Chapter Nine #2
He was glad he made the choice to stay. It was obvious that Luna and Miley were capable of taking care of themselves. But there was a certain amount of safety in numbers. And even as sexist as it sounded, a man’s presence deterred other men.
Nate felt his eyelids getting heavy. A steady clap of rain against the window was a perfect sleep meditation. The house creaked as old houses did. Even from the living room he heard the hum of the refrigerator. And footsteps.
He pulled the comforter up to his chin and shifted his hips to the side. The house was a little drafty and smelled faintly of gardenia.
Sleep started taking hold with one last thought for the night.
Mr. Venti.
Nate fell asleep with a smile.
Bright rays of sunshine pulled Nate out of his restless dreams.
That and the wiggling and purring of a cat attempting to get comfortable on his chest.
One eye opened and found two green eyes staring at him.
“Hello.”
Midnight looked directly into Nate’s soul.
“I thought you didn’t like guys,” Nate said.
In answer, Midnight rested her head on her paws and sighed.
Did cats sigh?
Crazy how an eight-pound domestic animal had the power to keep you from moving.
Even the slightest twitch felt like a disrespect to the feline that had just settled in with the full intention of falling asleep.
Only Nate had to pee.
He shifted his hips.
Midnight wrapped her tail around her body and nudged one of her ears onto a leg.
“I’m going to have to get up,” Nate whispered.
Midnight closed her eyes.
Nate lifted his torso a couple of inches.
Without opening an eye, Midnight struck one paw out as if saying, “Not right now you’re not.”
“Oh, boy.”
Nate didn’t know what would be crueler: letting the cat fall asleep and then moving her, or disturbing the peace now.
With careful precision, he slowly lifted Midnight up, using the blanket the cat lay on, and tried to slip out from under it.
The cat lifted its head but didn’t move.
“I have to do it, sweetie.”
The cat didn’t budge. She simply let Nate pick her up and set her back down once Nate moved away.
Sometime during the sleepless night, Nate had removed the T-shirt he’d gone to sleep in. Wearing any clothing at all wasn’t his bedtime choice. And since retrieving the shirt would have meant disturbing the cat again, he decided against it and moved through the house bare-chested.
After making use of the downstairs bathroom, Nate made his way to the kitchen.
Coffee.
He knew there had to be some somewhere considering coffee was what had acquainted him to Luna in the first place.
Nate considered himself a chef, not a barista. He’d leave that talent to someone else.
It didn’t take him long to find what he needed, and soon a pot was brewing next to the espresso machine.
He retrieved his phone from the charger that sat on the table beside his bed for the night.
Midnight was fast asleep exactly where Nate had left her.
Leaning against the kitchen counter, he scrolled through his news app to catch up on whatever had happened the previous day.
Halfway through his first cup of coffee, he heard one of the women in the house approach.
Luna walked into the kitchen already dressed in a pair of leggings and an oversize sweatshirt.
The second she caught sight of him, she stopped. Her eyes drifted down his chest.
“Oh,” she said.
He set his cup down. “Good morning.”
Luna kept staring. “Good . . . ah, you’re not wearing a shirt.”
Nate picked himself up off the stool he was perched on. “Your cat hijacked my . . .”
Luna brought her eyes up to meet his.
“Right. I’ll go put something on.”
She nodded. “That would be a good idea.”
He should probably feel embarrassed, but there was a rosy color that flushed Luna’s cheeks that made him smile after he walked past.
Then he heard her sigh once he was out of sight. And that made him smile even more.
Back in the living room, Midnight had vacated her spot and was nowhere to be seen.
Donning the loaner shirt, Nate returned to the kitchen.
“Better?” he asked.
Luna didn’t say yes or no. Instead, she asked, “How did you sleep?”
“Not bad,” he lied. “You?”
“Not at all. Once the rain let up an owl must have perched on the chimney from my bedroom fireplace. He didn’t stop hooting until the dawn. I think I managed three hours tops.” Luna held her coffee cup with two hands and spoke over the rim.
“Look on the bright side. Nobody tried to break in.”
She half laughed. Then moaned. “My car.”
“Sorry.”
She forced a smile. “It’s okay. Kempski is going to call, say they found the car and everything is fine.”
Nate narrowed his gaze.
“It’s my delusion, let me keep it for a while.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Nate pointed out.
Luna sipped her coffee. “What do you have planned for today?”
“I’m meeting my co-worker for . . .” He stopped and smiled when Luna caught on.
“I’m screwing up two of your days,” she said sheepishly.
“No worries.”
“The least I can do is send you off after a good breakfast,” she said as she pushed away from the counter.
“You don’t have to—”
“Yes, I do. I hope pancakes and eggs are okay.” She set her cup down and moved to the pantry.
“That would be great.”