Page 22 of A Love Like Pumpkin Spice
Just as I’m about to bolt to my car and floor it to the nearest emergency vet, I see a little piece of paper stuck to the door.
Out of office. In emergencies, call my cell phone.
Before I even realize it, I have dialed the number and am pressing the phone to my cheek. I pace the sidewalk anxiously, biting my lip, and send a prayer to the universe with each unanswered ring.
Come on, Henry. Answer it.
“Hello.”
God, I could cry when I hear his voice, relief making a weight fall off my shoulders.
“Henry, I need you.”
“Huh?” I hear some rustling, as if he’s getting up from a couch or something, and the soft whines of Jensen Ackles in the background. “Nic?”
“Okay, wait. Not like that! Not in the ‘cue the romantic music and slow-motion run’ way. More in the ‘this is an emergency, and you’re my only hope’ way.” I force myself to take a deep breath before I pass out by talking more than my breath allows. “Would you believe me if I told you the ghost cat brought me a kitten?”
“A kitten?”
“Yeah. Sorry, I should have led with that. I need your help, please.” I stop and close my eyes for a moment, sorting my thoughts. “Let me start from the beginning: I found a kitten under my porch, and I can’t tell if it’s all right because it keeps screaming. And one ghost cat is already more than I can deal with. If you could take a look at it so I don’t have another cat on my conscience, that would be fantastic.”
“Where are you now?”
“Right in front of your clinic.” I resume pacing up and down his storefront. “And let me tell you, it’s eerily silent here in the evening. Does everyone in Wayward Hollow disappear at seven p.m. on the dot? I might as well be in a graveyard.” I glance around the town square and the dark storefronts. “This is so creepy. Like the set of a horror movie. If I get turned into a werewolf, please don’t let anyone shoot me.”
“I’m on my way,” he says, followed by rustling and him calling for the dog. “But for your information—we’re team Edward in this town. So, be careful.”
“That’s not comforting,” I mutter as he hangs up, then quickly climb back into my car.
This city might be in Bumfuck, Nowhere, but I’m not going to risk waiting outside.
There's a sudden knock on the window I see a shadow from the corner of my eyes. I shriek. Then relief washes over me when I realize it’s exactly who I was waiting for. Immediately I turn to the little creature on my passenger seat and whisper, “Sorry.”
“Relax,” Henry says with a chuckle, and once I unlock my car, he opens the door for me. “No werewolf hunter, only me.”
“I’m not sure whether to be glad or disappointed,” I tease him with a wink as I climb out.
Fuck, it’s good to see him. Anxiety seeps out of me as he takes charge of the situation.
“Where is the cat?” I gesture for him to come with me. He follows me so closely I can feel his warmth against my back. Even more so when he glances over my shoulder as I open the passenger door.
“Here’s today’s little emergency,” I say and step aside, leaning down to give Jensen Ackles a proper greeting.
What an adorable little fluff face.
“Aw,” Henry coos once he sees the little orange kitten. Without hesitation, he scoops her right up, talking to her in a high-pitched baby voice while Jensen and I follow him to his office diligently.
She appears even tinier in his giant hands.
I’m so distracted, I barely notice we enter the exam room, but as soon as the disinfectant hits my nostrils, I freeze. The hair on my neck stands up as memories of my last visit here race through my head. I force myself to take calm breaths as panic tugs on every corner of my mind.
Jensen gently nudging my calf pulls me out of the temporary trance, and I clear my throat, trying to relax.
“You’re pale,” Henry points out, worry etched into his furrowed brows as he turns to me, the cat snuggling against his shirt. “I know it’s a loaded question, but are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I whisper, ignoring his little jab at my rant from the last time he asked me the exact same thing. “Just … don’t let her die, please?”
“I’ll do my best,” he says and is right next to me in two strides, gently guiding me to sit down. “I promise.”
