Chapter 21 #2
Izzy looked up as they walked into the room, and Emma was glad to see that the cats weren’t in cages but were free to roam the room.
The kitten was sound asleep while the two younger cats stretched in a patch of sunlight that came through the window.
Izzy was perched on a carpeted cat stand, watching them.
As they came closer, she lifted her head and closed her eyes, inviting Emma to pat her and scratch lightly under her chin.
And then she hopped down and rubbed against Emma’s legs, weaving in and out.
Emma wanted to scoop her up and take her right home.
“I’d love to adopt Izzy, if possible.”
Melissa looked surprised and hesitated a moment before saying, “She’s six years old, you know?”
“I know. She’s the one I want.”
Melissa’s eyes grew damp, and she looked away before smiling and saying, “Bless you. She’s a doll, but we’ve had her for months now. Most people want to adopt the younger cats.”
“When can I take her home?” Izzy was still rubbing against her leg, and Emma bent down to talk to her. “I’ll be back for you soon,” said softly.
“I’ll process your application this morning and will call you as soon as I’m done. You might be able to swing by this afternoon to get her if all goes well.”
“Wonderful. Thank you.”
Emma was still smiling as she followed Paul back to his truck and climbed in.
“Well, that was easy,” he said. “She’s a beautiful cat. Do you want to come by for lunch? I was planning to make a pot of seafood chowder, and you can meet my cat, Brody?”
“Sure.”
It didn’t take long to reach Paul’s cottage.
It was small but neat, and Emma could see that it had everything he needed and was close to the restaurant.
When they walked in, Brody ambled out to the kitchen to greet them.
He was a big boy, vivid orange with white along his belly.
When Emma scratched him under his chin, he purred so loudly that it startled her, and Paul laughed.
“I tell him he sounds like a train. He’s enthusiastic, that one.
” Emma settled into one of the kitchen chairs, and Brody hopped into her lap.
They both watched as Paul got busy in the kitchen.
“Can I film some of this?” Emma asked as Paul added diced bacon and onion to a big stock pot and turned the heat up.
“Sure. I’ll let you know when it gets interesting.”
Emma shot a series of very short videos, documenting the various stages of the chowder making, from the initial sauce to adding the seafood, which was a mix of clams, scallops, shrimp, and lobster with a flour and butter roux to thicken the half-and-half.
Paul finished it with a swirl of heavy cream, more butter, sherry, and a sprinkle of fresh thyme.
He poured bowls for each of them, and they ate at the kitchen table.
“What do you think of adding this to the menu?” he asked when Emma was about half done.
She gave him a thumbs-up. “Everyone does clam chowder. This is better and fits the luxurious comfort food brand, if we decide to go for that.”
“Works for me. We’ll run it by the others.”
Emma looked around while she ate. The cottage was small but homey. “Have you lived here long?” she wondered aloud.
“As long as I’ve worked at Mimi’s Place. I moved in right after Patsy and I split. I should probably look into buying something bigger, but this is just so easy and convenient to the restaurant.”
Emma nodded. “I can understand that. Easy is good.”
Paul finished eating and set his spoon down. “Do you ever wonder what would have happened if we’d stayed together and gotten married?”
Emma shook her head sadly. “I wasn’t ready to get married that young.
I didn’t think you really were either.” Even though he’d said that he was.
They were in their senior year of high school, and Paul had wanted to get engaged before they went off to college.
But as much as she’d loved him then, and he had been her first love, it just didn’t feel right.
“I suppose you’re right. I think I always thought though that after college, you’d come back, and we’d pick up where we left off.”
“We didn’t really keep in touch though.” Paul hadn’t taken their breakup well and stopped talking to Emma at the time. She’d been upset at first, but then she’d moved on.
“You’re right. Still, I was surprised when I saw your engagement notice in the paper a month before you graduated from college. I knew it was truly over then.”
“I’m sorry, Paul. I had no idea. I fell in love with Peter. We married a few months after graduation and settled in Scottsdale.”
“I know. I met Patsy not too long after that.”
“And there hasn’t been anyone serious since?”
He shook his head. “No. I’ve dated here and there, but I’ve mostly focused on work. It’s hard with the hours. I’ve mostly dated other people in the restaurant business. What about you?”
Emma made a face. “Dating is honestly the last thing on my mind right now. I’m still trying to process what happened and how I could have been so blind.”
When Emma finished, Paul took her bowl and his and rinsed both in the kitchen sink.
“Thank you for lunch. That was a treat.”
He smiled. “Anytime.”
Emma’s phone buzzed with an unfamiliar number. “Hello?”
“Emma? This is Melissa from Safe Harbor. You’re all set to come and collect Izzy today if you like.”
“I’ll be right there.” She hung up and turned to Paul. “Do you mind swinging by the shelter on the way back to my place? Izzy’s ready.”
“Let’s go. We can stop by the pet store and grab a carrier for her too and whatever else you need.”
Emma picked out a pretty pink cat carrier and stocked up on wet and dry cat food, litter, and a litter box.
When they arrived at the shelter, she brought the carrier in.
It was the soft style that unzipped, and both Melissa and Emma were surprised when Izzy immediately hopped down from her perch, sniffed the carrier once, then strolled in, turned around, and flopped down, making herself at home immediately.
“Well, look at that. Usually they fight going into the carrier,” Melissa said.
Izzy looked up at both of them as if to say “Let’s get going already.”
Emma laughed. “She’s a smart one. She knows she’s going home.”
And ten minutes later, she said goodbye to Paul and welcomed Izzy to her new home.
Jill was sitting at the kitchen table typing away on her laptop and looked up in surprise when she saw Emma and Izzy. “Wow, you got one already!”
Emma set the carrier down in the middle of the kitchen floor and unzipped it. Izzy slowly made her way out and sniffed her way around the kitchen.
“Meet Isabella. Izzy for short. She’s six and seems very sweet.”
“She’s gorgeous,” Jill said as her phone rang, and she turned her attention back to work.
Emma set up Izzy’s food in a corner of the kitchen and the cat box in the mud room, out of the way.
She grabbed a magazine and went into the living room to curl up on the sofa.
A few minutes later, Izzy found her, after sniffing every corner of the room.
She jumped up on the sofa next to Emma and started giving herself a bath.
“Welcome home, Izzy.”