Chapter 6
The weekend and most of the week after it went by without fanfare.
Texts about the Maine Coon with The Nine and daily library duties kept Cali’s mind occupied.
But by Thursday’s drive into work, her nerves were stricken both with how dangerously close time was creeping toward the library board meeting and with how she’d likely see Ethan again tonight after Book Club.
She fumbled with her keys, skirt swishing in the fresh autumn air as she walked around to the back of the library.
She couldn’t bring herself to enter through the front doors anymore, couldn’t give Ethan the satisfaction of seeing her.
If she ever let down her guard again like she had last Friday at Minka’s, she didn’t know what would happen.
Or maybe she knew exactly what would happen: He’d hold her gaze just like he had across the diner table, plush lips parted, and eyes intense, and she’d lose all of her words, all her precious wit, just for the chance he’d press those lips against hers.
It was too big a risk. Innocent waves across the street and peeks out the window would be like water torture, slowly breaking down her resolve.
So she kept her focus on the cats and work and nothing else.
He must’ve picked up on the change in the air, because he didn’t surprise her with his presence again. Or maybe he realized, too, that all this could be was temporary and he didn’t want to press it if it didn’t come easily.
After feeding the strays in the back and taking inventory of the morning’s schedules, Cali made her way to the front door and was distracted by a loud thud among the stacks.
She froze. It turned quiet, but that sound was enough for concern.
She grabbed the closest weapon she could find—a stapler—and tip-toed to where she thought she’d heard it.
In the Occult section, right under Signs, Omens & Familiars was the Maine Coon kitten, cuddled against the books. One of its legs dangled over the shelf’s edge. Several hardcovers had spilled onto the floor beneath it.
“How on earth did you get in here?” she whispered.
The cat slow-blinked its eyes at her, unfussed, as if it owned the place.
She tip-toed back to her purse, grabbed some cat treats from inside, and made a trail from the shelf to a cardboard cat carrier she kept in her office in case one of the strays ever had an emergency.
A few sniffs in the air and the kitten leapt down and devoured the trail behind her. It was almost too easy.
When it was secured in the carrier, she grabbed her phone and took a photo of a little pink nose peeking through one of the holes. Then she texted The Nine. Guess who finally showed up at the library?! Mission: Maine Coon—accomplished!
While texts of congratulations and where and how she found it flooded her screen, Cali noticed an alert appear. A new number added to the chat. Leo’s text came next: Cali caught it, man!
That was when she realized, Shit. That must be Ethan’s number.
Another message to the group, from the new number, appeared immediately: Cute. So is it a he or a she?
Cali’s face soured. She could ignore it, but now that he’d asked, she was sure the rest of them would want to know. If she replied, Ethan would know it was her number. How quickly avoidance had turned into him being involved again. She reminded herself to punch Leo in the arm next time she saw him.
A girl, obviously, Cali texted back. Of course she didn’t know for sure. There was all that fluffy fur hiding things, and she didn’t dare let it escape again just to check. But she wasn’t going to give Ethan the satisfaction of raining on her parade in a group chat either.
I wanna pet the floof tonight! Minka replied. Several of the others agreed. But then an argument ensued over whether or not that many cuddles would be too overwhelming for the stray.
Fortunately, no one mentioned handing the cat over to Ethan. And neither did he. The matter seemed to be settled. They’d all made efforts to find it, and Cali was clearly the one who finally did. Or rather, it had chosen her.
She skated through the rest of the day on a cloud, checking in frequently on the kitten and giving it as much paté as its heart desired—which was a lot.
Even the heavy drilling noises from the excavation couldn’t dampen her mood today.
By the time the book club was in attendance, it was all they could talk about.
Minka brought cookies to celebrate. Lynne brought some beer from her pub.
Mrs. Ellery even suggested they postpone the scheduled book discussion for the following week.
With no sight or knock from Ethan by half-past eight, Cali felt her body finally relax.
The cat—and the help in finding it—was really all he’d wanted after all.
Now that it was hers, he had no reason to come to Nine Lives.
No reason to note her daily routine. No reason to, intentional or not, stand shirtless in view of her office window ever again.
But all her hopes were dashed the next minute, when Leo announced Ethan had been hanging around outside for the past ten minutes. He sprinted toward the doors as Freya said, “I guess we were so busy celebrating we didn’t hear him.”
Ethan followed behind Leo. He wore yet another gray shirt, light and heathered this time, with a V-neck.
Cali would have to ask him about all that gray someday.
It clung to his deltoids and pecks as he walked, and Cali felt the world tilt toward him for a moment.
Heat curled low in her belly, every nerve in her suddenly awake and humming.
“I do have one topic I want to discuss with you all, now that Ethan’s here,” Mrs. Ellery said. She stretched a hand in his direction lovingly, like a grandmother might. “You’re part of this group now, too, Ethan. Before you came, The Nine—as we like to call ourselves—only totaled eight.”
Cali hadn’t thought of that before. But even as that comforting realization sank in, a little voice reminded her Ethan wouldn’t be around forever.
Mrs. Ellery continued. “Since we’ve saved our first stray as a team, I think it’s high time we put our heads together to do more.
What would you say to a fundraiser? Or a gala—for the Autumn Ridge strays?
” She turned to Cali. “That way you won’t have to feed them out of your own pocket for a while.
You can focus on feeding the Maine Coon instead. ”
“What if we used it for food, litter, and vet bills for the fosters, just like a shelter would?” Lynne suggested.
“That’s brilliant,” said Leo.
“You gotta admit, it’s a tempting idea,” Freya admitted. Cali could almost see the wheels turning in the florist’s head. Location. Invites. Floral displays, naturally. Minka and Lynne agreed. They could each find some way to contribute.
“I don’t own a business,” Leo said. “But I could check with the guys at the fire station. I’m sure they’d agree to auction off dates or calendars or something of value.”
“Ooh,” Lynne said, almost too eagerly. “I like the sound of that!”
“Then it’s settled,” Mrs. Ellery said. “And with that in mind, I’ve already reserved the ballroom at The Old Ridge Inn for the first Saturday in October. My sister, rest her soul, was best friends with the owner, Rosita.”
Cali stammered out a “What?” in disbelief.
“Which part, my dear?”
“All of it!” said Leo. The Nine nodded their heads in agreement. It was one thing to discuss expanding their efforts and another to do it within a few weeks.
She shrugged. “Well, I figured you’d say yes anyway.
No deposit needed because of my sister. Rosita said consider it her donation instead.
This should give us plenty of time to advertise and invite people, maybe even some of your connections from Eastmoor.
” She waved a hand at Cali. “But otherwise, why not? Banned Books Week will be over, if Cali secures it. Fall colors, crisp nights. Perfect for a formal event. Why, even the fall festival will be wrapping up! We’ll have everyone’s attention—and maybe all their money with it. ”
“I’m still in if Leo gets the firefighters to auction off dates,” said Lynne. “I’ll cater the drinks.”
Leo smiled until his dimples threatened to cut through his cheeks.
“Then it’s settled. We’ll make a list of everything that needs to be done and divide and conquer.”
“For the cats,” added Bastet, raising her beer.
“For the cats!” exclaimed everybody.
Cali shot a shy glance at Ethan, only to find his eyes were already on her.
“I really need to discuss a small matter, too,” Cali added, “about the cat sitting in my office. I need some ideas. I called the vet today, and they can’t get it in for a check-up until next month …
unless I come tomorrow at 3:30 p.m., during library hours.
It’s just that one of the staff already called out for tomorrow, so I—”
“I’ll take her,” Ethan said without hesitation.
She glared at him. “Don’t you have beams to measure?” Then she realized her tone and cleared her throat. “Sorry. I’m just a little frustrated. I’ll call the vet and beg for a Saturday slot.”
He shrugged off the thought of it. “I get cut early this Friday. It’s cool. I have all afternoon to be with her.”
Another worry crept into Cali’s brain. Is this him trying to get close to my cat again?
“I know he’s the newest member, dear,” Mrs. Ellery started, “but let him earn his stripes.”
Minka smirked. “Yeah, Cali. Are you scared he’ll do it better than you?”
“Of course not.” Cali shot her a look that screamed Chaos goblin!
“Ethan knows what he’s doing. He’s already a cat dad,” Leo insisted. “Met Catsby last weekend during the game. She’s one cool kitty. I’ll probably introduce her to Fred some time.”
Lynne groaned. “Not unless you want The Great Catsby to turn into the The Great Litter. Fred’s a tom. You need to get that cat neutered, Leo.”
The subject turned to Leo’s cat, and opinions flew again. This could not be any further from the kind of help Cali wanted. “Fine,” she interrupted them. “But if she comes back missing fur, I’m holding you all responsible.”
When she glanced across at Ethan this time, he was leaning back in his chair, eyes intense and wide, wicked grin on his face.