Page 32 of With Stars in Her Eyes
I was halfway through putting post–St. Patrick’s Day markdown labels on some seasonal children’s books, when a mass-market paperback smacked down on the counter in front of me. When I saw the wielder of the paperback, my stomach did a backflip that probably could have achieved at least a bronze medal in Olympic high diving.
I had been feeling vaguely nauseated since my involuntary trip down memory lane last night, but the sleep had helped. I had gotten up early, determined to ignore the memories and move forward with my life.
With that goal in mind, I gave Thea a smirk.
“What isthat?” Thea’s brown eyes were wide.
“It seems like it’s a book, but I’ll have to verify.” I picked it up and sniffed the pages. “Definitely a book.”
“You”—Thea narrowed her eyes and quirked her soft lips at an angle—“are a smart-ass. Butyes, I know that’s a book. I want to buy it because I already finished the one for June book club, and that’s the one for this month. I might not be able to attend but I can still read it.”
“You finished it in a day?”
Thea winked. “When the plot really got moving it was hard to put down.”
My guts were going for gold with another gastronomic tumble, but the flirting so far hadn’t been as much of a disaster as yesterday. Small victories.
“I meant what’sthat.” She pointed at the cage behind me. “The electrified-looking stretched-out rat. People keep squirrels aspets? Or is that a mink? Is the weird bend in the tail a feature of its species or unique to this here creature?”
“It’s a ferret.”
“No way is it a ferret. Ferrets are sleek and soft and bigger.”
“I think Lady Fruitcakes is pretty old for a ferret. Guess she is a bit worse for wear these days.” I peered down at the animal in the cage.
Thea’s dark brown eyes angled with disbelief. “No.”
I winced.
“You can’t be serious.”
“According to Sam, the name was the result of a contest at the Unitarian church Sunday school.”
Thea leaned closer to the cage. The movement of Thea’s hair sent a breeze of delicately scented perfume over the space between us. Before it had been citrus and chocolate, but it was different today. I was sensitive to smells in general, but this one didn’t trigger anything. It was soft like fresh peaches and laundry without being overly cloying.
“Lady Fruitcakes is the name thatwon? What were the other options? Duchess Donuts and Princess Pastrybuns?”
I snorted. “I guess the kiddo who suggested it was really adorable. It all happened over a decade ago, so it’s practically local lore by now. But I’ll let you know if I hear about any pet-naming contests in the future since you have a plethora of alternate name suggestions.”
“Why’s she here? What book club is she the mascot for?”
“She’s like Baxter and does better here. She likes humans, so you can pet her if you want.”
“Really?”
“She nips sometimes, but she’s cuddlier than a lot of ferrets according to Sam. I don’t personally have a lot of ferret experience, but I like this one.” I reached into the cage and picked Lady Fruitcakes up, stroking her head before holding her out to Thea.
Thea extended a tentative hand. Lady looked up at her and then hopped off my hand to land on Thea’s chest.
Impressively, Thea didn’t scream or shake her off. She looked down and spoke in a mostly calm voice. “This wasn’t really what I was signing up for.”
Unfortunately, Lady Fruitcakes seemed to take her words as encouragement. The slim ferret shimmied itself down into her cleavage and then rested its head on her sternum.
“Courtney Starling, do I have a rodent between my tits?”
“Technically, I think ferrets are weasels. Or in the raccoon family, maybe?” It was challenging to focus on the situation without it seeming like I was just ogling. Under her sweater, Thea wore a camisole tank that was quite low in the front.
“We can Wikipedia Lady Fruitcakes’s taxonomy later. Can you just—I mean, how am I supposed to get it—I mean, her out? Her teeth look sharper at this angle.” Thea’s arms were outstretched like she wasn’t sure what to do with them. “She’s licking me. Why is she licking me?”
