6. Lynne （Now）
Lynne (Now)
Lynne squatted down beside Mike and offered him the water. He swallowed enough to wet his throat.
“Mike … what happened?” Leo asked.
Mike ran his hands down his face, willing the tears to disappear, and sighed. “I’m not ready to talk about it. I just knew I had to leave. I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go but here.” He turned to Lynne. “I half expected to see your dad open the door. How’s he been?”
Lynne and Leo exchanged a glance, one that let Leo know she couldn’t handle this one. Not after this morning. Maybe not ever.
Then another knock sounded at the front door. A sweet-but-muffled voice cried out, “It’s me!” from behind it.
Lynne ran over, relieved—not only for the distraction—but to find Tabitha with a folded playpen under one arm and two large containers of litter barely clutched in her small hands.
Her wavy hair was always changing color, and today it was a soft lavender, pinned up in space buns with a few tendrils falling toward her face. She blew one of them out of the way.
“Tabby! Thank God.”
“I would’ve gotten here sooner, but this litter’s heavy. I had to take a few breaks on the way over.”
When Mike turned around, he sprung to his feet, surprising both Lynne and Leo.
“Oh,” Tabitha squeaked, glancing up and down at the man who towered over her.
“Here, I’ll help.” He scooped the litter containers from Tabitha’s hands just before she dropped them on the floor. “That, too?” He gestured at the pen under her arm.
Tabitha raised an eyebrow at Mike and stole a glance at Lynne. “Um. Sure.”
Mike turned to Lynne. “Where to? And what’s all this for?”
Lynne winced. She didn’t have time for this. “Yeah, long story. Leo can fill you in. Leo?” she called back. “Can you help him take this upstairs? Maybe in the guest bedroom, just past the kitchen?”
“Of course.”
Mike’s expression turned to confusion as he wandered back toward Leo.
“Keys?” Leo called.
Lynne dug the apartment key out of her pocket and tossed it across the room to him. Then they disappeared into the back of the bar.
“Who’s that?” Tabitha whispered.
“Leo’s estranged brother.”
“Wait. The brother? As in the brother you dated in high school?”
Shit. Lynne nodded reluctantly. “Yep. That’s the one.”
“Why’s he back in town? Didn’t he leave, like, a long time ago?”
“I don’t know exactly. He just got here.
I don’t think Leo knew he was coming either.
It seems … complicated.” She watched Tabitha try to hide a smile behind her hand.
“Don’t get started, Tabby. I’m stressed enough as it is.
Mike did not come back because of me, if that’s what you’re thinking.
It’s been over a decade since we spoke.”
Tabitha’s smile faded. “Sorry. I’m not trying to make this any harder. It’s just, you should’ve seen Leo’s face. You may not be worried about why his brother came back, but Leo definitely is.”
“Stop it. Don’t you have to get back to the grooming salon?”
“Manners, Lynne. If you don’t want him, I should at least get a chance to say goodbye to our new friend. What’s his name?”
Lynne rolled her eyes. “Michael. But he goes by Mike.”
As if on cue, Leo and Mike reappeared.
“Goodbye, Mike! Welcome back to Autumn Ridge,” Tabitha called across the room, a little too cheerily. Mike waved, and Tabitha turned to hug Lynne goodbye.
“I’ll forgive you for that since you rescued me today. I mean it. Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
After Lynne closed and locked the front door, she turned back around to find Leo’s eyebrow was raised at her. She shot him a glance that said I’ll tell you later.
“Are we in the Twilight Zone? Could this day get any weirder?” she asked them.
“Speaking of … Mike and I talked some. He’s gonna crash on my couch for now, until we can find him a place to stay. I’m gonna walk him back to my place, get him settled. I’m just not sure how long we’ll take. That okay with you?”
Lynne felt dread settle in her gut, and she was sure her face gave it away.
“Um, yeah,” she offered, unconvincingly.
She was afraid once Leo took Mike back to his place he’d never return.
This seemed bigger than the cat chaos now—at least for Leo.
Maybe Mike was the priority. She didn’t know what the two of them had talked about in that short amount of time, but returning without securing a place to stay seemed unlike the Mike she remembered.
He didn’t like the rules at seventeen, sure.
But he always had a plan. After a military career, she couldn’t imagine that had changed.
She thought momentarily of offering her guest bedroom to Mike, not to stir up more drama but to keep someone else around who could help.
Being the sole person responsible for getting the litter upstairs before O’Donnell’s reopened tomorrow filled her with dread.
But having Mike live with her? Not even knowing who he was anymore?
That was the last thing she needed right now.
As if he could read her racing mind, Leo said, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.
” He took off his ARFD hoodie and draped it over the back of the nearest chair.
Something in her chest loosened. It felt like collateral, like leaving an ID at the bar when promising to return to pay.
He never went anywhere in fall or winter without that hoodie.
“Text me if you hear anything from Cali about her friend.”
Leo and Mike left, and the bar felt eerily quiet once she was alone again.
For a while she planted herself just outside the utility closet, waiting for Cali’s call, her eyes flitting to her watch more than she cared to admit.
It was already past noon. If she couldn’t get this litter somewhere safer before tomorrow’s lunch crowd started pouring in, O’Donnell’s would need to stay closed.
If they stayed closed, she’d already be eating into the profits from Halloween.
The worries kept snowballing from there.
Then the kittens let out their small, hungry squeaks, and her heart leapt into her throat.
I should be able to do this, she thought. I just need a strategy.
She searched for tips on her phone then disappeared upstairs to her apartment, took a survey of what she had, and returned with gloves and a towel plus a refreshed thermos of coffee to keep her company.
Fred had already licked clean the can of wet food, so she had to improvise.
But boiled chicken and rice didn’t seem appetizing enough to mama cat, who still hissed every time Lynne got close.
It was starting to feel personal. She regretted not letting Leo try to pick up the box while they’d had the chance.
Everyone could’ve been upstairs already.
She got back to cleaning while she waited on Cali’s call.
That call might change the trajectory of the rest of her day.
Even if they succeeded with moving the cats, someone still needed to get this place ready for tomorrow.
But hours passed, and Lynne started losing hope—not because the bar wouldn’t be ready for tomorrow.
It already was. Her anxiety had driven her to complete all the chores in record time.
But then she was left alone with the feeling she was doomed no matter what she accomplished today.
She mindlessly spun Mazzy’s urn pendant between her fingers.
Then Cali’s number buzzed to life on her phone screen.
“I’m afraid there’s some bad news … and worse news,” Cali started. “Which one do you want first?”
“Shit. I guess give me the worst you’ve got.”
“Okay.” Cali drew in a deep breath. “So Ethan’s repair this afternoon is at one of the vet tech’s houses.
When he called to confirm, he also asked her what we could do.
She said the vet’s office isn’t just closed for the weekend.
They’re closed indefinitely. Like, they have to find a new vet. The other one left without notice.”
Lynne groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I kid you not. We’re pretty pissed about it, too. Catsby was due for a teeth cleaning. Anyway, they’re interviewing. We know that much. But the next closest vet anyone can vouch for is in Eastmoor—hours away.”
“Right.”
“But I know you need to get the litter in a safe, secure location before the bar opens again tomorrow anyway … which brings us to the bad news.”
“Great. Just kick me while I’m down, Cals.”
“Deep breath,” Cali sighed. “Don’t shoot the messenger. My rescue friend can’t visit today. But she can drive out late tomorrow. The first piece of advice she gave me was to leave the cats where you found them.”
Lynne was beside herself. “What? No! We open at 11 a.m. tomorrow for lunch. Someone’s going to mess with the litter the minute my back is turned.”
“I know. I know. I told her that. So she reluctantly gave me some tips—some of which might help. You got a piece of paper nearby?”
Lynne glanced around for an order pad and a pen then told Cali she was ready.
“Okay. First, cat food. It can help warm mama cat to you or guide her into the pen once you’ve got them all upstairs.”
Lynne scoffed as she jotted down #1 Food. “Fred ate the only can Leo brought earlier. Of course. I’ve tried some other bland stuff, but Mama’s already highly suspicious of me.”
“I get that. But keep trying,” Cali encouraged her. “Her hunger will beat out the fear eventually. It should be kitten food you’re feeding Mama, so the nutrients transfer in her milk. But we’re running out for all that in a minute. Ethan already texted Leo, but Leo hasn’t replied yet.”
“It’ll be a little while before Leo helps with anything. Long story,” Lynne said. “I’m here by myself again, but I’m sure Leo will check his messages soon.”
“Great. Second tip: move all of them together if possible. Don’t, like, move them upstairs one by one or separate mama cat from the babies.”
“Okay,” Lynne said through clenched teeth. She wrote #2 Fuck me on her order pad.
“Third, use whatever they were nesting in to move them. It’s a familiar scent and will reduce stress. Finally, once they’re moved, just watch them for the next hour or two. Don’t interfere. Feed mama cat and give them all some time to settle.”
“Mm-hmm. Got it,” Lynne said as she scribbled down I’m screwed and threw the pen across the room.
“I wish I had better news for you,” Cali said. “I’d offer to keep them all here this week. I mean, we’ve got the van to transport them. But we’re both gone during the day. It’s not like we could run upstairs to check them while things were slow, like you potentially could.”
“No, thanks. You two grabbing supplies is already a big help. And I have the guest bedroom. It’s pretty bare-bones now.
I’m sure they’ll be safe there. I’m just …
I never knew Mazzy in her kitten phase. You know?
I feel so out of my element here.” She waved it off.
“But my bar, my strays, my responsibility. I just hope I can get them upstairs before tomorrow.”
“You’ve got all of us, especially Leo when he’s free again,” Cali reminded her. “That two-days-off, one-day-on firefighter schedule might really come in handy here. Maybe you all can take shifts. It’s only fair. I mean, since Fred’s clearly involved.”
“Yeah.” Lynne glanced over at the sweatshirt Leo left behind, ARFD stitched in red over the chest, ‘March’ along the sleeve.
Some of the thread at the corner of the front pocket had been unspooling for years.
She picked it up, heavy in her hands. “I’ll keep that in mind.
Oh, and Cals? If Leo still hasn’t replied by the time you and Ethan have the supplies, could you just bring them here?
For now, all I can do is keep trying to get the litter upstairs by myself. ”
“Of course. And we’ll keep pestering the vet’s office, too.
Let me text you my rescue friend’s info while I’m thinking of it.
Her name’s Nina.” Lynne’s phone let out a soft ding when the contact was shared.
“It’s all going to work out, Lynne. Promise.
It may be crazy today, but it won’t be crazy forever. We’ve got your back.”
“Thanks, Cals.”
“I’ll talk to you soon.”
As they hung up, Lynne lifted Leo’s sweatshirt to her face and inhaled.
It smelled just like him, laundry-soap fresh with hints of coffee and worn steel.
Then something clicked. Cali said the litter would need the comfort of the familiar scents.
And Fred? If anybody would come for Leo’s scent, it was Fred.
If she could get him upstairs calmly, then maybe mama cat would be willing to let Lynne move the rest.
So she tried and, as it turned out, Fred was the easiest piece of the puzzle.
Maybe it was because she slipped on Leo’s sweater and placed herself just outside the closet door.
But Fred peeked his head out within minutes and let Lynne scratch his head and pick him up.
He didn’t fuss at all as she carried him upstairs to her apartment.
In fact, he was all purrs. Once they were inside, he jumped onto her couch and started making biscuits with the cushions.
She threw Leo’s sweater onto the couch beside him.
“Now if you could let Mama know I haven’t murdered you—that you’re in the lap of luxury up here—that would be great.”
Fred let out a long, almost distressed-sounding mewl as he stared up at Lynne.
“You’ll get more food later, traitor,” she told him, just before closing her apartment door.