Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 55769 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55769 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
“We’re going to be at the cabin soon,” she promised.
He didn’t know what that meant either, and she still did not free him from his unearned incarceration, so he told her exactly how he felt about that.
“Meow. Meow. Meowmeowmeow. Meow!”
“He hates his carrier,” she told Vance, who was where Boo should be. Everyone knew when they were in the moving machine, Boo sat in the lap of the person at the wheel.
How was he supposed to help if he was stuck in confinement in the back?
“I don’t know how he’s gonna react to you being with us, and you’re not a hundred percent, Princess. I don’t want him jumping on you.”
Boo didn’t understand that either, but he knew it didn’t bode well, so he aimed his next, “Meow!” at Vance.
“We’re gonna be there, half an hour, tops,” Vance assured.
Even if he didn’t know what he was saying, he still read the tone, and Boo was far from assured.
“Meow!” Boo put in.
Jules turned to look at him, and said in his most favoritist voice, “Love you, baby. Missed you so much.”
Ugh.
Whatever.
Might as well use this time for some obsessive grooming so he could get a good hairball worked up and hurl it out as their punishment.
So he set about doing that.
They were back in the wilds, a domicile Boo approved of.
He liked the smell. He liked sitting in the window and lording over all the critters outside who were too foolish to know how to bend humans to their will so they gave in to your (almost) every whim. He loved that he could tell Vance was at home here and Jules was relaxed here.
Even though she was holding herself funny, he didn’t love that.
But it was morning. She was still in bed.
And Vance had just put his food bowl down in the kitchen.
Boo looked at the food perfectly prepared, then up at Vance.
Vance was staring down at him.
Boo shoved his face in the food.
He didn’t know what Vance said, but he felt the stroke down his spine, and heard the relief in his tone when he whispered, “That’s it, cat. It’s all good. Mama’s home.”
Boo ate and ate and licked the bowl clean when he was done.
But don’t worry, he shoved some food out on the floor with his nose so they’d have to clean up after him.
He was happy Jules was back, ecstatic (though he’d be careful not to let that show overly much).
But he was never derelict in his duties.
Boo carried out his complete inspection of her the first chance he got, and it wasn’t easy to find that chance. Vance was always there, helping her get around, stretched out next to her on the bed, sitting on the couch with her head in his lap while he read and she listened to music.
He was an animal. He was intuitive.
He knew his playground (her body) was not accessible at this moment, so he couldn’t go gallivanting on the bed when they were both in it. There wasn’t enough room.
So when Vance went to shower, Boo jumped up on the bed (and yes, he did mean to miss the top so he had to sink his claws into the covers and pull himself up, he had to keep his claws sharp…obviously), and he gave her a good once-over with his eyes and nose.
She smelled like Jules.
She smelled like home.
So he cuddled into her side and allowed her to scratch behind his ears while she babbled at him words he’d never understand.
Vance came back, and Boo had to skedaddle as he helped her up and to the bathroom.
Vance returned alone, and Boo noted it was going to be more of this lazing about they’d been doing, which Boo wholeheartedly supported.
To share this, while Jules showered, when Vance got dressed and laid back down on the bed, Boo joined him, and there were no limits to this playground, so he settled right in on his chest, shut his eyes, and the instant Vance’s strong fingers started to give him a neck massage, he started purring.
“Home,” Vance murmured.
Boo didn’t know what that meant either.
But he knew two things.
One, it was directed at Boo.
And two, Vance really, really meant it.
* * *
Vance
When he pulled into Shirleen’s driveway and idled, and neither of the boys moved, he knew something was up.
He turned to Roam in the front seat, who was looking around the back at Sniff.
After school, they’d come to the office and done their homework in the surveillance room, which happened a lot these days, then they’d done some surveillance in the surveillance room.
Twenty minutes ago, Shirleen texted, If you don’t have my boys home in twenty minutes, I won’t be responsible for what I do.
She was down with surveillance. She was down with the fact that Monty, or Mace, and sometimes even Luke would go over their homework to make sure they got shit right.