Page 30 of A Fowl Match

“Oh—yeah. That’s the plan! Let’s go, Vivi. I can’t wait to get my hands on those books!” he says, pretending that we were planning to go into the book store together all along.

“Nice chatting with you, Vivi!” I can practically feel the anger emanating from Chelsea’s tongue. Chad just sits there silently twiddling his thumbs. And I am so glad Olive and him are over.

I grab Dustin’s hand and drag him with me into the store. He stops dead in his tracks when we’re inside. He looks bewildered.

“What’s wrong?” I question him as he puts a hand up to his mouth.

“I’ve never been here. I was not expecting this at all.” His eyes scan the space up and down.

“And what were you expecting from a store that has ‘Cat’ in the name?”

“Cat pictures hanging on the walls, cat figurines, a shrine to cats, cat plushies, cat puzzles, but not this—”

His reaction isn’t an understatement. Wooden mounted cat trees and shelves span along every open wall. Cat scratching posts, toys, and fake mice are sporadically scattered around the carpet. Then there are so many cats. I think about fifteen strays live here at the moment. The perfume scented cat litter is hard to miss. Ada keeps their litter boxes in the back room and cleans them constantly, but it still wafts out. So, when I buy books I have to air them outside for a few days to get rid of the lingering fragrance, but her prices are hard to beat. Plus, it's the only bookstore for miles. She takes in as many cats as she can until they’re adopted. Our rural town has a huge cat breeding problem. That’s the great thing about the concept—you can browse a book and take a seat on the chairs behind each aisle, hanging out with the cats. People will adopt them the same day so that they can have a home.

I chuckle and pull him along to the far end of the shelves. A sign points to romance. I scan them all looking for something that intrigues me.

“You don’t even seem like this fazes you.”

“Not anymore, I’m used to it. Even though it’s a touch unconventional. It turned out to be a great idea. Finding a home for many cats. I adopted Fiona here.” I pull out a book that looks interesting. “We can find you one if you want.”

“I'm good. I don’t need any cats. We already have a litter that’s living in the barn.”

“Suit yourself,” I say while choosing a few more books, stacking them on my arm. “I thought you couldn’t wait to get your hands on some books?” I ask, repeating what he said earlier.

“Ha! No, I don’t have much time for reading, but it seemed like you needed to be saved from that conversation. Especially after what you told me the other day. The look in your eyes was pure rage. I had to do something before you did something you might regret.”

“I wasn’t that angry.” My eyes meet his and then dart away quickly.

“Keep telling yourself that and maybe you’ll believe it.” A white and gray kitten brushes up against his leg. He bends down to pick it up and starts to pet it. The kitten starts purring immediately, snuggling against his arms. My heart melts.

“My name is Sardine, please take me home.” He reads the kitten's collar out loud.

“You should get him! His name is so cute! Look, he already loves you.”

After arguing for five minutes on whether he needs a cat or not, I end up purchasing three books when only coming in for one. Sardine follows Dustin to the register and tries to follow him out the door. To my dismay, he leaves empty handed.

“I’m going to head back to the farm before it's dark. I have some more work to finish for the day.”

“I might as well get going too.” I open the door and swing my shopping bag back and forth.

“I’ll meet you at your place tomorrow before we make it to the picnic area, around noon.” He winks then walks to the parking lot and hops in his grandpa’s truck.

I wonder what that was all about.

Chapter 19

Dustin

TheweatherinPennsylvaniais bipolar. Yesterday was sunny and sixty-five degrees. The perfect weather for being outside. Today is a crisp forty-five degrees with rain. The worst possible weather for doing anything outside. I hope it clears up by tomorrow for the scavenger hunt. I doubt it will.

I shut the SUV ignition off. Water droplets streak down my windshield one after another, a race to make it to the hood first.

Don’t ask me why I drove into town to walk over to Cat’s & Novel’s. I wasnevera cat person. If I were to get any type of pet, I would have gotten a dog—likely a lab, golden retriever, or some other type of large dog breed. But I still can’t get over the defeated look in Violet's eyes when I said no to the kitten. I don’t need a cat. I don’t have time for a cat. Okay, I’m lying, cats aren't really that time consuming. Also, that kitten gave me the most disappointing look yesterday. His eyes got all big and sappy and it ripped my heart out to leave him there. Damn, the sad looks from both Violet and Sardine were enough to kill a man. And that’s why I’m going back in.

What kind of name is Sardine anyway?

After spending the hour filling out papers, I walk out of the shop holding my new litter box, food, toys, cat scratching stand, and a bunch of other random item’s the shop owner piled on my arms. I barely paid anything, they just kept adding on more and more for free. I shove everything into the back of my car. I walk back into the store and pick up Sardine. He starts meowing the instant I walk in the door. I pick him up and carry him down the street. Doing my best to shield him from the rain. I am in over my head with this decision. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.

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