Page 46 of While We Waited

“Nova is not the woman for me,” I say before pushing my way past them inside the house.

“Why not?” Sophia asks.

I ignore her question. “Do you have her things packed up?”

Maya points to a lone suitcase on the living room floor.

My brow wrinkles. “Is this all? This is not enough clothes for nearly seven months.” I march toward her bedroom. “Does she have more suitcases? I’ll just pack up all her clothes.”

“All of her clothes?” Sophia screeches as she rushes to follow me.

When I enter Nova’s bedroom, there are already several suitcases open on her bed. I scowl. Are Nova’s girlfriends fucking with me?

Chloe herds me out of the room. “We’ll finish packing. You find Finn Fable and get him settled in his cat carrier.”

“Can’t you get the cat?”

Chloe frowns. “Finn doesn’t like me.”

“Maybe because you attempted to drown him,” Paisley says.

“I didn’t try to drown him. How was I supposed to know he was going to jump into the toilet?”

“You didn’t need to flush.”

Chloe shrugs. “It was an accident.”

“What about you?” I ask Paisley. “Can you get the cat?”

She pushes her glasses up her nose. “For some reason, Finn Fable runs from me.”

“Some reason?” Sophia snorts. “You wanted to shave him for genetic testing.”

“I don’t know what the big deal is. I merely wanted a small amount of his fur.”

I point to Sophia. “What about you?”

She taps her nose. “Allergic.”

I open my mouth to ask Maya but she yelps and disappears behind Paisley before I get the chance.

“She’s shy,” Sophia says.

Chloe smirks. “Except when it comes to Caleb.”

I frown. Caleb? As in Caleb Emerson who we went to high school with?

“Those communications are in writing. It’s not the same as being in a person’s presence,” Paisley says.

We’re getting sidetracked. I just want someone to get the damn cat for me. I glance around the room and no one will meet my gaze. Shit. I guess it’s up to me.

“Where is the cat?”

They answer all at once.

“His litter box is in the laundry room.”

“He has a climbing thing in the living room.”