Page 39 of Pack Scratch Fever
“I don’t know what to do with him,” she admits, defeated. “He’s so unhappy, and I’m not quite sure what he wants. We’ve tried everything with this cat. We’ve brought in cat psychics, therapists…he’s just a crabby man.”
“Sounds like Poe,” I say, and she huffs out a sigh.
“You’re not doing a very good job of selling your packmate to me, you know. Aren’t you guys a package deal?”
I chuckle and stand to stretch, raising my arms above my head. “Maybe Mister Whiskers just needs patience and understanding. Maybe what you offer is what makes him better.”
The truth is, I know Poe likes her.
I canseeit in the way that his eyes flare when I mention Piper.
He and that damn cat are a lot alike.
Stubborn, irritable, but still secretly wanting to be cared for.
The idiot owes Piper an apology, and hopefully, what he has planned will make up for his past behavior.
Piper stays seated on the ground, her denim-clad legs stretched out. “Did you grow up with cats?” she asks, her eyes curious with interest. “You seem to have an understanding of them. Most people have something cruel to say about Mister Whiskers.”
I shrug. “My sisters would bring home stray cats all the time. I’ve been raising them forever.”
Her eyes brighten, and her lemony scent sweetens. “Wait. Then why don’t you have any pets at your house?” she says, sitting up straighter.
I shrug, not wanting to tell her it’s because of Poe. “We have a whole cat colony now, right?” I ask. “I think that’s more than enough.”
She beams at me, and my breath catches.
She’s sobeautiful.
“Let’s finish these portraits,” I tell her. “Then, I’ll be happy to edit them for you and show you the final results.”
Her smile slightly falls, and I try to decipher why. I search her eyes, but she bites her lip and motions for me to follow her past the playroom and into a room with kennels. She stops at the largest one, opening the gated door.
“Would a backdrop look good here?” she asks, still not looking at me.
I nod, confused. “Yeah,” I say slowly. “It should only take a few more minutes to get these all done.”
Her shoulders hunch slightly, and I catch a look of disappointment before she covers it with a polite smile. “Great.”
Oh.
It’s a risk. I could be wrong…
But I go with my instincts.
“Hey,” I say, clearing my throat. “After this, do you want to get dinner?”
She blinks, and her brow furrows in confusion.
Oh, shit. I was wrong.
Shit, shit, shit…
“Hell yes,” she says. “I’m starving.”
My inner Alpha roars in triumph.
My intuition was correct—Piper didn’t want to say goodbye to me just yet.
