“Are feral cats a problem in Brooklyn?”
“They are. Monique lives in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, and she says there are feral cats all over, and they are real bold. They go through her trash at night, like raccoons.” Lauren sighed. She assumed Brooklyn’s feral cat population included strays, cats that escaped, or cats that were abandoned by their owners. There were several no-kill shelters in Brooklyn, and there were veterinary clinics and places like the Cat Café that would take in house cats if people couldn’t care for them anymore. Those cats could have better lives in new homes rather than being turned out on the street. It broke Lauren’s heart to think about.
“Were you this passionate about cats before you worked here?” Caleb asked.
Lauren tried not to hear the mild disdain in his tone. “Sure, I’ve always been a cat person. I’ve gotten more involved in the pet communities here since coming to manage this place, though. I know people at all the shelters, I try to attend meetings of this pet owners group in Park Slope, and I’ve met my share of cat people. And I’ve learned a ton about feline behavior since I’ve worked here.” She smiled. It was a lot of work and it could be stressful, but this was a dream job in a way. Not the sort of thing she ever saw herself doing, but running a business that made people happy was something she enjoyed daily.
“You think it’s silly,” she said.
“Did I say that? If it makes people happy, who cares what I think?”
Lauren tried and failed to read his tone. “You’re not…the warmest person.”
He rolled his eyes, which got Lauren’s hackles up. He said, “You’re hardly the first to say so.”
“I don’t mean to offend you. I’m just making an observation.”
“I’ve gotten used to putting some professional distance between me and my patients.”
“Am I one of your patients?”
He frowned. “No.”
“I’m not asking you to be anyone but yourself, but this professional distance thing you have can be… I don’t know how to describe it. I just wish you could figure out how to turn it off. See the world a little differently.”
“Oh, here we go.”
“Don’t roll your eyes at me. I don’t know if this is, like, a divorce thing or if you’ve always been like this, but if you’re really this jaded, why even bother? Do you not care about your patients?”
“Of course I care about my patients!” Caleb’s tone was sharp. “I love animals. That’s why I got into veterinary medicine to begin with.” He rubbed his forehead. “I even like cats sometimes. Do I want one as a pet? No, not especially. But that doesn’t mean I’m not a good doctor.”
“I didn’t say you weren’t!”
“You kind of implied it.”
Lauren groaned. “Look, cards on the table? I find it frustrating that you maintain this distance, or whatever it is. I get that you don’t want any romance, I probably wouldn’t either if I’d just gotten divorced, but you could try to not be a jackass all the time.”
“Who’s being a jackass? I was trying to make conversation. Then you started down this road, talking about what a cold bastard I am. That’s not a news flash, by the way. And cards on the table? Yeah, I think this place is a little silly. I appreciate the work you do for pet adoptions, but if I wanted cat hair in my coffee, I’d drink the stuff Rachel makes at the clinic every morning.”
Lauren let out a frustrated grunt. “I keep forgetting we can’t stand each other. Us getting along for a few minutes there distracted me.”
“Here’s your reminder, I guess.”
“Why did I ever sleep with you?”
“Interesting question. Neither of us was in our right minds, I guess.”
“Shit.” Lauren rubbed her forehead. She still didn’t regret sleeping with him as such, because it had been good, but this conversation was a good reminder of how incompatible they were. “If that’s how you feel…”
He grunted. “I’m nottryingto be a dick. I guess we just rub each other the wrong way…when we’re not rubbing each other the right way.”
Lauren laughed despite herself. “That was bad.”
“I know. It just sort of popped into my head. But otherwise, I don’t know what to tell you. You don’t care for my personality. It’s not like I can easily change it. You knew what you were getting into when you slept with me.”
“Yeah, I did. Maybe you should just go home, Caleb.”
“Fine.”
