I gave a bark of laughter. "I never said he had horns."
"Yeah, but you implied it. You always called him a monster."
"Because hewasa monster," I insisted. "He still is. He's just a pretty monster, that's all." I perked up. "You know, like a vampire."
When Gwen looked again toward the front window, I did the same. Already, my former boss was turning away from the mailbox. He carried the mail with him as he strode toward his car and opened the driver's side door.
Gwen said, "You never know. He might not beallbad."
I gave a little screech. "What the heck?"
This time, she didn't bother looking. "Hey, it was just a thought."
I couldn't even reply, not yet, because I'd just been ambushed by two clawed furballs. The two kittens had leapt onto my shoulders at nearly the same time, digging their claws into my shirt, nice and deep. And yeah, they might've gotten a bit of skin, too.
Half-crouching, I staggered backwards, making a huge effort to not tumble onto the floor. Still, I couldn’t help but laugh as I said, "You guys are such trouble-makers!"
From near the window, Gwen said, "Who? Me and him?"
I was still trying to regain my balance. "Him who?"
"Your old boss."
"No," I laughed as I finally managed to stand upright. "Theseguys."
Finally, Gwen turned to look. "Oh." She laughed."Them."
Yup. Them.The two kittens were making a beeline for my hair.They loved to burrow in it, especially at night.
Tenderly, I reached up and dislodged both kittens from the fabric of my sturdiest flannel shirt.
Already, I'd learned the hard way that I would be smart to wear extra thick clothing that had seen better days.
I wouldn't say the kittens wereshreddingmy clothes, but Ididhave quite a few tiny holes in yesterday's shirt – and now, in today's too.
Soon Gwen was at my side. "Here," she said, taking one of the kittens off my hands. She held it up to her face and eyed it with mock suspicion as she teased, "Nowyou'rea monster."
Actually, both of them were monsters – adorable monsters who always made me smile even when they were getting into trouble, which was nearly all the time. The two kittens were identical orange tabbies, so similar that I had a hard time telling them apart.
Gwen asked, "Which one doIhave?"
I looked down at the kitten in my hands. "I think that's George."
"Which one?" she asked. "Yours or mine?"
I winced. "Actually, I'm not sure."
When I cuddled the kitten closer, he purred against my shirt. As he did, a warm, happy feeling settled deep inside my chest. It was nice, and the good feelings lingered just fine until Tuesday night when we had an unexpected visit from you-know-who.
Chapter 3
Cole
I hit the brakes and stared at my house.What the hell?
It was past nightfall, and I was driving my black SUV. Unlike my car, the SUV had four-wheel drive and handled snowy roads like a champ.
This explained why my car remained in the garage. What itdidn'texplain was the change in my home's appearance.
