22. Renee
Renee
Through the glass door, Renee spotted a pile of black and white kittens huddled together on a fleece blanket in the middle of the room. They looked so peaceful. A stark contrast to the previous room she’d peeked into, where a pair of gray tabby kittens ran and pounced around in a frenzy.
She had a meeting with her new client later that morning, but she’d driven in early after a quick workout to check out the shelter she was considering for Bartholomew. She couldn’t believe it was a thing that was actually happening, but she was out of options.
A young woman in leggings and a T-shirt with the rescue organization’s name and logo printed on it approached Renee with a friendly smile.
“Are you the one with the owner surrender cat?”
“Um, maybe?” She’d emailed photos of him the week before and had been in contact with someone from the shelter since then. “Not sure what that means. My aunt died, and I’m trying to find a new home for her cat.”
“Then that’s you, I think. They told me someone was heading over here.” The woman stretched out her hand. “I’m Anna.”
Renee shook her hand. “Renee.” She looked around at the walls and the floor. “This place is nicer than I expected.”
Anna gave her a patient smile. “We try to be.”
“So you’re really a no-kill shelter?”
“Absolutely,” Anna said. “We usually only pull animals from shelters with high euthanasia rates, but sometimes we’ll make an exception.
Particularly for cats in a situation like yours.
And, not to be rude, especially if they’re attractive enough to adopt out soon.
You have the big, gorgeous orange boy, right? ”
“That’s him,” Renee said. “Bartholomew.”
“Love that name.” Anna’s patient smile grew wider. “And I understand you’re willing to hang on to him until we find an adopter?”
“Yeah, he can stay with me until I sell the house.” A shock of guilt hit Renee’s stomach as she quickly caught her mistake. “Wait, no. I’m going back to my apartment in Baton Rouge in two weeks. Can’t have pets there.”
“Oh, well, that makes it a little more difficult, but I’m sure we can figure something out.
” Anna aimed a thumb down the hall in the opposite direction.
“I have to stick around here since I’ve got a potential adopter coming in, but you’re welcome to look around.
You can also visit the converted house we use for our older cats.
It’s just down the gravel road on the right, and it’s where most of our adult cats stay. ”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Anna turned and went back to her office, leaving Renee to stare at the adorable pile of sleeping kittens some more.
Two weeks.
She couldn’t believe she would have to hand over Bartholomew in just two weeks.
This place seemed nice enough so far—she still needed to check out the building where he’d be staying—but she’d become accustomed to having the furry guy around.
They had grown used to each other over the past few weeks, and it felt cruel to drag him out of the home he’d known all his life and drop him with new people.
But it couldn’t be helped. She wasn’t planning to stay in Oakview, and she couldn’t take him with her. There were no other options.
After her meeting with the new client at her office, Renee headed straight to the restaurant where she was having lunch with her other best friend.
Felicia was already at the table when she arrived, and she jumped up to hug Renee tightly. When they pulled away, Renee held her by the arms and said, “You look great.”
And she did. Her friend’s light brown skin was glowing, and her dark eyes sparkled playfully.
“Thanks,” Felicia said. “You, too. Oakview is agreeing with you.”
Renee ignored that for now.
They both sat, and the server came over to ask for their drink order. Both of them asked for the kicked-up margaritas, and Renee said, “I’m actually ready to order, if you are. I’m starving.”
Felicia was ready also, so they ordered their food, too—Cajun shrimp tacos for Renee and crawfish enchiladas for Felicia.
“So tell me,” Renee said. “What’s to thank for this glow you have?”
“Well…” Felicia’s cheeks darkened with a slight blush. “I’ve been seeing that guy I matched with.”
“Been going well, I take it?”
Felicia nodded. “So well that I’m questioning everything. Looking for cracks. So far I haven’t found any.”
Renee was taken aback by this sudden shift in Felicia’s love life.
She’d always been anti-serious-relationship, right along with Renee and Ben.
But things change, Renee supposed. She certainly knew how that went.
Losing her aunt so suddenly had thrown everything upside down.
Finding the right person could do the same thing, couldn’t it?
“Really happy for you. Surprised, but happy.”
Felicia beamed. “Thanks. I can’t wait for you to meet him. Maybe next time you’re in town?”
“Hopefully in two weekends, when I move back.”
“Well, whenever it is, we’ll make it happen.”
Felicia worked for an accounting firm and put in hours from home two days a week, so she was flexible with her time. It was the reason she could meet for lunch and a drink on a Monday. She just put in extra hours later in the day on those occasions.
A margarita appeared in front of Renee, then the server set one down for Felicia. The spicy, salted rim paired perfectly with the sweetness, lime, and slight touch of jalapeno in the drink.
“So what’s happening with you?” Felicia asked. “You and Ben tearing up the town without me?”
“Not exactly,” Renee said. “But Ben still wants me to stay in Oakview.”
“No surprise there.” Felicia tilted her head a little and eyed her friend curiously. “How do you feel about that?”
“My life is here. Work is here. You’re here.”
Felicia laughed. “We’re having lunch right now. It’s not like we couldn’t have lunch or do whatever once in a while. And you and Ben could still come in for drag shows, since I know they can’t possibly have those in Oakview. My living room is always open for sleepovers.”
“But work.”
“Haven’t you been doing most of your work from there, anyway?”
“Yeah, but I had to come in to meet a new client this morning. And I’ll have to come in for surveillance next week. We pushed it back because of the storm. There’s always something to do here still.”
“It’s not like it’s that far of a drive.”
“Since when are you on Ben’s side with this?”
Felicia shrugged. “Since you seem happy now that you’ve been there for a while. Lighter.”
“Don’t know about lighter,” Renee said. “I’ve had way too much interaction with my mom the past few weeks.”
“There’s that. But that’s due to extenuating circumstances. You won’t always have to be around her so much. I hear boundaries are healthy.”
“Sounds fake,” Renee said with a small laugh.
Felicia shifted in her seat with what looked like excitement. “So fill me in on the client.”
“Not much to tell,” Renee said. “She’s looking for her half-sister she hasn’t seen in twenty years. Their mother died, and she’s hit a wall digging through social media.”
“No, no. That’s all well and good, but I’m talking about the other client. The one with the dog that you like.”
Renee felt her cheeks flush. “Jessica.”
“Yeah, Jessica.” Felicia narrowed her eyes. “Weren’t you supposed to hang out with her again? Spill it.”
“We weren’t ‘hanging out.’ She was helping me with my aunt’s house.”
“Details,” Felicia said, waving the difference away with a swat of her hand. “How did it go?”
“It went. She tried to kiss me. I stopped it. End of story.”
Felicia’s eyes widened. “Why’d you do that?”
“Because of all the reasons you know and we’ve discussed. I’m not staying in Oakview. Not to mention, she wants something serious and long-term. There’s no happy ending here.”
“And I’m sure Ben already tried to talk some sense into you.”
“By talk some sense, you mean pitch unreasonable solutions? Yes.”
“And when are you seeing her again?”
“She’s playing at my aunt’s celebration.” Renee remembered another conversation. “Wait… crap.”
“Crap, what?”
“Crap, I’m supposed to text her about potentially staying with us during the storm.”
“Ooh, stormed in together. That sounds promising.”
“This is why I don’t want to do it. Promising sounds disastrous to me.”
“Does it?” Felicia’s tone softened. “It sounds like you’re less afraid of something going wrong and more afraid of something going right.”
When she put it like that, it did sound backward.
But she wasn’t afraid of things turning out well. She wanted things to work out. That just wasn’t possible in this situation.
“What if things turn out right and then they go horribly wrong?” she asked.
Felicia gave her a smile filled with patience. “What if they don’t?”
The server arrived with their orders, and Renee immediately dove into her tacos. The spicy shrimp paired with the rich, meaty tasso and cool, tangy sauce blended magically in her mouth.
“See? I couldn’t leave this behind.”
Felicia rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you eat here every day. And I promise we can have tacos any time you visit.”
She had a point. One Renee was not ready to concede. Not out loud, at least.
“You know,” Felicia said, cutting into her enchiladas with delight in her eyes. “There’s only one way to find out if this woman’s going to take you up on that offer.”
Renee sighed. “You’re going to make me text her, aren’t you?”
“You bet.”
With another bigger sigh, Renee flipped over her phone and began to type.
Hey just checking in if you want to hang out with me and Ben Wednesday during the storm. We’ve got everything taken care of so you just need to show up whenever you want.
“Happy now?”
“Very,” Felicia said with a grin.
They waited in silence for a very long time. The message showed ‘read,’ but there was no response.
“See, nothing to get excited about. She’s thinking of a way to politely turn down the invitation.”
Then, the three dots appeared. A few moments later, the reply came.
Sure. Thanks. Sounds great.
Was that a too short response? Was Jessica annoyed with her about the day before?
No, she wouldn’t have agreed to stay with them if that were the case.
She was reading way too much into this.
Felicia turned her palms up on the table. “So?”
Renee flipped the phone over again. “So she’s coming over Wednesday.”
Felicia clapped silently but gleefully. “Yay!”
“No yay,” Renee said sternly. “I just don’t like the idea of her being alone during the storm. Besides, Ben will be there.”
“Ben is the worst chaperone.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“Ben doesn’t get a say in this,” Renee insisted. “Well, he can have his say, but that doesn’t mean he’s the boss of me.”
“Let’s call him a very niche influencer.”
“Oh, he’d love that.”
“Then tell him I said it.” Felicia took another bite of her enchiladas, her face again showing her pleasure with the menu selection. When she finished chewing, she said, “But seriously, I hope it goes well. No matter what direction you want the day to take.”
“Thanks,” Renee said, lifting her drink for another sip. “Me, too.”
If only she knew what direction that meant.