Page 41 of Sincerely Not Yours

“Pick up and put him on speaker.” Paige leaned forward with interest. “I’m going to give him an earful about his app matching me up with the vegan guy from the suburbs who spends every waking minute tending to his indoor hydroponic garden.” She raised a brow, ready to give him a piece of her mind.

Gigi smirked, but her cheeks flushed as she picked up the phone, pressing it to her ear. “Hello? Harris?” He knew she was with Paige and Alice tonight, so she wasn’t sure why he’d be calling. Maybe he just wanted to wish her a good night.

But when Harris spoke, that sweet thought vanished from her mind.

“Gigi, I’m so sorry to call you this late.” His tone was tight and panicked, sending a chill through Gigi. “Rudy is missing, and I don’t know what to do.”

Chapter Eighteen

Harris paced the sidewalk outside his brownstone, his breath puffs of steam in the frigid night air. He’d been searching for Rudy for what felt like an eternity, but it’d only been half an hour, though a lot could happen to a tiny kitten in a short window. It wasn’t supposed to get above ten degrees tonight and the wind was picking up, dusting spirals of snow over passing cars. Harris’s heart raced with worry, thinking of poor, lost Rudy, shaking in the cold or wandering into traffic. His stomach turning with dread, Harris scanned the street again, his eyes darting to every shadow and flickering light, but there was no sign of the little orange kitten.

Harris checked his phone, thinking he might have missed a call or text from one of the neighbors he’d already talked to, but there were no messages. He’d also contacted Animal Control but could only leave a voicemail. They were closed for the evening,so he wouldn’t hear until tomorrow if they’d taken Rudy in. Harris’s heart sank, and he started down the sidewalk again, calling for Rudy as he double-checked the neighbor’s entrance and around their stairwell.

Just then, a taxi pulled up to the curb, and the doors swung open. Gigi and her friends jumped out, bundled in coats, hats, and scarves.

“How long do you think he’s been outside?” Gigi ran to him, her face etched with worry, her friends not far behind her. All three of them turned on flashlights, which beamed into the night.

“Probably a couple of hours.” Harris ran a hand over his mouth and chin, trying to control the horrid thoughts racing through his head. “I was working late at the office and asked my property manager to stop over and feed Rudy. He must’ve slipped out the front door when he left. I’ve been searching everywhere, but I can’t find him. It’s so cold out here, and I’m worried sick.”

Gigi nodded and swallowed, her face mirroring his dread. She turned to her friends. “Alice, Paige, this is Harris.” They acknowledged each other with terse nods, and Harris wished he wasn’t meeting Gigi’s best friends like this, in a horrible situation that he’d caused.

Paige looped her scarf around her neck as she scanned the darkened street. “Let’s split up and cover more ground.”

Harris agreed, grateful for their support. “I’ve checked the alley and the neighboring yards, but he could be anywhere. Someone could’ve picked him up.”

Gigi placed a hand on his arm, bringing his attention to her. “Don’t worry, we’ll find him.” But the confidence in her statement deepened his anxiety. Harris desperately wanted Rudy safe, and if he couldn’t make that happen, he was going to break Gigi’s heart right along with his own.

“Why don’t you and Alice start on the other side of the street,” Gigi suggested to Paige. “I’ll stick with Harris closer to his house.”

The four of them fanned out, calling Rudy’s name, and peering into every nook and cranny. A lump rose in Harris’s throat as he called out again and again, his voice echoing into the night. Gigi’s voice mimicked his, and there was a small measure of comfort knowing she was there with him.

“Rudy! Rudy!” they called, their voices a chorus of desperate hope.

Minutes ticked by, each one stretching longer than the last. They shuffled through snow, knocked on doors, peered into doorways and under parked cars. Harris’s fingers and toes had gone numb from the cold, but he didn’t care. He had to find Rudy. The thought of any pain coming to the sweet kitten was unbearable. When a stiff gust of wind made him shiver, Harris considered telling Gigi, Paige, and Alice to take a break and warm up in his house while he continued searching, but a screechy meow stopped Harris in his tracks.

“Rudy?” he called, but Gigi was already running toward the noise, her flashlight scanning the front of a brownstone only a few houses down from his.

“Oh, my God, he’s here!” Gigi called, falling to her knees in the snow. Harris was at her side in the blink of an eye, and they both peered down into a basement window well. Gigi’s flashlight illuminated the deep, snowy window well, identifying a shivering orange kitten tucked up next to the brick.

Rudy screeched, looking up at them with pitiful eyes, and Harris dropped to his stomach. He reached into the well, and as soon as he felt fur, Harris grasped him and scooped him out. His heart leapt into his throat. “Rudy?” Harris scanned the shaking kitten as he and Gigi sat stunned in a mound of snow.

“Is he okay?” Gigi breathed, her voice cracking as she leaned close. Rudy mewed again, like he couldn’t believe they’d found him. His orange coat was crusted in snow.

“I think so.” Other than looking horribly cold, Rudy didn’t seem to be hurt. Harris unzipped his jacket, tucking the kitten gently inside, against his chest. His little paws were like ice cubes. “Let’s get him inside.”

Gigi nodded, and they stood from the snow. Heading back toward Harris’s house, Gigi called out for Alice and Paige. They called back and quickly cut across the road.

“You found him?” Alice yelled, scooting between two parked cars just a step behind Paige.

“He was in a window well,” Gigi said, frowning in sympathy.

“Oh, poor thing!” Paige peered into Harris’s jacket as the kitten let out a pitiful meow.

Harris cradled his little body tightly against his chest, wanting Rudy to know he was safe.

Leading the group into his house, Harris welcomed the warmth, but the silence that surrounded them was still thick with worry. He went straight to the fireplace, turning it on as Gigi grabbed a blanket from the couch. She approached Harris, gently removing Rudy from his coat and wrapping him in the blanket. Sitting down on the floor next to the glowing fireplace, Gigi cradled Rudy close. Her expression was a mix of relief and concern as she rubbed the kitten, getting his circulation going and drying him.

“I’m going to get him some food,” Harris said and headed for the kitchen. When he returned with a bowl of wet paté, he paused, taking in the scene. All three women were on the ground in a circle around Rudy. Their coats, scarves, and hats were discarded in piles behind them. Harris realized they were all wearing flannel Christmas pajamas, and the thought of how thewind and cold must have bitten through the material struck him. No one had complained about being cold.

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