Purrfectly Matched by Christie Logan

Author:Christie Logan [Logan, Christie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-08-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Boots

I was in a rotten mood after that stupid dog Harley chased me into the lake. How humiliating. Not that I was really scared. No, I was just startled and acting on instinct. Of course, I ran. Who wouldn’t, with some furry, floppy-tongued monster coming at them?

When Caleb and Victoria went out again and left me on my own, I curled up on her bed and gave myself a good lick-down to remove the last traces of lake water. Afterwards, I felt more like myself. Victoria’s room was very comfy. Open and airy, with pale blue walls and sheer white curtains at windows that looked out on the lake. A watercolor painting of a sailboat hung on the wall. A few small framed photos sat on her desk. Little touches, like the blue vase of flowers on her dresser and the romance novel on her nightstand, gave the room a feminine feel. A nice room.

A nice house. Much better than Caleb’s peanut-sized apartment. Yeah, I could be happy here.

I used to think I could be happy anywhere with people who cared about me. I was young and dumb back then. Young enough to trust humans. To think that taking me into their home, cuddling me, and telling me how cute I was meant they loved me. Then they disappeared. Moved out and left me behind. I wondered where they’d gone. Waited for them to come back.

But they never did. When I stopped waiting, that’s when I got smart. I learned that nobody would look after me but me. I got tough. I had to, to survive. Life on the streets meant ducking kicks aimed at my rear, mean kids throwing rocks at me and people yelling “Scram! Get out of here, cat.” Sometimes a softie would feed me, try to scratch my ears, but I knew better than to ever trust any of them again. Even Cynthia, who took me in, ended up turning on me and handing me off to her son.

I’m in charge of my life. If I’m ever going to move up in the world, I’ll have to see to it myself. If it means dragging Caleb along in the bargain, all right. So far, my plan’s working out just fine.

For a minute I circle round, kneading the bedclothes so they’re just right for me to settle down, when a thought stops me. Why did Caleb try to save me today?

Most cats don’t like water, but we can swim if we have to. And I made it just fine to the boat on my own. It wasn’t my fault the people tumbled into the lake. Their own clumsiness was to blame. But still, I remember how Caleb reached out for me as I kitty-paddled toward the rowboat. He tried to help me. So did Victoria.

A weird, uncomfortable feeling tickles inside me. Something I haven’t felt in a long time. And I don’t like it. With a twitch of my whiskers and a shake of my head, I send it flying and settle down with determination.

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