“Yeah, the first year is rough going.”
“Anyone else in your family a lawyer?”
“Nope, I’m the first.”
“Same for my sister. She is the first one to go to grad school, even. My poor mother keeps asking her to come over for dinner and she’s canceled almost every time. Mom doesn’t quite understand why my sister is working so much. It’s almost comforting to know this first-year experience is nearly universal.”
“Yeah. Based on what I’ve heard from my law school classmates, it is. At least Lauren is my only family here and she seems to get it, but I won’t lie, it’s hard. Rewarding work, yes, and I’ve learned a ton even though I’ve only worked at my firm for two months, but I’m tired.”
Monique nodded. “My sister says basically the same thing.”
Josh tilted his head toward the backroom. “Is it crowded back there?”
“A bit. Pretty typical for a weekend. You’re here in time for the post-brunch crowd.”
“Post-brunch?”
“The crowd on Sunday afternoons is usually groups of two or three who just had brunch and want to sit and chat a little longer over a cup of coffee before heading back home.”
“Sure.”
“But go on back. There’s an adoption form to fill out, and you might need a couple of people to load Mr. Knightley into the carrier.”
“A couple of people? What have I gotten myself into?”
“Have you ever had a cat?”
Josh shrugged. “Sure, we had a couple of cats when I was a kid. I think my mom did most of the wrangling.”
Monique patted his shoulder. “This will be fun.”
Josh winced and carried his coffee and the cat carrier to the cat room. Lauren and Paige were both there, which could have been awkward, but Josh figured he’d play it cool.
“I expected you later in the day,” said Lauren instead of greeting him.
“Well, I’m here now.”
She nodded and looked around the room. She didn’t need to look hard; Mr. Knightley trotted over and smelled Josh’s shoes before rubbing against his shin.
“I’m sorry to say he is your cat,” said Lauren, taking the carrier from Josh.
“I got a latte,” he said, holding up his cup. “I’m not in a hurry. I thought I could sit for a few minutes and chat with my sister and have the whole cat café experience.”
“Sure. Have a seat.”
Paige was seated at a table in the corner, looking at a laptop. She looked up and met his gaze. “Hi, Josh.”
“Hi. Uh, mind if I sit with you?”
She smiled, which was promising. “Not at all.”
“Hey, Lauren?” called Monique from the front of the store.
Lauren sighed and shoved the cat carrier under the table, near Josh’s feet. When she left the room, Josh turned to Paige and said, “I came for the cat. I still can’t believe Lauren talked me into it.”
“Yeah, Lauren told me. She does that to everyone, by the way. All of her friends and most of the employees have cats who were adopted through the café.”
“Price of doing business, I guess.”
