The Apartment: The Complete Affair by Amanda Black

dumped at the animal shelter where Lily had worked while attending school at the University of Minnesota. There had been six kittens in total, all malnourished, and Wembley and Boober were the frailest of the group, which meant that nobody wanted them. Nobody but Lily. She couldn’t stand leaving them there every night when she went home, so one day they came home with her.
    Her roommates were a bit cross with her at first, but after watching her try to nurse them back to health, they couldn’t resist the adorable kittens. Before long, her roommates were all doing their part to sneak them some extra scraps, hoping to fatten them up—and fatten up they did.
    Lily walked into the kitchen and filled their food dishes, jumping out of the way before they knocked her over. She took a package of ground beef out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator to thaw, planning to make a simple meatloaf when she got home later that night. Pouring herself a bowl of cereal, she sat down at the small table and began to eat, trying her hardest to keep the memories from coming back.
    After a few minutes, some loud thumping came from upstairs, quickly followed by the awkward thump and drag of George limping down the stairs with his cane. He had recovered enough to return to work, but some cold mornings still left him feeling a little stiff. Distracted by the loud thumping, Wembley and Boober turned away from their now-empty bowls and tore off back up the steps, looking forward to a long day of sleeping on Lily’s warm bed.
    “Goddammit, Boober!” George yelled as the hefty tabby ran over his foot, causing him to stumble down the last two steps. “Swear to Christ I’m gonna string them up by their tails one day,” he grumbled to himself as he joined Lily in the kitchen.
    “No you won’t,” Lily muttered, her mouth full of cereal. “Or else I’ll string
you
up,” she finished after she swallowed her bite. “Besides, you love those cats. Admit it.”
    George sat down next to her and looked her in the eye with his most deadpan expression before smiling at her, causing his 70s porn stache to curl up at the corners. “Yeah, they’re alright,” he replied, wondering if Lily knew just how much they cuddled on his lap whenever she was gone. “So, half-day today?”
    “Uh… no, actually,” she lied quickly. “They changed a few things around on the schedule. I might end up being there a full day, and then the gym. I’ll have to see how it goes.” Changing the subject quickly, she added, “I’m gonna make meatloaf when I get home.”
    Her father looked at her, and Lily felt as if he could see the lie on her face, but he simply shrugged. “Okay, whatever. I’m at work until after five tonight anyway.”
    Sighing with relief, Lily stood up and kissed him on the head. “I should get going. See you later, Dad.” She threw on her coat and grabbed her repacked gym bag, closing the door behind her as she left. On the drive to work she wondered why she had lied so considerably about her schedule. By the time she had pulled into the parking lot, she had convinced herself that it was simply to allow her more time to get her jacket back—just in case Mrs. Knight wanted to talk again, she wouldn’t feel so rushed.
    It was the typical morning in the office: Pap smear, Pap smear, pregnancy test, ultrasound, Pap smear. Lily assisted where she was needed and answered calls from concerned patients. At one point, she and Becky shared a laugh over how obvious the flirting had become between Jason and Natalie, who seemed blind to the fact that people had noticed their little games of grab-ass.
    Before long it was noon, and Lily’s shift was over. “Let’s get this over with,” she said to herself as she headed to her car. When she pulled up to her usual parking spot outside the gym, she was disappointed to see a CLOSED sign on the door of the dance studio. She got out and took a closer look, groaning when she saw that Mrs. Knight would