Chapter 34
34
COLE
We have a cat.
And according to Andrew, we’ll have kittens any day now. Not just one kitten, no, he said there are multiple. I didn’t ask for more information. I just paid the bill, then drove to a pet store so Paige could get everything we’d need for a cat. She swears she’ll find a home for it, including its kittens, but I have my doubts.
She was fawning over that cat the whole way to the pet store until she finally turned to me and said we had to pick a name. She wanted to name her something that had to do with working in a garage or being a mechanic, but I couldn’t come up with anything. I told her I named the first car I ever rebuilt and got running again Hazel. I had no idea why. I just named it that.
So now we have Hazel, the cat.
I was never going to admit that Paige naming a cat she obviously already loved after something I loved meant a lot to me.
But I had a feeling she already knew by the smile on her face.
We got back to the garage and pulled in. I started to unload all the shit when the guys came out.
“How’s the cat?” Billy hollered.
Paige got out of the truck with Hazel in tow, in a cat carrier where she was safe, and walked toward the guys. She held up the carrier. “It’s a girl, about to be a mom, and we named her Hazel.”
“You’re keeping her?” Ryan asked.
“Yeah. The vet said she’s due any day now and was malnourished, so we decided to keep her until she has the kittens and then adopt them out.”
I snorted while I carried a ton of shit. “Yeah, we decided.” She threw me a look over her shoulder that made me grin. “Can one of you grab that big-ass cat tower from the back seat for me?”
“I got it.” Billy agreed and walked to the truck.
“Cool of you guys to take her in,” Matt said.
“Thanks.” Paige smiled brightly, and I had to admit it was nice to see that smile on her face. She lifted the carrier and peeked in at Hazel who was sleeping before glancing at me. “We need to get her inside. She’s probably hungry.”
“She’s sleeping.” I gestured to the carrier.
“Andrew said we need to make sure she eats and drinks every few hours,” Paige reminded me although she didn’t have to.
“Come on, Hazel’s dad.” Billy smirked and walked right by.
“Hey,” I called out while I followed him. “You call me boss.”
“I think I like Hazel’s dad better.” Billy shot back with a grin.
I heard Matt and Ryan chuckle, but I didn’t look back. They were teasing me, and seeing them all getting along was nice, even if it was at my expense. It made working together a hell of a lot easier.
We carted everything upstairs, and Paige went to work setting up Hazel. I stayed out of the way, considering it seemed she was on a mission to make the best cat room in the city for her.
Feeling my phone vibrate, I pulled it from my pocket and saw it was my dad. Hitting accept, I lifted it to my ear. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey. How’s it going? The new boys working out?”
I smiled when he referred to them as the new boys. “Yeah. Actually, they’re doing great.”
“Where are you? I don’t hear the sounds of the garage,” he asked. “You done for the day already?”
His surprise at my being done early was understandable. When he called, I’d usually answer but then have to move outside so I could hear him over the sounds of normal garage shit. But obviously not today.
“Not exactly,” I explained and walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water. “I’m heading back down, but I’m in the apartment right now because a cat wandered into the garage, and we took it to the vet. Just got back.”
“A cat?” he asked, sounding almost hesitant.
I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it while I replied, “Yeah.”
“A cat you’re going to keep?”
“For now,” I admitted before taking a quick drink. “She’s pregnant and due anytime, so Paige is setting up everything for her now.”
“A pregnant cat who’s about to have kittens is in your house?”
I heard what exclaimed loudly, and I recognized that as my mom’s voice. I assumed that meant my dad was home and bothering her, which he did often.
“Yeah, Dad.”
“You don’t like cats,” he said slowly.
“No, I don’t,” I admitted, and it was true. My one and only experience with a cat hadn’t been a good one, so I vowed I’d never have one of my own.
“You told me once you thought they were Satan’s spawn.”
I had said that, so I tried to defend myself. “That’s because of my experience with Harper’s cat, who hissed and scratched me every time I was near her. Hazel hasn’t done any of those things.”
“Hazel?”
“He named the cat after his car?” my mom asked in the background.
I ran my hand over my forehead. “Paige thought it was the perfect name because the damn cat wandered into the garage.”
Dad chuckled. “Paige, huh?”
“Don’t start, Dad.”
“Just sayin’, you wouldn’t have taken in that cat if it wasn’t for a pretty little blonde who wanted her.”
“Did you need something?” I asked, trying to move the conversation away from the cat.
“Wanted to see if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight, but it sounds like you have your hands full.”
“Yeah, tonight’s probably not good.”
“Another night, then,” Dad replied.
“Hey Cole, I think I’m going to call Bridget…” She trailed off as she walked into the kitchen and saw my phone against my ear. “Ooh, sorry. I didn’t know you were on the phone.”
I tilted the phone from my mouth. “That’s okay, it’s just my dad. Why are you calling Bridget?”
“She gave me her number when you were talking to Andrew and said to call her with any questions. I want to ask her if I can give Hazel a bath.”
“A bath? Don’t they bathe themselves? Isn’t that like the selling point of getting a cat?” I asked seriously but heard my dad chuckle. He was enjoying this conversation way too much.
Paige just rolled her eyes, which made me grin. “She doesn’t feel well, and she’s still really weak. Plus, she’s pretty dirty. She doesn’t have fleas or ticks or anything—Bridget already checked her—but her fur feels kind of gross.” She grabbed her phone from her pocket and smiled. “I think I’ll just call her. Thanks, Cole.”
She left the room, and I heard my dad laughing on the other end of the phone. I waited for him to finish before saying, “I’m hanging up.”
“Go bathe your cat,” he teased before he ended the call.
I shoved the phone back into my pocket before finishing the water in my glass and putting it in the sink. Turning, I walked back into the living room just as Paige replied, “Are you sure?” She was quiet again, then continued, “Okay, see you soon.”
“See who soon?” I asked after she ended the call.
She turned to face me, wearing that same big smile that had been on her face all day. “Bridget’s just leaving work and is stopping by to help me give Hazel a bath.”
“That’s nice of her,” I said, a little surprised that she wanted to come over to help with that.
“Yeah,” Paige agreed. “She’s really nice. She's also still fairly new in town, so I think she’s trying to make friends.”
“Makes sense.” I nodded. “I’m going back to the garage if you don’t need me right now.”
“No.” She shoved her phone in her pocket. “I’m going to finish getting Hazel set up and fed. After Bridget leaves, I’ll come down. I still need to put in that order for Billy, and I know he needs it to go in today.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “Let me know how the bath goes.”
She laughed happily. “I will.”
That smile and laughter made everything we were about to go through with a cat and kittens worth it.