then?"
"I don't know. I'll at least be giving it a trial run as long as I'm here. I can't say in the long term."
"Oh sure, sure. I understand." He leans in closer, his eyes darting down to her breasts as he does, and they linger there before returning to her face. "If there's anything at all I can do to help you or make you feel more comfortable here, please don't hesitate to call me." He offers her his card. "I'm available any time, day or night."
He dawdles too long before he lets go of the business card, which she places in the back pocket of her nicely filled-out jeans, and his voice takes on a low, intimate tone. Enough of that.
I have his ankle before he has time to fend it off, and I get in a good chomp through his thin dress sock. He bursts out with, "Damn that cat," as he looks down. Cassie looks down, too.
"Bad Tom!" Cassie blurts out before he shakes me off forcefully and sends me sliding across the fresh-waxed floor.
She runs after me and grabs me up to the bosom Kevin has no business admiring. She strokes me soothingly as she turns back to him, "You didn't have to be so harsh. He's just a kitten!"
Kevin doesn't quite have himself back under control yet. "Oh yes,
just
a kitten." He looks switchblades at me. "He started it." He lifts his pant leg and shoves his sock around his ankle to reveal four small drops of blood oozing from the bite. "Got a good one in, too." His public face takes over again before he says, "But I'm sorry I reacted so strongly."
Cassie's anger recedes as her natural concern for others kicks in. "I had no idea. Sorry I yelled. He can be a little pest. I'm sorry he hurt you, but you have to admit he's adorable."
"Oh yes, adorable," he says, but his expression is predatory. I've been a cat for a long time, a predator myself. I've known what he is since I flew across the table to break that glass. I'll be keeping two watchful eyes on him for Cassie's sake.
Cassie has been a blubbering mess since she got up this morning. When Gilly appears in the doorway of the back parlor that leads to the shop, her face overflowing with loving concern, I'm more than glad she's here. Cat is fascinated by the swirling fabric of her flowing black skirt, but I use all the focus I have left to keep him from going after it. I bound onto the couch and coil into a ball to keep myself under control. She tells Cassie, "The sign is up on the door to come around to the back now, and I've shut and locked the door into the shop. The last thing you need is Giles' less refined residents making off with your stock in Eunice's memory."
Cassie thanks her as she loads one of Eunice's silver trays with a selection of finger foods and then places it back in the fridge. "I'm ready, I guess. As ready as I can be."
She looks sophisticated with her hair tucked up into a neat bun, and she's attired elegantly in a simple black dress. How is it that I never noticed how pretty she is? Eunice was strikingly beautiful when she was young, and Cassie doesn't have a patch on that, but there's something about Cassie that is definitely her own. I see it now. I don't know why I haven't before.
"Come on then, let's go say goodbye, pet. I know it's overwhelming right at the moment, but a good funeral does a lot to get the healing started." Gillian hands Cassie the small black purse that matches her funeral attire and takes her arm. I like seeing them together like this. Cassie got the wrong grandmother.
They're on their way then, but Cassie stops, comes back, and gives me a quick scratch behind the ears just before they head out the back door. "Tom, you be a good boy while I'm gone." Gilly's back stiffens just the slightest at my name. She turns to stare at me, then shakes her head and rolls her eyes, smiling quietly to herself.
Phew! If Cassie had put those words in a slightly different order, things would have gotten freaky fast. There'd be more than a quizzical look and the shaking off of what Gilly must believe is a silly thought. I
"I don't know. I'll at least be giving it a trial run as long as I'm here. I can't say in the long term."
"Oh sure, sure. I understand." He leans in closer, his eyes darting down to her breasts as he does, and they linger there before returning to her face. "If there's anything at all I can do to help you or make you feel more comfortable here, please don't hesitate to call me." He offers her his card. "I'm available any time, day or night."
He dawdles too long before he lets go of the business card, which she places in the back pocket of her nicely filled-out jeans, and his voice takes on a low, intimate tone. Enough of that.
I have his ankle before he has time to fend it off, and I get in a good chomp through his thin dress sock. He bursts out with, "Damn that cat," as he looks down. Cassie looks down, too.
"Bad Tom!" Cassie blurts out before he shakes me off forcefully and sends me sliding across the fresh-waxed floor.
She runs after me and grabs me up to the bosom Kevin has no business admiring. She strokes me soothingly as she turns back to him, "You didn't have to be so harsh. He's just a kitten!"
Kevin doesn't quite have himself back under control yet. "Oh yes,
just
a kitten." He looks switchblades at me. "He started it." He lifts his pant leg and shoves his sock around his ankle to reveal four small drops of blood oozing from the bite. "Got a good one in, too." His public face takes over again before he says, "But I'm sorry I reacted so strongly."
Cassie's anger recedes as her natural concern for others kicks in. "I had no idea. Sorry I yelled. He can be a little pest. I'm sorry he hurt you, but you have to admit he's adorable."
"Oh yes, adorable," he says, but his expression is predatory. I've been a cat for a long time, a predator myself. I've known what he is since I flew across the table to break that glass. I'll be keeping two watchful eyes on him for Cassie's sake.
Cassie has been a blubbering mess since she got up this morning. When Gilly appears in the doorway of the back parlor that leads to the shop, her face overflowing with loving concern, I'm more than glad she's here. Cat is fascinated by the swirling fabric of her flowing black skirt, but I use all the focus I have left to keep him from going after it. I bound onto the couch and coil into a ball to keep myself under control. She tells Cassie, "The sign is up on the door to come around to the back now, and I've shut and locked the door into the shop. The last thing you need is Giles' less refined residents making off with your stock in Eunice's memory."
Cassie thanks her as she loads one of Eunice's silver trays with a selection of finger foods and then places it back in the fridge. "I'm ready, I guess. As ready as I can be."
She looks sophisticated with her hair tucked up into a neat bun, and she's attired elegantly in a simple black dress. How is it that I never noticed how pretty she is? Eunice was strikingly beautiful when she was young, and Cassie doesn't have a patch on that, but there's something about Cassie that is definitely her own. I see it now. I don't know why I haven't before.
"Come on then, let's go say goodbye, pet. I know it's overwhelming right at the moment, but a good funeral does a lot to get the healing started." Gillian hands Cassie the small black purse that matches her funeral attire and takes her arm. I like seeing them together like this. Cassie got the wrong grandmother.
They're on their way then, but Cassie stops, comes back, and gives me a quick scratch behind the ears just before they head out the back door. "Tom, you be a good boy while I'm gone." Gilly's back stiffens just the slightest at my name. She turns to stare at me, then shakes her head and rolls her eyes, smiling quietly to herself.
Phew! If Cassie had put those words in a slightly different order, things would have gotten freaky fast. There'd be more than a quizzical look and the shaking off of what Gilly must believe is a silly thought. I
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