Page 63 of Absolutely Pucked
“Nah. Not in the mood. Have a great night.” I hung up, cutting off any reply she might have, and I put my phone on silent before slipping it into my pocket. I took a breath, the air trembling on my exhale. My hands were shaking like autumn leaves in a storm. Adrenaline was coursing through me so intensely I felt sick to my stomach.
I took several steps back before my knees gave out, and I sat down with a hard thud.
I couldn’t believe I’d done that. I couldn’t believe I went after her like that.
I was on the other side of the country, and no more mediation dates had been set. She was dragging this out, and now I understood why, but it was obvious she hadn’t thought it out. It was also obvious thatDaniel didn’t give any fucks about what happened to her.
He screwed with me because he thought it was funny. Because it kept her mouth shut and legs open. It kept her pacified so she wouldn’t push the issue about him leaving the wife he had no intentions of leaving.
And while I was atoning for my sins, she had her own to deal with once this was all said and done.
I swallowed thickly and felt my eyes get hot. Fuck. It was such a goddamn mess, but it was almost over. For the first time, I really could see a light at the end of the tunnel. I could?—
“MEW!”
I startled at the sound, glancing wildly around when a scraggly, beat-up kitten tumbled out of a box near the dumpster. It was all black and absolutely filthy. Making a kissy noise, I watched as the little creature moved toward me, and as it got closer, I saw that its eyes were entirely gummed up.
“Oh my God,” I whispered. Taking very careful steps, I leaned down and extended my hand. When my fingertips made contact, the little thing spit and hissed so hard the force of it sent it backward. “So spicy. Come here. I have food inside.”
In spite of the kitten obviously not understanding spoken English, my tone must have soothed it because when I reached for it again, it hissed but didn’t jump away. It took me a full five minutes to gather it into my palm, and then I slipped it into my apron pocket and hurried inside.
My mind was racing a thousand miles a minute, but I knew exactly what needed to happen. I all butslammed into the office door as I came to a skidding halt.
“Ford!”
“Uh, hello, knocking?” he said, looking irritated.
I shut the door behind me. “Come here. I have something to show you in my apron.”
He rose from his chair. “If it’s your dick, well…I won’t say no, but we will both probably get fired.”
Rolling my eyes, I gently tugged him forward, careful not to unbalance him. “It’s not my dick. It’s a cat.”
“A what?”
“A kitten,” I clarified. I pulled the pocket open, and he peered down, then looked up at me with wide eyes. “I found it in the dumpster. You have to call Jonah.”
“Oh shit! I have to call Jonah!” He bounced on his foot, then fumbled for his phone, dropping it twice in his eagerness to make the call.
As he dialed, I walked over to his desk and grabbed a roll of paper towels and a water bottle, soaking a wad and then carefully washing off the kitten’s face. It wasn’t super happy with me, but after I stopped making it drenched, it started to purr.
“Babe,” Ford said, and I tried not to wince because I knew he called his friends that. “I have a surprise for—no, it’s not my dick. That’s literally whatIsaid. No, never mind. You know your new best friend that you love more than me that you met on the bus? Yeah, he’s here, and he found you a kitten.”
Ford gave me a thumbs-up, even as he rolled his eyes.
“No, I’m not lying. Why would I do that to you? It’sright here. It’s all black, beat to hell. Needs the vet, like, right now, but there’s one next door. Yeah, we’ll wait.”
“I can take the kitten over and get it checked in,” I said quietly to Ford. “If you don’t mind me taking my break a bit early.”
Ford nodded hard. “Yeah. Go. No, babe, not you. I’m talking to Ki—uh…”
‘Ian,’ I mouthed.
“Ian. Yeah. He’ll meet you next door. What? No, I’m not going to kiss him for you. Do it yourself. Wait, don’t do that! You don’t like dudes. Keep your fucking lips to yourself, do you hear me?”
I felt something warm rush through me because while it was obvious Ford was kidding, he also wasn’t. There was a hint of real panic, like maybe Jonah might actually want to kiss me, and I loved that he hated it.
Turning on my heel, I gave Ford one last look, and when he nodded and waved me off, I hurried out of the supermarket and headed two doors down to find the vet office with the lights on and Open sign still glowing in the window. Thank God.
