14. Cat
14
CAT
I successfully avoided Vince all night after our interesting kitchen encounter, and it was now Thanksgiving morning. I fell asleep in Val’s bed last night as we watched a movie together, though I spent most of the night restless, my mind choosing to think of Vince instead of getting sleep.
I woke up when Harry decided to plop down on top of my face. Something he liked to do when he was either hungry or demanding attention. Sometimes , he also just did it because he’s a jerk.
This time, the jerk won, so I got up and made my way out to the kitchen with Harry in tow to feed him as he demanded. I heard the shower going and realized Val was already up and getting ready. As I walked out from the hallway toward the kitchen island, I found Vince standing with his back up against the counter. He was scrolling on his phone, so he didn’t immediately see me, which gave me a chance to look him over privately.
He had slightly messier hair than usual, his five o’clock shadow now a thicker stubble, and he wore gray workout shorts and a navy T -shirt. The T -shirt stuck to parts of him via sweat. He looked so deliciously handsome. Those muscles filled out his shirt in all the right places. Thinking back to his lips on mine yesterday brought chills throughout my body.
“Get your fill, or do you need more time to look me over?” Vince’s gravelly voice said even though he was still looking down at his phone.
How did he even know I was standing here? Shocked and a little embarrassed that he’d caught me, I could feel my face warm. He finally looked up, and a big grin split across his face.
“H- How did you…” I started to ask.
“Harry only ever comes out here after one of you has opened the bedroom door,” he said while continuing to rake his eyes all over my body, making me feel like I wasn’t fully clothed. “ Also , your sister does everything loudly, so I figured it was you creeping in here.”
The explanation made sense, and I realized how much he paid attention to it since he made all those observations in a short period of time.
“I can’t tell if he likes me or not,” Vince said, looking down at Harry who was staring at Vince from across the kitchen like he was plotting his demise.
“Honestly, the fact that he even came near you means he likes you,” I explained.
“Yeah, but he glared at me the whole time and hissed. If that means he likes me, what does he do if he doesn’t like me?”
“It’s best if you don’t know,” I responded dryly.
I grinned, knowing how evil Harry could be when he wanted to be. “ Just allow the sassy little dictator to do his thing, and you’ll be safe.”
Vince’s eyes grew larger, and I realized maybe I needed to make Harry appear friendlier so Vince didn’t just give our cat away to his mom when we went there later today.
“Um, if you give him some treats from time to time, he’ll be putty in your hands in no time,” I offered.
“I’ll take your word for it,” Vince said, still watching Harry as though he would attack at any moment.
Then he turned to me, and his expression gentled.
“You nervous about today?” he asked softly.
Gah. Why was he always so attuned to my inner thoughts? “ Should I be afraid of your family?”
He chuckled a little.
“I can’t guarantee my family won’t be a bit much at times, but I meant it more because this is the first Thanksgiving you and Val have had since...," there was an awkward pause, "you know.”
He meant since our parents had died. I understood where he was coming from, but I didn’t want him to feel like he had to tiptoe around us all day.
“Technically, the first couple years, we had Marshals with us for the holidays, so we weren’t really alone, per se.” I shrugged then held up one hand to stop him from interrupting. “ But I get it. You want to know if it will be weird being around your family while Val and I don’t have one anymore. The answer is no. I like your friends and family, Vince , at least the ones I’ve met, so she and I are both looking forward to it.”
He seemed to be okay with that answer, or if he wasn’t, he didn’t say anything.
Val came into the room with her bathrobe on, hair all wrapped up in Velcro curlers, and demanded coffee. “ When do we need to leave?”
“Around 11:30, if that’s okay,” Vince answered, which gave us a little less than two hours to get ready.
He let us know that his mom would try to keep everyone as late as possible, so whenever we were ready to leave, just let him know. The plan was to stay through dinner, then head over to the pub, where we would be having Friendsgiving drinks with Wade , Ellie , Archer , Jack , Ruthie , Axel , and Tammy because Tammy didn’t have any family in town and considered Wade and Ellie her family.
I had a quick bite to eat, not wanting to fill up before what I was sure would be a day full of food, then went to get ready. I spent way too much time over-analyzing what to wear to the meal. Vince’s mom had told us not to get dressed up, but since we were caught off guard when we met her the first time, I wanted to make sure I left a better impression on her today.
I also wanted to make a good first impression on Vince’s dad and sister. I tried not to put too much thought into the reasons why I was putting forth so much effort because then I would have to admit to myself that Vince meant more to me than just a good friend. I wasn’t sure I was ready to do that yet.
I settled on my best pair of dark jeans. They hugged me in all the right places but they also had the perfect amount of stretch in them to allow for a lot of food later today. I also had on a burnt orange sweater that was tight through the arms and chest area but a little more flowy around the stomach, which, again, was perfect for the extra pounds I was sure to gain later today.
I was just putting on some cute, heeled booties when Val knocked on my door, wanting to know if she could borrow one of my headbands. She was dressed in black yoga pants and an oversized red and black-checkered flannel shirt. Definitely more casual than I was dressed.
She said nothing for a moment, but the knowing smile on her face told me everything I needed to know. “ I see you’re going for fancy and trying to impress the family.”
I started to interrupt her and pretend that was absolutely not what I was doing, but she cut me off.
“I’m not making fun of you, Cat . You look really nice. You’re going to make a great first impression on all of them, and Vince will likely be staring at your ass all night in those jeans, so good job.”
Well, crap. Maybe I should change into something more comfortable and casual.
“I know what you’re thinking—don’t change. You look great.” Val grabbed the headband she wanted and made her way back out of my room, leaving me to stew with those comments she just gave me.
Finally, we were on our way to Vince’s parents’ house with Harry in tow, and despite my reassurances earlier, my heart rate was at an all-time high.