Like Cats and Dogs by Kate McMurray (scary books to read TXT) 📗

“Do you want me to?”

“We were hoping a few of the vets would be on-hand to answer questions for anyone interested in adopting a cat.”

Ah, so it was a business situation, not that she wanted him there for support. That was probably just as well. He shouldn’t feel so disappointed, especially since he was the one getting ready to leave.

“Yeah, I’ll try to be there,” he said. “Depending on how the Jell-O wrestling goes with the other vets and all that.”

She laughed softly. “Right. Well. Say hi to Hank for me.”

“Yeah, I…” She was clearly miffed now, and he didn’t want to leave her like that. “Lauren, I’m sorry. It’s too late to make other arrangements, and I…”

“It’s fine. I know what this is between us.” She smiled, but it seemed hollow. “Good night, Caleb. I’m sure I’ll see you around this week. We seem to be forever randomly running into each other.”

“Right. Good night.”

Then he made himself leave.

Chapter 13

Since Lauren had been managing the Cat Café, they’d held adoption events once a quarter or so to make room for new cats. They were usually pretty well attended, but this party was something else. Apparently “free booze” was the only thing one needed to say to attract New Yorkers to an event.

The café’s full staff was there. Victor was posted at the cat room door to make sure none of the cats got out. Monique was overseeing the adoption paperwork and fees. Paige had gone into corporate event planner mode, walking around the room to make sure everyone was fine, helping people pick out cats, shaking hands with the shelter volunteers and veterinarians and other invited guests. The hired bartender was slinging drinks. And a handful of Lauren’s other friends were pitching in to make sure everything went well. Lauren didn’t have much to do as a result, so mostly she just mingled with the crowd.

She spotted Evan standing near one of the sofas. The little tortie named Chloe stood on the arm of the sofa and kept leaning up into Evan’s hand to be pet. Evan was humoring her.

“Thank you for coming,” Lauren said to him.

“Of course. You can’t talk me into adopting another cat, but I can be supportive.”

“Are you sure?”

“Sam is a lot of cat.”

Lauren smiled. Evan had been among the first to adopt a café cat, a chubby gray street cat named Sam who was too sweet and lazy to survive among the feral cat population from which he’d been rescued, but who had enough feral in him that he was savage toward the occasional bug that got into Evan’s apartment. Evan was convinced his apartment remained roach-free because word had gotten out among the roach community that any bug that got near Sam would be disemboweled.

“How are things otherwise?” Lauren asked.

“Fine. Is Caleb still your nemesis?”

“Yep.”

“You’re so gonna marry him.”

Lauren rolled her eyes. “How’s that whole ‘sleep with a guy who’s not Pablo’ thing going?”

“Ugh. Not well. That housewarming party I went to? Everyone was in a couple. Everyone! How can that be? Is this just how my thirties are going to be? I thought I had more time.”

Lauren tried not to smile at Evan’s histrionics, so she said, “More time for what?”

“Before my classy yet understated destination wedding at a B and B in the Finger Lakes.”

“Right, of course.”

“I mean, come on, no one in New York settles down until they’re at least thirty-five. I’ve still got a few more years until I get there.” He sighed. “I don’t want to get married tomorrow. I just want to have some fun. Find a nice fellow to fool around with.”

Lauren tried to school her face so she wouldn’t let on that she had one of those in Caleb. She still wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the fact that she was sleeping with a guy she didn’t get along with otherwise. In bed, everything was peaceful and harmonious. Out of bed, things were still pretty messy.

This was normally the sort of thing she’d share with Evan, but she didn’t want his judgment—or his gloating—and there was no reason any of her friends needed to know about all this. At least not until Lauren had a better handle on what this was.

And speaking of the devil, Caleb himself strolled into the Cat Café then.

“Your future husband is here.”

“Bite your tongue. He isn’t my future anything.”

As if making that point, Caleb greeted nearly everyone else in the room before making his way over to Lauren.

“Hello,” Caleb said placidly when he was close enough.

Evan sipped his cocktail and made a “See?” face.

“Hi,” said Lauren. “You know my friend Evan?”

Caleb frowned, which meant he didn’t. He shook Evan’s hand. “I’m Caleb Fitch. I’m one of the vets from the clinic next door.”

“Yes,” said Evan. “Lauren has mentioned you. I’m Lauren’s best friend. I’m very protective.”

“Right.” Caleb’s frowned deepened, which was gratifying.

Monique walked by, her clipboard in hand. “Lauren, can you give me a hand?”

“Oh, hey, gotta go,” said Lauren. She followed Monique to the back room to carry more cardboard carriers and other supplies back out front.

“Callie and Steve have been adopted,” Monique said. “They went home with a really sweet newlywed couple who live in Carroll Gardens.”

“Together? That’s great!”

“Yeah. I’m happy they found a good forever home, but I always feel a little sad when our cats leave.”

“I know exactly what you mean.” Lauren felt a pang of sadness, too. Callie was a brown-and-black striped tabby and Steve was a black tuxedo cat, and the two of them had been nearly inseparable since they’d moved in, so it was good they were adopted together. But Lauren would miss them both, just as she missed all the cats who came through the café. She felt a pang at knowing she probably would never see those cats again.

As if sensing she needed a cat, Sadie wandered over and headbutted Lauren’s shin. Lauren bent down to pet her. “You’re stuck with me forever, kitty,”