second.
“Fine.” She sighed.
I blinked, certain my ears were playing tricks on me. “Wait—what?”
“You can keep her, but she’s your responsibility. Including the vet bills, which means you might have to get a part-time job.”
My grin broke free before I stopped it, spreading across my face until my cheeks hurt. “Seriously?”
She nodded. “You deserve her.”
