She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."
"I mean it."And the funny thing was, it was true.Yeah, this place was impressive, but there was something about Harper's house that felt more like a home, just like there was something about Harper that had me missing her when she wasn't around. It was why I'd called her – and why I was here now.
She replied, "Well, it's a good thing since you'll be staying there for another month."
As she said it, it suddenly struck me that I wasn't going to be happy to leave. My own place in Florida had been four times the size with an inground swimming pool and a nice view of the gulf.
Butthatplace had been sold months ago. And most of my stuff was now in storage – here in Michigan, not down South. I'd been planning to spend my free time shopping for a house, but so far, I'd never gotten around to it.
This wasn't like me.Normally, when I made a plan, I was pretty good about sticking to it.But not now.
Not for the first time, I wondered how much of this had to do with Harper. Lately, I'd spent far more time thinking aboutherthan about any real estate I might or might not buy.
As we settled onto the sofa, I asked, "How about you?"
Her brow wrinkled in confusion. "What do you mean?"
I gave the house another glance. "How long are you staying here?"
"Definitely through the first of the year – and maybe a little longer depending on my aunt." She lowered her voice. "But can I tell you a secret?"
"Sure."
Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "When I leave, I think I'm gonna take the cats."
I laughed. "All of them?"
"Yup." She tried and failed to keep a straight face. "You don't think my aunt will notice, do you?"
I pretended to give it some thought. "That depends. How many cats are we talking about?"
"Six."
"So, half a dozen?"
"Yeah, but five are pretty small, so I figure it will take her a while to figure it out." As Harper spoke, she looked toward the fireplace where a cushioned basket was filled with sleeping kittens. "But seriously, aren't they adorable?"
That, they were.I had never considered myself a cat person, but evenIcould see their appeal. "Kittens arealwaysadorable," I said. "So, do you have a favorite?"
"Me?" Her lips curved upward in a secret smile. "We're not supposed to have favorites, remember?"
I laughed. "Yeah, but we always do. So tell me. Which one is yours?"
She glanced toward the basket. "Well, Idolove them all. But if you want the truth, I havetwofavorites – the two little gray ones – orthreefavorites if you count Miss Lucy."
I smiled.That was Harper for you.She didn't pick only one. She pickedthree, and not all of them were obvious choices. "Lucy – that's the mom cat, right?"
Harper nodded. "Yeah, and she'ssogood-natured. And so are Pepper and Pebbles." She gave a rueful chuckle. "Sometimes, I wish I were more like them."
I was intrigued. "How so?"
"Well, the thing is…when they want to cuddle, they just come up and burrow onto your lap, you know? And they'resosweet, so of course, everybody loves them, which they totally should." As she said this last bit, color rose to her cheeks, and she let out a self-conscious laugh. "If I'm not careful, I'll end up corrupting them."
"And how would you dothat?"
"Youknow, by setting a bad example."
I glanced toward the kittens. "Yeah, sweet is nice, but a little spice isn'tallbad." I returned my gaze to hers. "And just so we're clear, that applies to you, too."
