Page 8 of Daddy's Little Matchmaker

He nodded and took the bowl.

While he did that, she dished up two more bowls. She put the food away under the counter before she picked up the last two meals.

When she turned, bowls in hand, she noticed Connor holding Butch and rubbing the cat’s ears. Her eyes opened wide when she realized Butch was purring. She walked over and stared. “You must have the magic touch.”

“Magic touch?” Connor asked.

“Butch hates everyone.” Tessica opened cage eight and set both bowls in for two juvenile cats who were brothers.

When she stood up, she noticed Connor’s frown.

“I find that hard to believe.” He looked into the cat’s eyes, and Butch butted his head against Connor’s hand for more attention.

Tessica gestured to Butch’s untouched bowl of food. “He wants your attention more than he wants to eat. He’s shunned every other person we’ve shown him to. He shows me nothing but disdain, and I’m the one who feeds him.”

“Is that true?” Connor asked Butch.

Butch continued to purr loudly and blinked at him once.

Connor looked at Tessica with sincerity. “He says that’s slander, and he’d like to call his lawyer.”

The joke caught her off guard, and Tessica burst out laughing. Back when they were teens, she and Erin used to joke that Connor was born without his funny bone, so hearing an actual joke come out of him was a surprise.

While she tried to get herself under control, Connor put Butch back in his cage, and closed the latch.

“Ready to eat?” he asked.

She nodded as she caught her breath.

Five minutes later, they sat upstairs at Fiona’s kitchen table with plates of Chinese food in front of them.

“Mm,” Tessica hummed in appreciation after taking the first bite.

Connor took one too, and nodded. “You’re right. It’s good.”

They ate in silence for a few moments before Tessica brought up the inevitable. “I suppose we should talk about the shelter.”

Connor nodded. “I suppose we should.”

“Have you made any decisions?” she asked.

“Have you?” he countered.

“I’d like to stay open and continue to work here for the five years.”

“At an unprofitable business?”

“I’ll make it profitable.”

He appeared skeptical. “How do you plan to do that?”

She shook her head. “I answered your question, now you answer mine. Have you made any decisions?”

“I’d like to sell.”

Tessica’s stomach sank. She set her fork down. “Okay. Why?”

“I’d like to use the money from the sale to set up college funds for both of my granddaughters.”

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