Myeyebrows furrowed. “Acat?” I had never been a cat person, until Icaught a glimpse of the black cat she had tattooed to her hip. “Why a cat?”
“Well,they’re pretty self-sufficient, and you have to really work for their affectionas opposed to—”
“Asopposed to the unconditional love you instantly get from dogs?” I teased with aquirk of my lips.
Sherolled her eyes. “We can’t have a dog here, you know that. I just think it’d benice to have a pet around, you know? I haven’t had one since I was a kid, and—”
“Yeah,neither have I,” I added, considering the idea. “You’re off work tomorrow,right?”
“Uh-huh,”she said, biting her lip excitedly.
“Soam I.”
?
Andthat was how we found ourselves at an animal shelter the next morning, sittingon the floor of a sterile room, with kittens climbing all over me. It was likeI was a living jungle gym, and I was loving every second of it. Little balls oftabby and calico clawed at my arms and mewed their battle cries as theyclambered down my back.
Andthen there was the little black ball of fluff, playing with the long, curlyends of Kylie’s hair.
“Thatone likes you,” I said, nudging my head toward her back.
“He’sbeen doing that for the past five minutes,” she said, shaking her hair andteasing him. “What does he look like? I haven’t even seen him yet.”
Iglanced back at the little guy and noted his puffy, jet-black fur. He quicklylooked at me before returning to his task of attacking her hair, and I saw hisblue eyes.
“Huh,”I said, startled, and held out my hand. The kitten took an interest and walkedover to sniff at me. His velvety nose touched my finger, and I greeted him witha, “Hey buddy.”
Kyliecaught sight of his black fluff and clapped her hands to her mouth. “Oh myGod,” she gushed out, and she gently ran her fingers over his back as shesquealed, “He’s so tiny!”
Thelittle kitten crouched, wiggled his butt, and jumped onto my thigh. He took aseat, turned his fluffy face upward to study me, and I laughed. “Okay, I haveto admit. He’sprobablythe cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“So,what do you think?” she asked, scratching behind his ears.
Thelittle guy vibrated against my leg with a rumbling purr as shepethim, and I couldn’t deny how right it felt just to lookat him. Like I’d known him my entire life. I knew that feeling, from a longtime ago, and I looked up to Kylie.
“Heneeds a name.”
Sheturned to the shelter volunteer, waiting at the door, and asked, “Excuse me, isthis kitten a boy or girl?”
Theolder woman walked over to pick him up off my lap and I missed him immediately.She looked under his tail and said, “We have a little boy here,” as she put himback on my leg. He turned once, twice, and laid down, curling himself into alittle ball of black. My heart melted, and I lifted a hand to cover half of myface.
“Goddammit,what are you doing to me?” I asked him with a chuckle.
“I’dsay he’s turning you into a cat guy,” Kylie teased, grinning triumphantly.
Andreluctantly, I had to agree.
?
“Whatabout Shadow?”
“Everyblack cat is named Shadow.”
“Noteveryblack cat is named Shadow,” I protested, watching him inspectevery corner of the living room. He made the space look enormous, and I laughedas he batted at the end of Kylie’s blanket on the couch.
“Whatabout … Ichabod?”
“Asin,Sleepy Hollow?” I asked, quirking a brow.
