Chapter 25
Caleb was thankful he didn’t have to talk to anyone on his way to Cloud Nine. He was desperate to keep himself from crying in the middle of town, and his mind was full of fog. He doubted he could form a coherent sentence. He walked around to the back door of the shop to avoid anyone passing by.
As he reached for his keys, he saw a flash of white in the corner of his vision. When he turned, he saw the kitten he’d caught glimpses of before. He stayed still, hoping the kitten wouldn’t run. “Hello there.”
The kitten meowed loudly.
“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.” He crouched down and held out his hand. The little ball of fluff skittered back but didn’t run off.
He moved closer, and the kitten hissed. “It’s okay. I want you to come in with me so I can get you some food.”
The kitty watched him. He moved a little closer. It started to run, but Caleb managed to scoop it up. The kitten hissed and gave his finger a sharp bite, but he held on as he unlocked the door and got them inside.
He managed to wrap the kitten in his jacket and carry her—on closer inspection, he thought it was a girl—upstairs to his apartment. Once they were inside, he opened his fridge and began to consider what he could feed her.
He had some rotisserie chicken. That would do if he cut it into small pieces. He wasn’t sure how young she was. He didn’t think she still needed milk. Chicken would have to do for now. He would take her to a vet the next day and get her checked out.
Then, unless she had a chip or someone had inquired about a missing kitten, and he doubted that, since she’d been hanging around the alley for a few weeks, he could keep her.
He didn’t need anyone’s permission or agreement to have a cat.
This was his shop and his apartment; he could have a cat if he wanted.
Frostwick Harbor seemed like the kind of town that would be charmed by a coffee shop cat.
He cut up pieces of chicken while the kitten pushed against his hand, purring loudly and trying to get to the food before it was ready.
Once he moved the plate to give her better access, she started eating so fast he worried she’d choke.
She was thin, but not bony. He hoped she hadn’t gone too long without food.
He filled a small bowl with water and put it next to her. When she’d licked up every morsel of chicken, she drank for a long time.
She let him pick her up without protest then. He carried her to the couch, and she curled up in his lap.
“Would you like to stay here?” The kitten looked up at him and meowed. “Was that a yes?” He hoped so. “I’ll need to figure out a name for you.”
Curled up in his lap like that, the fluffy white kitten looked like a little marshmallow. “What about Mallow? How’s that for a name.”
She looked up and tilted her head to the side before meowing loudly, then started to make biscuits on his leg with her sharp little claws. She was so cute and just what he needed to keep him from spending the night crying over Rhys and watching depressing TV.
While he held Mallow, he looked up what to do for a makeshift litter box.
Shredded paper in a box lined with a trash bag seemed like his best bet.
He had shredded paper in the shop’s office, so he brought Mallow with him to retrieve it, then set the box up.
She scratched around in it but didn’t use it immediately.
He considered putting her and the box in the bathroom for the night, but he didn’t want to leave her alone, even though she’d been on her own in the alley.
She followed him to the bedroom and jumped on the bed with him. He’d just have to cross his fingers that she didn’t have an accident in the bed.
The next day, Caleb introduced Mallow to his employees and several of his customers. She wasn’t nearly as shy as he expected her to be, and the noise of the shop didn’t bother her at all. She was going to be the perfect coffee shop cat.
Fortunately, the vet declared her in good health. She wasn’t chipped, and no one had reported a missing kitten as far as he knew, so she was his. He really had a cat. The only thing that made the situation less than perfect was feeling like he couldn’t call Rhys and tell him.
He and Mallow were once again sitting on his couch in the evening when his phone buzzed. He looked down, hoping it was Rhys. It was Marianne. Need a friend?
Maybe.
Meet me at the back door in a few minutes.
He did, letting her in, then inviting her upstairs so no one would be watching through the windows. All he needed were more rumors. “My place is kind of a mess. I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “As a female goalie, I’ve often had to change in men’s locker rooms. I promise nothing is going to bother me.”
“Right. I guess not. I just took in a stray kitten. I hope that’s also okay.”
“Of course. I love kittens.”
“Good. Mallow is really sweet. She was living out back, and I finally managed to catch and take her in for a checkup.”
“Aww, she’s lucky to have you.”
Her compliment made Caleb smile. “Thanks.”
The kitten came running when they stepped into the apartment. “This is Mallow.”
“What a perfect name.” Marianne bent down to let the kitten sniff her hand and then scooped her up. “She’s so pretty.”
“Isn’t she? I know I’ll have hair everywhere, but I love all her fluff.”
“Me too.”
They moved to the couch, and Mallow climbed into Caleb’s lap to demand attention from him.
“I saw Agnes confront the two of you. Rhys looked panicked.”
Caleb nodded. “He was, but he got a lot worse when we ran into Mrs. Murphy, then Sylvia Rattray, and they both assumed we were a couple.”
“Oh no. I was hoping those were easy interactions, but he did look like he was about to pass out when you two left.”
“Do you notice everything?”
She shrugged. “I’m a goalie. It’s kind of what I do.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”
“What did Sylvia say?”
“Just that she was excited that we were working together and that I couldn’t have found a better man, but Rhys took it like she’d said she knew we were sleeping together.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. What did you do?”
“I tried to do most of the talking, but I think the more we protested, the more she, Agnes, and Mrs. Murphy knew they were right.”
Marianne raised her brows. “And they are right, aren’t they?”
“Yes, but please—”
“I’m not going to say anything, but you have to know a lot of people have been hoping you’d get together, and they were already going to assume more than you said, even if it wasn’t true.”
“I know. I figured that out last night.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Caleb wasn’t sure what he could say. Marianne was Rhys’s friend, and he wasn’t going to shit-talk Rhys in front of her.
He wasn’t really sure how fair that would be, anyway, because Rhys had good reason to be scared.
He just wished things were different. He loved Frostwick Harbor, and he wanted to be with Rhys. “I care about him. A lot.”
Marianne smiled. “That’s good.”
“Is it? I’m not sure he wants that.”
“I think he does, but he’s scared.”
Caleb scratched Mallow behind the ears, eliciting some purrs. “I don’t know what to do about that.”
“I think the only thing you can do is wait for him to figure out what he wants.”
“I can’t wait forever.” Mallow nudged him, wanting more attention.
“True, but it’s only been a few weeks, right?”
Caleb blew out a long breath. She was right. He felt like he’d known Rhys for much longer than he had. “I guess so. It’s just…”
“He’s intense.”
Caleb nodded.
“And you’re both very passionate about what you do. I’m sure that comes out when you’re working together.”
Caleb felt his cheeks heat. “We… um… yes.”
Marianne laughed. “I don’t need any details.”
“At least he finally admitted we were working together. I hated lying to everyone.”
Marianne nodded. “That was a big step. Rhys loves it here, but it’s hard for him to be scrutinized. He’d prefer to be perceived a lot less than he is. But he was willing to come here night after night and work with you, right?”
Caleb nodded. He supposed that was a big deal. “He wants us to take a break from working together.”
“Okay, but he also needs to win, so that won’t last long.”
Caleb smiled, thinking about Rhys showing up in the middle of the night in a rainstorm because he’d decided the only way he could win the contest was by working with Caleb. “He really does want to win. Is he always that competitive?”
“He is when it has to do with something he’s really interested in or something that matters to him.”
“Like coffee.”
“Yes, like coffee.”
“Should I just wait him out, or does he need a push?”
Marianne tilted her head as she considered the questions. “Give him a few days, then nudge him. Not too hard, but enough. He’s crazy about you. It’s so easy to see it if you know him. He’s not going to want to go too long without seeing you.”