Page 21 of A Box of Wishes
When he started to squirm, Ben set him on his feet. “This is a new place,” he said, as if the cat could understand him. “And this is Ryan. He’ll look after you today.”
They watched as Morris wobbled around the room, sniffing the hand Ryan held out to him before moving on to inspect the furniture. He ignored the litter tray, stopped by the dishes Ryan had placed beside the wall for a quick drink, and ended his circuit next to the maroon doughnut cat bed.
“I didn’t get why you put your jumper on his bed,” Ryan admitted. “But then… I’ve never seen a cat check things so carefully.”
“Cats do that with unfamiliar places. He maps it, learns where everything is.” Morris explored the edges of his bed, only relaxing when he reached the jumper. “And in a room full of new and unfamiliar smells, the old jumper is familiar.”
As if he’d heard, Morris plonked himself down right in the middle of the garment and curled up. He didn’t go to sleep, though. He kept his eyes on his human.
Ben cooing to the cat and scratching his ears was the cutest thing Ryan had ever seen. He had no idea what Morris was like when he was unhurt and in familiar surroundings, but chances were good that he had Ben wrapped around his little finger. Ryan didn’t want to interrupt the reunion, but he knew Ben was expected at work. The sooner he could send him off, the sooner Ben would be back.
Ryan found himself surprisingly eager to spend more time with Ben. Having Morris here would help with that.
“Any more instructions for me to follow?” He dropped his hand on Ben’s shoulder. “I promise I’ll take good care of him. I’ll close the door, so he can’t wander far, and we’ll check on him all the time. He won’t ever be alone for long. Okay?”
“You’ll call me if anything happens?”
“I will. I promise.”
Ben made a face, but he pushed to his feet. “I’ve never wanted so much to blow a day off work,” he admitted.
He wouldn’t do it, Ryan knew. He’d called in the day before with an emergency and he was too conscientious to do it two days in a row and leave others to pick up his slack.
Ben grabbed his jacket and hesitated before he cracked an almost successful grin. “Be good, the two of you.”
And with a wave, he was gone.
“He didn’t wait long to take over, did he?” Ben had a smile on his face and his aura was a comforting, deep blue as he watched Morris sleep in Ryan’s new office chair while Ryan perched on a wooden chair from the break room to order his supplies.
“He didn’t move from his bed for most of the day. Just as you said,” Ryan reported. “Then I decided to wrangle paperwork to keep him company and found him having a bath. A very thorough one. He even washed behind his ears.”
“I love watching him do that. And yes, I know that makes me a card-carrying sap.”
“Not in my book. I stood here and observed the process instead of doing paperwork.”
“Not a ringing endorsement, seeing how you hate admin.”
“Maybe not.”
“You could have moved him.”
“When he’s so comfortable where he is? Don’t be silly.”
Ben rubbed Morris’s velvety ears. “You’re a little shit, you know?”
Morris tipped his whiskers forward, then showed off all his teeth in a wide yawn. Ryan couldn’t hold back his grin. “I’m sure he’s aware, but he makes up for it by being cute. I kept checking on him all day, but he barely twitched until I came in here to work. It’s surprising how comforting it is, having company. Even if I keep looking over my shoulder all the time, making sure that he’s still there.”
“Can’t ever be lonely if you have a cat.”
There was so much weight in the words that Ryan almost choked up. “Spend Christmas with me,” he blurted.
“What?”
“Spend Christmas with me.” After just two weeks, Ryan knew he wanted to see more of Ben Hobart. And that he had no problem with his family knowing about it.
Ben balked at the suggestion. “I can’t. You’ve done all your planning and shopping and—”
“One more person round the table won’t make a difference. Neither will half a dozen if it comes to it. My cousins all have families of their own now. Alastair is home, and my sister is flying in on Christmas Eve. It’s a riot. We’re all used to huge gatherings.”
