Page 23 of Pete and His Precious

“Yeah. I can say some interesting things he’s said about you, like his nickname for you,” Cal says, slanting his gaze at me, with a wicked gleam in his eye. Then he gets serious. “But I actually wanted to talk to you about adopting an anteater.”

Before Sultry Voice Woman can answer, there’s a flash, and she lets out a startled, “oh, oh!” While Cal does some kind of weird dance like he’s on a hot tin roof, and something skitters by my legs - I think she went between them - and I almost lose my balance, although I’m not sure why.

I turn around. Something has just run from Sultry Voice Woman’s apartment into mine, and I see a cat on my table.

It seems to be trying to get to my bird.

“Oh my goodness. I think my cat likes your bird,” Sultry voice woman says, and her voice is so much better in person.So much better.I do not close my eyes, but a warm sensation does go down my back, and I can’t answer right away. “Can you get him to talk again? I mean, I think my cat would like it if you did.”

I could not tell that voice no. Not for anything. And so I say, “Trixie, say precious. Precious?”

Come on bird. If you are going to talk, this is the time.

“Leo and his love bunny. Leo and his love bunny.

That was not what I wanted it to say, but at least it said something, and it made Sultry Voice Woman sigh, which, her sigh is almost as smooth and velvety as her voice, and she puts a hand to her chest.

“Look at Flipper! He loves it!”

“Did you feed Flipper supper? Because Flipper could be hungry,” Cal says from behind us.

I know I just said how much I appreciated my buddies, but if Cal would have dropped through the floor at that very moment, I’d take my good old time walking down the steps to the first floor to see if he was okay. Just saying. And I wouldn’t have been sad.

“Yes. I’m sure he’s not hungry. He just wants to be friends,” Sultry Voice Woman says.

Then she moves forward, and picks up Flipper, who leans against her. I've never seen a fluffier cat, or an uglier one, truth be told. It has one of those smashed faces that makes it look like it ran into a wall at a very high rate of speed, and lost its nose in the process. But, she obviously loves it, and while I’m not exactly a cat person anymore than I’m a kid person, I like this cat, because well, because Sultry Voice Woman is holding it and petting it.

“Flipper. Maybe our neighbor will invite us over sometime so you can get to know —” she looks up and blinks at me, and I see those big green eyes, and I’m not sure that I ever thought about getting lost in anything before, but I could dive into those eyes and swim around for ages, and be perfectly happy being lost. “What’s the name of your bird?” she says, prompting me, when I don’t figure out that she wanted me to supply it.

Maybe if I’d have been paying attention to her words instead of her eyes I might have known.

Behind me, Cal snorts.

“Trixie. His name is Trixie.”

“He?” she asks, tilting her head a little bit at me like she isn’t quite sure that I really meant to say that.

I hold both hands up. Like I would expect a suspect to do for me when they’re completely innocent and not try to get away with anything.

“I do mean him. In fact, unfortunately, he’s not my bird.” I say unfortunately. I didn’t really mean to say that out loud. Anyway. “I am babysitting him for the ladies downstairs.”

“That’s what this piece of furniture is for - payment for birdsitting. If you don’t mind, we’ll just slid that in here, then I can be on my way and you guys can chitchat all you want to, although I’m sure Pete will tell me all about it in the morning, won’t you buddy?” Cal winks at me.

I make a face, and shake my head at him, lifting my hands. What in the world? We’re not gossip buddies. I don’t spill my heart to him on a daily basis. He’s just being an idiot and making fun of me.

I guess rightly so, since I was struck a little mute. But, I didn’t expect to get to be face-to-face with Sultry Voice Woman tonight. I wish I would have taken a shower first. I realize I can smell myself and she can’t leave fast enough, except all I can think is that I want to say something that will make her stay.

“Yes, it’s a boy. And I don’t know why they named him Trixie, and we’ll definitely have to have you over sometime. I have number. I’ll text you,” I say, and she seems a little surprised, but follows me to the door, and when she’s on the other side of the threshold, I pick up the end table and carry it in.

“See ya,” I say, as Cal grabs the door and slams it behind him.

Chapter 8

Zoe

I stand out in the hall of our floor, holding Flipper close to my chest, and thinking to myself that that was not the way I had planned for that to go.

When I heard the commotion outside my apartment, I had hoped that it was my neighbor. I owed him an apology. I had been insufferably rude, since we both knew that I was supposed to be meeting him for dinner, and I totally blew him off. And yet, he was still gentleman enough to buy my supper.

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