Page 34 of By the Letter

Shira:I’m going to go back to the regular litter box.

Me:Don’t do anything. I’ll be right there.

Lucky for me, Shira’s place wasn’t far. Even luckier, it was Saturday, so I didn’t have to go into the office. Though, Iprobably would. Work didn’t stop just because it was the weekend.

I drove as fast as I dared to Shira’s neighborhood. She said she wouldn’t touch the litter, but a knot of panic had lodged in my gut. She struck me as a person who didn’t like to bother anyone, so I was relieved and happy she’d texted me this morning, even if it meant seeing a picture of shit before I’d cleared the sleep from my eyes. But she probably didn’t like having to wait for me to show up to fix the problem I’d created. All I could do was drive faster and hope she had patience.

I parked and ran up to her porch, my phone dinging just as I rang her bell. Another picture came in. This time, it was from Ben.

A laugh burst out of me as my brother wearing a shirt that said, “Best Uncle Ever,” filled the screen. I wasn’t even surprised by how quickly he’d done this. It was very fucking Ben.

Shira opened the door as I was tapping out a reply. “What’s so funny?”

I looked up, grinning. Her hair was down, flowing over her shoulders in raven waves, so dark it was almost blue, and her eerie eyes were lively and curious. “Hey, Goldie. My brother just sent me something incredible.”

She covered it quickly, but I took note of her flinch at me calling her Goldie. I hadn’t even meant to say it; it had just slipped out. I wasn’t going to point it out and make her uncomfortable, though. Instead, I showed her my phone.

Her eyes lit and danced over the picture. Then a miracle happened: a slow, easy smile curved her lips as she lifted her head and met my gaze.

“I guess you told at least one of your brothers.”

“I told all of them.” I held my thumb and index finger a half inch apart. “Ben’s a little excited. If you give him an in, he’ll beall over this pregnancy. It’s a good thing he’s in New Zealand training.”

She blinked a few times before stepping back to let me in. “You told them…it’s me?”

“They know.”

“And they’re still excited?”

“Ben is. Nate and Adrian will take longer. Not because of you, though I can’t say they weren’t surprised. Adrian is fairly unexcitable in general, and Nate is more of a skeptic. Ben’s our resident golden retriever. It doesn’t take much to work him up.”

“Did you tell them you signed up to clean a cat bathroom?”

I huffed a laugh. “Failed to mention it.”

I found it cute that she called the litter box a bathroom and refused to say shit or poop. I didn’t even know why, but it was charming and sweet.

“Mary’s been talking to me all morning about the robot. I caught her staring it down a little bit ago. She really hates it.”

I glanced around but didn’t see her. “Where is she?”

“After her terrible morning, she’s napping in a strip of sun on my bed.”

“I guess shitting on the ground takes a lot out of a girl.”

Shira smirked and quietly murmured, “That’s something I wouldn’t know.”

I chuckled. “Thank Christ for that.” At the utility room door, I stopped in front of her, blocking her way. “You’re not going in there. I’ll clean it all up and get rid of the robot. Go relax.”

Her lips curved gently. “I’m not going to argue with you.”

Once she was far away, I tackled the mess Mary had left for me. Her displeasure was obvious, not just in the putrid pile but the litter scattered everywhere. I had a feeling she’d known I’d be the one cleaning it up, not her beloved Shira. I got through it, reminding myself this was for the good of the baby. I couldn’teven fathom Shira doing this. I’d make sure, even after the baby came, someone else would do this for her. Never her again.

After washing my hands, I sought out Shira. I found her in the kitchen, sitting on the counter, nibbling on a cracker.

“Back to normal. Your cat hates me, by the way.”

“It’s not hate, Roman. She has to express her unhappiness somehow since she can’t speak.”

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