Page 39 of Just Add Mistletoe

“You can put everything on the table,” Lori said.

As he did so, she called out, “Tiger. Malcom’s here.”

And just like that, as if the kitten had already been trained, it came trotting down the hall.

Malcom crouched and snapped his fingers a couple times. The kitten walked right up to him.

“He remembers you,” Lori said, sounding impressed.

While Malcom pet the creature, she dug through the stuff he’d bought. In moments, she had the litter box set up. She scooped up Tiger and set him in the center of the sand. “This is where you go potty,” she told him.

The kitten batted around the sand for a moment, then hopped out, shaking off its paws.

“Round one lost?” Malcom asked.

Lori smiled. “I’ll win in the end.” She washed off her hands, then turned to the sack of food. “Oh, these look good. Stay and eat with me if you want.”

“I don’t think I have a choice,” Malcom said. “Tiger isn’t letting me go.” The kitten was hanging on to his pant leg and biting at the seam. He tried to pick the cat off, but only got a nip in return. “Ow. Your teeth are sharp.”

Lori laughed. “They’re just baby teeth, and those are love bites.” She pulled out a chair. “Here, sit.”

He moved to the table, the kitten still attached to his pant leg. After he sat down, Tiger climbed the rest of the way until he was nestled in Malcom’s lap. He looked down at the thing. “He’s asleep already? It’s like switching off a light.”

“Yeah.” Lori handed him one of the burritos with a couple of napkins that had been inside the sack. “Cats sleep a lot. Especially kittens.”

“Do you really think it was abandoned?”

Lori shrugged. “Only time will tell. I posted a photo on a lost-pets website this morning.”

“They have those?” Malcom asked. “Makes sense.”

They both started eating, and finally Lori said, “I’d apologize for the messy state of my apartment, but it’s actually the normal state.”

He looked about. There were definitely things in every corner and nook and cranny, but he wouldn’t call it messy exactly. “It’s cozy.”

A smile lifted her lips. “That’s one way to look at it.”

He chuckled. “Really. My mom is a collector of several things. Calendars, old books, all kinds of things.”

“What kinds of books?” she asked, her eyes lighting up.

“I don’t know exactly—sorry,” he said. “I can ask her next time we talk.”

“Oh, you don’t need to do that, unless you really want to.” Lori took a sip of her juice. “I’m just curious if maybe she’s collecting classics, or poetry, or just a favorite author.”

Malcom blinked. “I never thought to ask, and I haven’t checked them out.” His gaze strayed to the bookshelves in the other room with their mixture of books and other items. “Do you collect any of those?”

“Not specifically,” she said. “I love a used book that’s inscribed to someone. You know, like a ‘happy birthday’ or ‘get well’ message. It feels like a little memory that lasts forever. Even though they aren’t signed to me, it feels like I’m sharing in that memory.”

“Huh, I never thought of it that way,” Malcom said. “I assumed those books would be hard to sell when someone passes on.” The more he got to know Lori, the more interesting she became.

“Not to me.” She’d finished the breakfast burrito, and stood to clean things up.

“I can help,” he said.

“You have a cat on your lap,” she countered.

He chuckled. “True.” He couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt so relaxed. Or was it peaceful? The morning sun warmed the small kitchen, and he sat in a cozy space, his stomach satisfied, and a purring kitten on his lap. Its fur gleamed gold in the morning light. “Did you give the cat a bath?”

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