Page 64 of Absolutely Pucked
This felt like my one good thing—my one good deed.
It wouldn’t save my soul, but it might just count for something.
Jonah arrived just before the doctor got the kitten from the vet tech, who had given it a bath. The kitten’s eyeswere clean, but then he dropped the news as he walked in with her purring against his chest. “She’s all clean and seems pretty healthy, but unfortunately, she can’t see. She has no response to light at all.”
Jonah grinned. “Sweet. Me either. We can be blind buds.”
The vet raised a brow but shrugged and walked over, placing the kitten gently into Jonah’s waiting hands. “She’s going to need some nutrition supplements and another fecal check after this dewormer. She’s old enough for solids, but I’d wet her food to make it easier on her.”
Jonah cradled the kitten on his chest. She was sleeping and purring loudly. He looked like the happiest man on the planet. “I can do all of that. I can literally do everything for her. You believe me, right?”
The vet frowned. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
Jonah didn’t answer, but the pain on his face was still obvious. “Do me a favor, yeah?”
“Me?” I asked.
He laughed. “Sorry, yes. Go ask Ford if he can still keep her for a few days? I just signed the lease on my new apartment this afternoon. I lived with my brother,” Jonah explained, turning his attention back to the vet as though he was worried the man would care. “He’s super allergic, so I’m moving out.”
The vet just smiled. “Why don’t I get the first vaccinations set up, and then we can get you checked out.”
I stood up and put my hand on Jonah’s shoulder. “Come to the customer service desk when you’re done so Ford can make a plan with you. I’ll meet you there too.”
“We’re officially best friends. No. We’re more than that. You got me a cat.”
I felt warm all over. I was not used to this. At all. I didn’t know what to say, so I squeezed his shoulder, then let myself out of the vet’s office.
I took a beat before heading back to the store. All of this had been incredibly chaotic. I hadn’t even really had a chance to breathe after Delia’s call. Anxiety was churning in the pit of my stomach. It was all going well, which meant there was a penny in the air.
And at some point, it was going to have to drop. Where and how it would land, I had no idea. I had no control. I could only hope no one else besides me was going to get hurt. A pointless thought, really. Ford and I hadn’t exchanged anything close to I love you or even I like you. Not really.
But I could tell by the way he kissed me. By the way he held me.
This couldn’t last.
Rubbing at my tired eyes, I squared my shoulders, then headed in through the automatic doors to find Ford hovering in customer service. His eyes pinned me immediately, lingering on my mouth.
“Jonah didn’t kiss me,” I murmured. “In case you were worried.” We were far enough away from the cash registers that we wouldn’t be overheard, but I still wanted to be careful.
“Good. That’s my job.” Ford hummed, then grabbed me by the shirt and shoved me into a corner, leaning in.
“Cameras,” I whispered.
“This is the one blind spot,” he answered back, then attached his lips to mine. The moment was short, but soindulgent and so good. When he pulled back, I felt almost dizzy with desire. I rocked gently against him, and he grinned. “Later,” he murmured. “Tonight.”
“Yes.”
Taking a deep breath, he pulled all the way back. “The vet went okay?”
“Yep. Kitten’s blind?—”
“Holy shit. Kismet. I’m using that right? Kismet?”
I laughed. “Yeah. You’re using that right. He’s getting her shots now, and then he’ll be heading over here. He wants to know if you can still keep her until he moves out.”
“Duh. I can’t believe he even asked,” Ford said, rolling his eyes. “Wait here for a second. I’m going to go grab some kitten supplies from the pet aisle.” He darted off, and I watched him go, enjoying the hell out of the view.
Everything felt so damn nice. Which was probably why the crash hurt so badly the moment Jonah walked in, looking furious. His cane was sweeping back and forth angrily, and he almost crashed into the service counter, turning to the left at the last second so he didn’t crush the kitten he had cradled against his chest.
