Much Ado About a Latte by Kathleen Fuller

Author:Kathleen Fuller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2022-01-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

When Tanner pulled into Anita’s driveway, he slammed on the brakes. A small calico cat sat in the middle of the drive, its tail curled around its body, staring directly at Tanner. He waited for the cat to move, and when it didn’t, he honked his horn. The cat dashed off, and Tanner pulled closer to the house and got out of the car. As soon as he stepped onto the concrete, he heard someone yelling.

“Help!”

Anita! He spun around, searching for her. “Where are you?”

“Look up!”

He did and saw one lone hand waving at him from the roof. What in the world was she doing up there? He dashed to the backyard, then froze. Anita was sitting in a tight ball, her arms around her knees. Even from here he could see she was shivering.

“The ladder.” She pointed to the ground.

Tanner saw the ladder, the same calico cat that thought he owned the driveway sitting beside it, watching the proceedings with bland interest. When he grabbed the ladder, the cat didn’t move. Tanner quickly leaned it against the house.

“Stay still until I get up there.” He scrambled up, stopping at the second-to-top rung. “Give me your hand,” he said, holding out his own.

She shook her head. “I don’t want you to fall.”

“I’m not going to fall.”

Anita started to reach for him, then pulled back and hugged her knees again.

He saw the fear in her wide eyes, her short hair wild as if the wind had wreaked havoc with it. How long had she been up here? “Anita?”

“Yeah,” she answered in a shaky voice, still not moving toward him.

“Do you trust me?”

She paused, and for a minute he thought she wasn’t going to answer him. Then she nodded and grabbed his hand.

He helped her turn around so she could climb down the ladder. Once her foot touched the top rung, he let go of her hand and put his arm around her waist. “I’m right behind you.”

Slowly they made their way down the ladder, and he could see not just her voice was shaking but her entire body. No wonder—she was scantily dressed and obviously terrified.

Afraid she would lose her footing and fall, when he stepped on the next-to-last rung he jumped down and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her off the ladder and into his arms.

She leaned against him. “Thank God you showed up,” she gasped.

“You’re shivering. Let’s get you inside.” He opened the back door and led her into her small efficiency kitchen. The décor was all Anita—white, with a splash of pale color here and there. The kitchen and living room were one large area, and he spied a fuzzy lavender blanket draped over the back of a small sofa. Quickly he grabbed it and wrapped it around her. “You should sit down,” he said, guiding her to the couch. She complied without a word.

Once she was huddled on the couch, he sat next to her. “How long were you on the roof? Better question: Why were you on the roof?”

She snuggled into the blanket and her body stopped quivering slightly.

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