Page 44 of Charmed, I'm Sure
11
Man Hating Cat Club
Magnolia
Hourshadpassed,andI could hear the storm subsiding; the wind shifted from a howl to a whistle, the rain dwindling to a gentle pitter-patter on the roof. Yet, despite the calm settling in, I couldn’t get closer than a foot to Taylor. Every time I tried, my furry little bodyguard would whine, stretching his long body up my side or twining in circles around my legs until I finally scooped him up.
Theonetime he ventured close enough to brush a strand of hair behind my ear, Meowfoy growled.Growled! I’d never heard him make that sound in my life.
When his interference escalated to the point where Taylor and I couldn’t even have a conversation, I scooped him up and made my way to the vinyl booths lining the main area of my shop.
“What is your deal?” I whispered as I settled him in my lap.
His head nudged my cheek, his thoughts trickling into my mind as if they belonged there.“I don’t like him.”
“You’re a cat. You don’t like anyone.”
“Not true. I love my witches. It’s thesemundanebeings that I don’t like.”Disdain dripped from his words, prompting me to roll my eyes.
“Why don’t you likehim?” I kept my voice low, but I was sure I looked like a crazy cat lady scolding her fuzzy companion.
His purr resonated like a dull roar as he rubbed his head beneath my chin. “He’s a man. I don’t trust him.”
I snorted softly, shaking my head slightly as I stroked his back and tail. “Meowfoy, you don’t even know him.”
“I know enough. I remember the tears from all those years ago. I remember his name. I know what he did to you.”
Mother, help me. It felt like the thoughts still tickling the back of my mind funneled into his, and were parroted back with startling clarity. I tried to use the same logic thrown at me. “We were children. I’ve grown. I’ve changed. He seems to have, too.”
Meowfoy huffed through his nose, those icy blue eyes landing on my face, filled with skepticism. I knew cats could be judgmental, but geez.
“Just give him a chance. And if he hurts me, I give you permission to shit on his pillow.”
His eyes narrowed slightly before shifting over my shoulder, likely to where Taylor was watching us.Yep, don’t mind me—just a crazy cat lady.
Groaning internally, I pressed my brow against Meowfoy’s head as his words came out as a low growl. “Fine.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, kissing his furry little head before setting him down on the bench. He turned in a circle twice before finally sinking down onto the vinyl, his front paws curling under him until he resembled a loaf of unbaked bread dough.
When I returned to the kitchen, I let out a heavy breath. “Sorry about that.”
Taylor raised an eyebrow, his gaze flicking to the blob of fur across the room before quickly redirecting back to mine. “Everything alright over there?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nervous chuckle. “He’s just a little…protective.”
With a slight nod, Taylor hesitantly wrapped his hand around mine, pausing as his eyes darted back toward the bench before gently pulling me closer.
“As much as I would love to pick up where we left off—”
“It’d be a bit awkward with my cat glaring at you?” I finished for him, a wry smile lifting my lips.
“Yeah, something like that,” he chuckled in response.
Silence settled between us, but my heart thundered in my ears as Taylor’s thumb traced circles around the pulse point in my wrist. I opened my mouth to say something—anything—to break the tension taut between us, like a rope in a tug-of-war, when his phone beeped from the counter behind him.
“Shit.” He grabbed his device, flipping it screen up to reveal a red, blinking battery symbol.
“Oh, crap. I’m sorry. I think I have a flashlight somewhere in the kitchen or the office. Why don’t you look around out here while I check in there?” Hesitancy flickered in his eyes for the briefest moment, as though he feared I would vanish if he let me go. Tightening my grip on his hand, I offered him a small smile. “I’ll be right back.”
