Chapter 6
The next morning, Via and Sir went on their walk early before any of the Pecan Corner shops were open, except for the Corner
Eatery. Sir missed his treat from Sally, but it couldn’t be helped. Via had to get to the café early and head Dora off at
the pass. Leo was set to come in at eight o’clock and they were going to plan out their schedules for the rest of the month.
Tonight was Dora’s Pawtrait Night and she usually came in at noon because the café stayed open late, but she’d asked Via last
week if she could have the afternoon off for a doctor appointment and come back after. To keep her weekly hours consistent,
she would be opening today.
It was still dark, but the streets of Pecan Corner were well lit. By this weekend there would be even more autumn decorations
than there were now, including orange, purple, and dark red strings of lights on every facade. Earl hadn’t been all that excited
about lighting up his shop last fall, but she convinced him to let her add that little bit of bling, along with a single pumpkin
next to the door. She’d added a little more decor this season, and the lights would be the final touch.
Via huddled inside her coat, wondering what Earl would think of Leo’s handling of things. She’d probably never know any details about their relationship, although she had a feeling they were close to nonexistent. But she was sure Earl would be glad Leo wanted to do right by him.
As she turned the last corner before reaching Pawsitive Vibes, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time not to think about
Leo so much, but that was getting harder to do. She was no Smitten Kitten, but she had to admit it would be nice to do some
of her bucket list activities with someone instead of doing them alone—the pumpkin patch with Dora being the exception. She
would stick to going camping by herself, though. Leo didn’t need to tag along for that.
Via and Sir zipped past Second Chapter, as dark inside as the rest of the businesses. Their walk had been so brisk that she
had some time to go upstairs to do a few things before going to the café. She still had to go on that grocery run. They were
halfway up the stairs when Sir started yanking hard on his leash.
“Hey!” She tried to slow him without hurting him. When that didn’t work, she decided to let him free if he was that determined
to get to the top.
Then she saw Leo coming out of Earl’s apartment and Sir’s behavior made sense. When Sir reached the top step, Leo shut the
door and smiled at her.
“Morning, Via.” At Sir’s insistent meow, he bent down and awkwardly patted the cat’s head. Instead of his Harvard sweatshirt,
he was wearing a patriotic red one with an American bicentennial logo on it. He paired it with navy blue gym shorts, socks,
and running shoes. His face was scruffy, his hair not so perfectly coiffed. Her pulse quickened. He really was drop-dead fine
no matter what he wore.
“Just heading out for a run,” he said, standing up and facing her.
That was a surprise. “So you do have a hobby.”
“More like a necessity. I prefer to swim, but a run will have to do.”
From his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and chiseled jaw, she figured he worked out, and that had her imagining exactly how
defined his biceps were under that sweatshirt . . . which looked suspiciously similar to one Earl used to wear. “Is that your
uncle’s?” she asked, gesturing to the shirt.
He nodded, seemingly a little self-conscious. “I only packed for a couple days,” he said. “Wasn’t expecting to stay longer
than that. I opened the bedroom closet this morning and it is full of clothes from different eras.”
Now that wasn’t a surprise. “He didn’t like to throw things away.”
“I’m starting to realize that. Good thing we’re close in size.”
They must have been close in size when Earl was younger. She’d only known him when he was in his seventies, with the slumped
shoulders and rounded paunch typical of men his age. But now that she was noticing, he had been close to Leo’s height. But
that’s where the similarities ended. Earl’s eyes had been blue, not bright green, and his silver hair had thinned so much
he was rarely seen without a baseball cap.
Sir plopped on top of Leo’s shoes.
Not again. Via tugged on Sir’s leash. With the exception of his little tantrum over Sir shedding on his suit, Leo had shown
a lot of restraint when it came to him and the other cats in the café. “Come here, Sir.”
The cat ignored her.
What happened to her well-behaved boy from last night?
Leo stepped out from under Sir’s ample body. “Better get going.” He headed down the stairs, then called over his shoulder, “See you at eight.”
“See you.”
“Meow!”
Via picked him up, and he tried to break free. Last night had been a reprieve apparently, and she suspected it had to do with
the nibbles of chicken fried steak she’d given him. Sir knew which side his bread was buttered on. But he couldn’t keep pestering
Leo. “No,” she said in his little curled ear. “Leave him alone.”
The downstairs door shut, and Sir looked at her blankly, as if he had no intention of minding her.
She set him down and they went to her apartment. He roamed around as she took inventory of her fridge and pantry, made a list,
then tucked it in her pocket. After a few more quick chores, she and Sir headed downstairs to the café. When she went inside,
soft morning sunlight was coming through the window and the cats were eating their breakfast in the back.
Dora came out front, carrying a large bag of coffee beans that she set on the counter. “What are you doing here so early?”
“I have another meeting with Leo at eight o’clock.”
Juniper meowed, and Via looked down to see her sitting next to her purple suede boot. “I’ll be with you in a few minutes,”
she said. Right now she had to give her sister her undivided attention.
“We’ll be in my office,” Via continued. “I don’t want to be disturbed.” When Dora’s face broke out into a grin, she said pointedly,
“It’s a business meeting.”
“Sure it is,” Dora said. “That’s why you’re looking extra cute today.”
She glanced down at her burnt-orange jeans, white henley shirt, and red cardigan. “What’s so cute about this?”
“It’s not just the outfit.” She gestured up and down at her. “It’s the total package. Your cheeks are even pink . . . Did you already see Leo this morning?” When Via didn’t answer, Dora’s smile widened. “You so did.”
Even though the café wasn’t open yet, she pulled Dora to the side. She told her about their meeting last night and what they
would be talking about this morning. She left out the part about Perry Percival. Dora didn’t know who he was, and Leo had
reassured her that he wasn’t going to sell to him. “It’s all very logical.”
“Logical. Right. Keep telling yourself that.”
“Dora—”
But her sister was already walking away. “Don’t worry,” she said, her teasing grin firmly in place. “I’ll make sure you and
Leo are left alone.”
Via tapped her head on the counter. Getting through to her sister was hopeless.
“Meow!”
She knelt down to pet an insistent Juniper, and suddenly Mochi, Cinnamon, and Onyx, a normally shy white female, were clamoring
for attention. She smiled, grateful for her kitties. She moved over to the couch and sat down. All three jumped up and presented
themselves for cuddles. Calmness immediately came over her.
Dora could keep stating that there was something between her and Leo, but there were so many reasons why they wouldn’t work.
A big one was his cat allergy. Trevor might not have treated her well, but he was always decent to Sir Meow. And while Leo
was being tolerant, he only had to be for the next thirty days. She would do her best to keep Sir away from him as much as
possible. It wasn’t fair that Leo had to take allergy medicine all the time on account of her cats.
For the next twenty minutes she helped Dora get the café ready to open. At ten till eight, Birdie showed up. Via didn’t bother telling her about Leo’s upcoming visit. Dora would be more than eager to fill her in. Via headed for her office, Sir Meow at her heels.
Suddenly he meowed and dashed off. She turned to see the side door open and Leo walk into the café. Honestly, Sir could smell
that man a mile away.
He turned to face her, still wearing Earl’s sweatshirt, his face shining with perspiration. He held up his hands, looking
sheepish. “I locked myself out.”
Leo wasn’t used to keeping up with keys. His car, house, even his office had either keypad locks or sensory ones. A tap and
everything was locked or unlocked. Which was why when he went upstairs to take a quick shower before his meeting with Via,
he realized he’d left the key inside the apartment.
He couldn’t remember the last time he went out for a run. He swam at least five days a week in his pool at home to keep in
shape. But he’d woken up extra early this morning for some reason. Earl didn’t have internet or a computer, and his TV, like
his landline, was a relic. Leo hadn’t packed his laptop, so he took care of a few emails on his cell phone, then surprised
himself by setting his email to reroute to Robert before he finished reading all of them.
Something must have clicked with him last night during his talk with Via.
He didn’t want to deal with his job right now and that was unfamiliar to him.
He didn’t want to spend the next three hours sitting on Earl’s old couch knee-deep in clutter either, so after finding Earl’s closet filled with clothes he could wear, he got dressed and left.
The discovery was a boon. He’d planned to either overnight-order some clothes or find a suitable mall and purchase some, but now all he had to do was buy some extra boxers.
He drew the line at wearing his uncle’s old underwear.
He stood a few feet from the side door, sweaty from his run even though it was still chilly outside, and anxious about having
to admit his mistake to Via. He ran his hand through his damp hair and shrugged. “I forgot the key.”
“I’ve got an extra one.” Via motioned for him to follow her.
“Meow!” Sir trotted behind him.