Page 30 of Just A Little Magic

“Okay. Name?”

“Er, it would be under Barrett Strega or Owen Howe. The cat is Lucifer.”

She turned away to type something before waving her hand in the general direction of the crowded waiting room. We found a few plastic chairs near the window to wait for our name to be called. After about twenty minutes, Ryan emerged from the back of the office while shrugging on a light jacket. When he saw me, he looked confused and strode over.

“Barrett, you made it,” Ryan said in a perplexed tone.

“Uh, yeah, about twenty minutes ago.”

“Oh shoot, I’m sorry I kept you waiting.” He sighed. Thewoman at the front desk gave him a dirty look. “Come on back, and I’ll check out your kitty.”

He took off the jacket he had just put on, and we followed him into the back. After passing through the interior door and entering an exam room, he turned and said, “I’m really sorry to keep you waiting. I didn’t know you were here.”

“We just appreciate you finding the time to squeeze us in,” I said as I drew Owen forward with a hand on his back. “This is Lucifer.”

Ryan took the wrapped-up bundle out of Owen’s arms and put the cat on the metal table. He held him up by the scruff, then looked at us with a raised brow. “Lucifer may need a new name. He’s a she.”

“He’s not a boy?” Owen asked.

“Nope, but at this age, it’s hard to tell,” Ryan responded.

“She’s older than she looks by size,” he said after checking her teeth.

“Well, uh, maybe I didn’t? I don’t remember looking specifically,” he answered Ryan and then turned to scratch the cat behind his ears. “Sorry, Not-Lucifer, I didn’t mean to get it wrong. How old is she?”

“She is teeny tiny for her age, but I’d guess closer to at least twelve weeks.”

“Oh! You’re almost a grown girl. You’re too pretty to be named after a demon now,” Owen murmured in her ear as he smoothed his hand down her back. “Is she old enough to be fixed?”

“Cats can be fixed at any age, but we usually do it around four months, give or take. Going into heat is hard on them, so there’s no need to wait until they’re older. We’ll need to set up an appointment for it though. I’ll do it myself on the computer and skip the headache of the front desk.”

With that, Ryan walked over to the laptop on the counter and started clicking on the keys.

Owen and I exchanged a glance at his words. Owen broke the awkward silence. “I really appreciate you getting us in. I hope we didn’t take your entire lunch.”

“No worries,” Ryan said with a tired smile. “I was just going to sneak out for a sandwich and a break, but it’s fine. I have plenty of snacks here. Does the surgery date matter?”

Owen and I both shook our heads. Ryan nodded and typed more. When finished, he turned from the computer to the cupboard and started prepping syringes to give Not-Lucifer her shots.

“Do you like the practice here?” I asked to fill the silence. Owen was completely occupied with cooing to the cat.

“Well, it’s a job, but I don’t get much time to develop relationships with the clients or their pets. I became a vet because I love animals and want to care for them. It’s more like an assembly line here. It’s better than nothing, and the pay is okay, but I don’t think it will work for me long-term,” Ryan answered with a shrug.

“Any prospects elsewhere?” Owen asked when he looked up from his kitty.

I heard him whispering reassurances the shots wouldn’t hurt. The cat responded with quick meows. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought they were having a real conversation.

“I interviewed with a vet out on Almstead Island. It’s always been a small practice, but they are growing so fast that the vet wants to take on someone so their wait times can be reduced. Hopefully, I’ll hear something soon.” Ryan paused before adding, “Do you remember that water hole when we were kids? I thought Grandma would murder us on the spot when we decided to be swamp monsters.”

“What happened?” Owen asked with wide eyes.

“Bigfoot and swamp monsters in the lake were battling, and since we were monsters, we needed to protect our turf. We covered every inch of ourselves, clothes, and shoes in lake mud and then patrolled the lake. And by lake, I mean the boathouse, the pier, and all their patio furniture,” I answered as best I could between wheezing laughs. I hadn’t thought about that summer in years.

“She was so mad that we got hosed off outside buck-ass naked except for our underwear because she didn’t care. Then, she wouldn’t let us back in the house until everything was cleaned up. It took all weekend, and we got to sleep outside. Best. Summer. Ever,” Ryan added through his own laughter.

“How old were you guys?” Owen’s giggles made it hard for him to force out the question.

“I was like eight, I think? So Barrett would have been twelve or thirteen, so Trav was like sixteen? I remember her yelling at you that you two should have told me no and you telling her it was my idea,” Ryan answered with a grin. “Good times. Do you go out to cabin much?”

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