Page 9 of Only Human in Strangeville

The little guy perked up at my tone and gave me a soft nose kiss before settling back into my lap.

“What are you going to call him?”

“No idea.”

Something would come to me.

***

The coffee shop was actually crowded when we went inside. All conversation stopped and everyone stared, not at me, but at Bridger.

He waved casually and headed to the counter to ask about the puppy. The incredulous stares followed the hunter and only darted back to me after the young man behind the counter nodded, and Bridger gestured for me to enter. I tried not to stare in turn, but most of the people in the coffee shop had the same flawless skin as Jaz. From what I could tell, though, the range of skin tones was a nice surprise. I hadn’t expected to see such a variety of nationalities represented in the coffee shop, but I was glad for it. I’d expected to miss the rich diversity of the neighborhood I’d lived in in my last life, and to see it represented here in this mecca of caffeine calmed me.

“What will you have?” the young man asked.

I ordered a decaf latte and a pastry. Bridger paid before I could shuffle the puppy around and get to my wallet.

“You can buy next time,” he offered at my half-hearted objection.

“Sure, deal,” I replied before realizing that obligated me to at least one more extended period in Bridger’s presence. Of course, after stepping up to my side tonight and then carting me and the puppy around, I was willing to hang out with him some more. He’d never acted impatient.

We grabbed a seat on the couch by the fake fire in the corner, and I stretched my legs out, leaned my head back, and sighed. “What a night.”

The puppy snuggled into my lap and made an adorable little happy grumbling sound before going back to sleep.

“Forgive me for eavesdropping,” a smooth, cultured voice said. “But I’m curious, what happened? This town is typically very quiet. And how did you acquire that small piece of cloud sitting in your lap?”

I snapped my eyes open and stared. This man certainly had his own corner in the jaw droppingly attractive market of this town. Longish black hair, tied back, framed perfect dusky skin, piercing brown eyes, and a friendly smile. He sat down in a hastily vacated chair across from us and folded elegant hands across his knees. He wasn’t wearing anything out of the ordinary, jeans and a plain green t-shirt, but he made it look like the most expensive outfit I couldn’t have afforded, even on my formerly six-figure salary.

Grace. Every motion the man made was almost inhumanly graceful. Maybe he was a dancer?

Small piece of cloud was one way to describe the adorable floof curled up in my lap. It was surprisingly accurate, if overly poetic.

“I found him tied to a light pole.” I suddenly didn’t want to tell him, in case he knew the dog’s owner. But, at the same time, if someone was looking for this puppy, they had to be heartbroken. I’d keep him safe, and the vet clinic had promised to look around for the owner. “This guy came up after I found the puppy and threatened me. Bridger showed up in time to help me get rid of the guy, and then we took the puppy to the vet.”

The golden cord that had tied the puppy had vanished at some point at the vet clinic, probably misplaced. As pretty as it had been, I was much happier with the slip lead the clinic had given me, and I’d hit the pet store tomorrow for supplies.

“Ahh. Interesting. Forgive me, my manners are occasionally terrible.”

I doubted that.

“My name is Katsuro.”

“Hannah. I feel like you all know Bridger.”

“Yes,” Katsuro replied, obviously amused. “We all know Bridger.”

“I’m new to the area. Probably obvious.” I found myself a little tongue-tied under Katsuro’s scrutiny.

He nodded. “Do you intend to keep the cloud puppy?”

“If the owner doesn’t show up, yes.”

“Very well. I’m the owner of this establishment. He is welcome in the coffee shop. I look forward to seeing you again.” His smile lit up his eyes and drew me in, and I about melted in my seat. What was it with the men in this town?

Katsuro rose from his chair and left the coffee shop after a quick scan of the occupants that seemed to mean something to the rest of them.

I got a few more curious looks before the other patrons returned to their own business.

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