Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 131459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Clay went right to his girl where she lay on her side. He bent over her and petted her with such tenderness, Tom instantly felt there was all the hope there could be for this world.
Cadence was running inventory.
“Boy, girl, boy, girl, girl,” she decreed.
His ginger was a boy.
“We need a cat here in A-Z, Mom,” she decided. “Or two.”
“We have three at home, and Ruffles,” Mika returned.
“Ruffles?” Priscilla asked, having carefully picked up one of the girls, she was snuggling her.
“Cadence’s guinea pig,” Mika answered, claiming the boy.
“I’d fly them all out here with us,” Cadence declared, petting the last girl, then explained to the Davises, “We live in New York most the time.” She returned to her original topic. “But Mom says it’s too traumatic for them.”
“They’re at home with Teddy and their routines, their favorite places, their toys, their litter boxes. Cats and guinea pigs don’t understand the concept of air travel and they don’t like change.”
“Says you,” Cadence returned.
“Says Moon, Ringo and Grohl,” Mika shot back. “Seeing as they peed all over the house when we tried bringing them with us, and Ringo threw up every day.”
“It was kind of a scene,” Cadence admitted in a whisper to Clay.
Clay grinned.
“And we don’t have a Teddy for the house out here,” Mika kept at her girl.
“We can watch them when you’re in New York,” Clay offered.
Brayton looked to the ceiling.
Tom was the one grinning now.
“Nala will wanna visit with her brother and sisters anyway,” Clay went on.
“Lord, baby, he’s already named her,” Priscilla whispered to Brayton, half worried, half looking like she wanted to laugh.
Brayton didn’t look like he wanted to laugh.
He looked proud of a son who gave a shit about creatures weaker than himself and in need of love and kindness.
As he should.
“Then you’ll have to bring her over to my place, because the others will be with me,” Tom shared.
Everyone looked at him, but it was Mika who spoke.
Cautiously.
“Four cats, Tom?”
He stroked the ginger who was lying contentedly on the edge of the table, leaning against his hip. “I have a big house. I live in it alone. I have kids who live close, or close enough, who are grown, but they love animals. Plenty of room. Plenty of attention.”
He looked down at the treatment table.
His boy was the only ginger, and he had little white footies.
There was also a ginger and black tiger, a gray, white and black tiger and a buff gray. And Clay’s girl was a buff-gray and black tiger.
He suspected superfecundation.
It didn’t matter how many fathers, there was no mother, and these babies needed homes.
Though, he figured Chloe would make off with one, Matt would claim another, and Sasha would want her own. But until she stopped crashing at one of her parents’ homes and started to grow up and take responsibility for herself and her life, she wasn’t going to get one.
No one, though, was taking his ginger.
“I don’t see why not,” he finished.
When he looked up, he saw Cadence beaming at him, but even though it was she who asked the question, Mika was giving her attention to her cat, her hair having fallen, hiding her face from him.
“We should probably let these guys rest and recoup,” Brayton suggested.
“And we should go out to brunch and pick names and stuff,” Cadence added.
“Brunch with Tom Pierce and Mika Stowe?” Priscilla breathed, her eyes growing wide.
“I’m in,” Tom said.
“Wow.” Priscilla was still breathy.
“My treat,” Brayton put in.
Not a chance.
“We’ll talk about that at brunch,” Tom replied.
“Oh my God, we haven’t even picked a place, we’ve barely even agreed to all go, and the menfolk are already marking territory,” Cadence lamented.
Mika chuckled.
“Dad always buys,” Clay said authoritatively. “Even with Granddad and Grandpops. They get into huge fights about it. Still, even if he has to be sneaky and they get all mad, Dad buys.”
“We’ll talk about it at brunch,” Tom repeated.
“Over Easy?” Priscilla suggested.
“We should go to Jewel’s!” Cadence said excitedly.
“That’s not very close, honey,” Mika replied to her daughter.
“So? It’s Saturday and Jewel’s is the best,” Cadence returned.
“These fine people might have other things to do with their day,” Mika explained.
Cadence turned to Tom and the Davises. “Do you?”
“Something more important than having brunch with the best tennis player of his generation and a world-famous artist and her daughter?” Priscilla asked back but answered before Cadence could say anything. “No.”
“Then Jewel’s it is,” Cadence decreed.
Brayton sent him an “You okay with this?” look.
Tom nodded and returned the questioning look.
Brayton nodded too.
Thus, the cats got their farewell-for-now cuddles, they left the treatment room, Tom left his contact details with the receptionist, they all climbed in their cars, and they went to Jewel’s.
CHAPTER 7
THE SECOND CHANCE
Mika
“Mo—”
“Zzst!”
“Mom!”
“Zzst!”
“Stop ‘zzsting’ me, and lis—”
“Zzst!”
“But he rescued kitties!”
We were driving back from brunch, and Cadence had dropped all pretense.