24. He bought my cat a bed
Twenty-Four
HE BOUGHT MY CAT A BED
Liv
Viv and I arrive at the local winery with our charcuterie board in hand from a shop on Main Street called All Things Charcuterie. We each order a flight of various white wines and rosé and find a pair of chairs overlooking the sprawling hills of grapevines.
“This place is gorgeous!” Viv says looking out across the scenery.
“Hard to believe anyone would think Maple Cove doesn’t have enough to offer. I mean, look at this view.” I slip my sunglasses on and lean back in my chair, grabbing the first taster of wine.
“Not to mention, I can’t imagine every town up here offering an entire shop dedicated to adult Lunchables.” Viv pops a glazed almond into her mouth.
“Luke was saying the other day that Claire is going to advertise in Bean & Brew for the bed-and-breakfast—which explains why she shared the idea of coming here with you. But that got me thinking. I talked to Holly about setting up social media for the bed-and-breakfast as well. They have nothing, did you know that? Like, zero online presence. How wild is that?”
“Kind of shocking in this day and age.” Viv smears fig jam on a slice of cheese and puts the whole thing in her mouth.
“No kidding. She’s excited to learn more and wants to sit down with us to go over how she should launch. I was thinking, though—we have a pretty strong social media following with Liv + Viv. What if we shared our photos from our trip here and see if we can generate some buzz around Maple Cove?”
Viv stops chewing and squints at me, staring for a beat. She hums a sound of agreement, picks up the miniature stemmed glass of white wine, and leans back in her chair. I take that as my cue to continue.
“We can use the photos we’ve been taking, touch them up so they look aesthetically pleasing, and then try to be more conscious about what we photograph from here on out so it’s more purposeful but still feels like a real, in-the-moment snapshot.
I’m thinking, focused carousels on various places—this winery, for example, might actually be better for a reel but—”
“Hang on. What’s happening right now? Why are you all in on this?” Viv twirls her pointer finger at me, eyeing me skeptically. Her question catches me off guard.
What is happening here?
The people, the atmosphere, the businesses, they all deserve a chance to thrive and if we can help with that, why wouldn’t we?
Right? That’s all this is. I want this place to stand out from the crowd.
And yet… there's something about this town that makes me feel invested in its success. It matters to me, though I can’t place my finger on why.
I’m not sure I’m prepared to look that deeply into it right now—or ever.
“It’s a nice thing to do. This town, with its cobblestone streets, potted-plant-lined sidewalks, and shops or restaurants on every corner, has plenty for people to enjoy—at the very least for a long weekend.
It just needs more visibility, and we can give that for free.
I’m aiming for good karma and all that,” I say, hoping my tone masks the truth, that I’m growing to love it here.
To hide further, I lift my glass back to my mouth.
“Gotcha.” Viv watches me, nodding slightly.
Before long she hums again and looks out over the winery.
“It is a town worth putting back on the map. The people are great, and I can’t imagine anyone not being happy visiting here.
So, yeah, we can do that, but this isn’t a work trip!
This will not consume our time. Got it?”
I nod, my heart soaring. I can’t help the smile tugging at my lips and squeak out a small, “Got it!”
“So, you figured out his name was Jim?” I grab the rosé we purchased from the vineyard and close the door to the Uber behind Viv.
“Not exactly. I’ve tried a few names, believe it or not, but each one is wrong!”
“Wait, I’m confused. What do you mean you’ve tried a few names?”
“Well, I called him John at first, and he got mad—so I assume that isn’t his name.
I told him I was role-playing, which he seemed to like.
And so I’ve just been trying different J names since then.
I guess I’m hoping one of these days he makes a comment that I’ve used his real name.
” She shrugs as if this is all totally fine and normal.
“And if that never happens?” I stop inside the door at the Huffman House as it closes softly behind us.
She shrugs again. “I’m in uncharted territory here, so, TBD, I guess. Good thing this guy isn’t anything serious.”
“Yeah, he just lives in your building, and you’ll have to see him most likely daily for the foreseeable future—nothing awkward about that.”
“Shit, that’s true.”
Holly stands behind the desk, catching the last of the conversation. A smile plays on her lips, but she busies herself as if she wasn’t listening.
I’m unsurprised to see Sunny sitting on a small table next to the checkout counter. What I am surprised to see is the small cat bed he’s occupying.
Catching my gaze, Holly pipes up. “Luke went to the store today to grab our mom some groceries. The grocery store is next to the pet store, so he bought this bed for Sunny. He swears it was Piper’s idea, but I don’t believe him because she’s only three.”
We learned the other night that Luke watches his niece Piper sometimes during the day so his sister Zoe can get some work done. Hunter, Zoe’s twin, helped when Piper was a newborn, but he took off for the west coast, so Luke helps out now.
“Everyone seems to love your cat. The little old couple, who spend like weeks and weeks here each summer, picked up cat treats for him too. I snapped a picture of Sunny for our future Instagram page since he’s like a tiny celebrity around here.
I’d love to post it when it’s set up—only if that’s okay with you.
He is your cat after all.” She pulls out her phone and shows me a picture of Sunny curled up in his new cat bed.
“Sunny would be honored!” I smile and make my way around the counter to give the enormous orange cat a head bump, pressing my forehead to his.
I call them head bumps, but really, it’s just cat language for “I love you.” He purrs, then fluffs his cat bed with his oversized paws.
“Also, we should set aside some time to get that up and running and talk social media strategy.”
Holly nods with so much enthusiasm I can’t help but smile.
“Oh, here. Luke left this for you. He said it’s from Fran—you know, the lady over at Beach Babes?” Holly hands me a book with a yellow sticky note on it with Fran’s number and a note to text her when I’m ready to trade.
I wish I understood Luke’s mixed signals.
One minute he’s pushing me away like I’m some sort of live wire.
The next, he’s got me pinned against a counter looking like he might kiss me in the middle of the great room.
Now he bought my cat a bed, for goodness’ sake. What am I supposed to make of this?
“Meet back here to catch the Uber to dinner in an hour and a half?” Viv asks, interrupting my chaotic thoughts.
“Yeah, sounds good.” My voice sounds distant, my thoughts scrambled.
I wish I could just understand what was going on in Luke’s mind.
We return to the B&B close to nine. I scoop Sunny up from his bed on my way past the desk and nearly step on the manila envelope lying on the floor just inside the doorway to my room. It’s from Jerry—according to the address label—the PI I contacted weeks ago.
This arrived for you while you were out.
-Holly
Heart racing, I slip my finger inside the flap of the envelope and rip it open.