Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 106173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
“Wow. That’s . . . impressive? She must have had a moment of real clarity.”
I nod. “Either that or she got lucky? I guess she’d been asking about Prince Francis and when someone was bringing him to her. I told her I’d arranged for a visit. It’s possible it got stuck in her head and she ended up here. After this, I doubt they’ll let her keep him at the home. I worry that she’d lose him, or forget to feed him, or go in the opposite direction and overfeed him.” I run a hand through my hair. “Maybe I should take him back to my place. I’m not sure how Wilfred would feel about having a cat in the house, but I don’t see a lot of other options.”
“I could take him. He could live with me.” As if he knows we’re talking about him, Prince Francis jumps up on the back of the couch, headbutts me in the cheek, then continues on, putting his butt right in my face as he rubs his cheek against Kitty’s. He then sniffs her drink and hops down to perch on the arm of the couch.
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering. I see how much your mother loves Prince Francis, and if he lives with me, we can arrange for regular visits. He travels well in a car, and I’d be happy to take him.” She reaches behind her and scratches his head. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a cat in the house, and he’d be the perfect addition to my family. And if things change and your mother ends up being able to take care of a cat, we can transition him back to her.”
“Would you be okay with that? Keeping him temporarily?”
“We used to foster cats all the time when I was a kid. Smokey was our full-time kitty, but we would keep other cats for a few weeks at a time. We even had a few that stayed with us for close to six months.”
“Wasn’t it hard to let them go?” I can’t imagine giving up Wilfred. Although with everything going on with my mother and my work schedule, it’s been tough. Joe and Mark have been great about taking care of him while I’m dealing with this.
Kitty lifts a shoulder and lets it fall. “Sometimes. But we knew they were going to good homes, with humans who would love them and take care of them, so it helped ease the sting.”
“Why did you stop fostering?” I ask.
Kitty takes a long sip of her drink. “Smokey was my dad’s cat, always sat on his lap when he was watching TV. Basically followed him around like a puppy. He’d even go for walks with my dad. He ran away a few months after my dad passed and I just couldn’t fathom getting a new cat. It was too hard. My heart couldn’t take any more bruises. We were struggling to keep our heads above water as a family. So we put fostering on pause and never really took it off. Until now.” She gives me a small smile.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay with that? Should you talk to your family first?”
“My mom has mentioned getting another pet, but I’ve often been the one to shoot down the idea. I’ll run it by her first, but I think both she and Hattie will be on board. Although I have a feeling Hattie will be out of the house as soon as she graduates from college.”
“Why do you say that?” I met her sister at the pub the other night, but I didn’t get a chance to really talk to her.
“She’s ready to move on with her life.” Kitty props her cheek on her fist. “Our house is a lot like your brother’s room.”
“How do you mean?”
“Nothing has changed since my dad passed away ten years ago. Everything is the same, from the paint on the walls to the furniture in the living room. The only space that’s shifted is Hattie’s room. It’s grown and changed with her.” Kitty’s lip slides between her teeth. “My mom still sets a place for my dad at the table.”
My heart clenches, and I set my mostly empty glass on the coffee table so I can take Kitty’s hand in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Is that okay for you?”
Kitty sighs and looks up to the ceiling. “At first it was one of those things my mom did out of habit, and we’ve all accepted it as normal, I guess.”
“Just like my mom never changed Toby’s room.”
Kitty nods. “I think in a lot of ways the situation with your mom mirrors my own. I’m starting to see that by not doing anything to really change the way we do things, I’m helping keep things . . . stuck. If I give in to change, I’m letting go, and I’ve had a hard time doing that.”