Page 134 of Love ad Lib
‘Yep. She’s called “Sunny”, which is short for “Sunnestanden”. It’s the old English word for solstice. It literally means the sun standing still. I know it’s a bit poncey, but…’ She shrugged.
‘I think it’s perfect. Have you tried to make a loaf yet?’
She shook her head. ‘She’s still growing. I’ll try in a couple of days.’
The flat wason a busy street in the heart of Soho, up two flights of stairs. A key safe box was attached to the wall outside the door.
‘Jack has this for the cleaner or anyone else if they need to get in,’ Henry said. ‘I’ve made you an extra set of keys, so you won’t need to use it.’
‘What’s the code, just in case?’
He looked embarrassed. ‘Sixty-nine, sixty-nine.’
Libby raised an eyebrow. ‘Is he a bit of a joker?’
Henry frowned. ‘Not normally. Although he did say that if the combination had only been three numbers, he would have chosen six-six-six.’
‘Ah, so a devil-worshipper then.’
He grinned. ‘Maybe that’s what his actual job is.’ He passed her a set of keys. ‘Go on, it’s all yours.’
She opened the door and entered the flat, not quite knowing what to expect. It was modern, light and airy, with high ceilings and exposed brickwork painted white. The bedroom and bathroom were to the left, to the right a lounge, and up ahead a large kitchen diner.
‘It used to be part of a factory,’ Henry said. ‘That’s why the rooms are larger than you’d expect and the ceilings so high.’
‘It’s amazing. But very, very white.’
The flat looked like a show-home for angels. There wasn’t a mark on any of the walls. The rug in the lounge didn’t look like it had ever been walked on, and the white leather sofa appeared never to have met a backside before. It must have been cleaned recently, as there wasn’t a single cat hair to be seen.
An enormous cat crate stood on the white marble countertop in the kitchen. A pair of amber eyes peered out through the black grille.
‘Why is it in a crate?’ she asked.
‘Er, I picked him up earlier from an old people’s home. He moonlights as a therapy cat.’
‘Aww, that’s lovely!’ She leaned closer. ‘Hello, sweetie. Shall we get you out of there now?’
The cat growled.
Henry lifted the crate to the floor. ‘He can be a bit, erm, energetic.’
She stared at the backs of his hands. It looked as if he’d lost a fight with a barbed wire fence. How had she missed this?
‘Holy shit, Henry! What happened!’
‘Nothing, it’s fine. I think I startled him earlier.’
‘And he’s atherapycat? How? Is he dangerous?’
‘I don’tthinkso.’ He sounded far from convinced. ‘I think it just might be me he doesn’t like? I’ll open the door and we can see what happens.’
She glanced around the kitchen. There was a litter tray, scratching post, feeding station, bed, a selection of toys, and the most astonishing structure she’d ever seen. It was over six feet high and looked like a cat adventure playground.
‘What the bloody hell is that?’
‘Er, apparently, it’s called a “cat tree”. It’s for stimulation and because cats like to be up high and look down on people.’
She grinned. ‘Sounds about right.’
