Page 41 of Surprisingly Us

I’d immediately explained the rules Lettie and I decided on. Only touching and kissing that is appropriate in public. Which seemed like a gray area since I’ve hooked-up in semi-public places, but Lettie was content with it, and that’s what matters.

After I left Lettie’s apartment, I immediately texted Jerrod to tell him Lettie and I would be attending his dinner party later this week. He responded with a thumbs up which is a passive-aggressive ‘fuck you,’ so it seems like we’re on the same page.

We walk by the cages to check out the cats and my heart sinks.

“This is depressing. I want to adopt them all.”

Ramsey shakes his head. “You get one.”

“This one’s cute.” I point to a white cat with the prettiest blue eyes. “No stripes, though.”

“Does the cat have to have stripes?” Ramsey asks, bending down to check out a black cat on the lower shelf.

“I told Lettie his name is Maurice and he’s furry with stripes.”

“What cat wouldn’t be furry?”

“I don’t know, I was getting deeper into the lie and I panicked.”

Ramsey rolls his eyes. “Step aside.”

“We’ve got our first date tonight,” I say, glancing into a cage with a brown tabby. I stick my finger through the metal door and it nuzzles up against me. The sheet taped up next to the cage indicates he’s a male brown tabby and three years old.

“Where are you taking her?” Ramsey asks.

“Wherever you get us a reservation.”

He rolls his eyes. “Thanks for the advance notice.” But then, because I pay him an insane amount of money to put up with me, he pulls out his phone to start calling for a reservation.

It’s a simple date. After learning about Lettie’s dating anxiety, I figured it was best to keep things chill. Not overwhelm her with too much action. Zero action, in fact.

“This one,” I say, pointing to the brown tabby that has mischief in his green eyes.

It only takes a few minutes in the cuddle room to decide that this cat and I are going to be a good fit. He’s playful and a good cuddler. What more do you need in a cat?

I hold him up and he paws at my face before nuzzling my chin. “I’d be more open to keeping your name, but you’ve got to be Maurice when Lettie’s around. I’ll explain everything to you later.”

Ramsey shakes his head, but I can tell by the way he scratches under Mo’s chin that he’s smitten, too.

I can’t bring Mo home yet; he’s got to have a check-up and the vet that provides their services to the shelter isn’t working today. Also, they’ve got to approve my paperwork.

We exit the shelter and Ramsey calls Manny, one of my drivers, to pick us up.

“He’s parked down the block.” Ramsey motions toward Second Avenue.

“Cool, let’s go.”

We’re a few steps down the sidewalk when I hear the click of a camera. I look up and immediately recognize the guy. Dressed in a plain green ball cap and cargo shorts with a goatee and glasses, it’s one of the photographers who I’ve seen lurking around since I got back to the city.

He’s probably the one that took the photos of Lettie and me at Hannah and James’s wedding.

Ramsey shakes his head as we both get into the car, ignoring the continuous click of the man’s camera.

“Fucking pap.” Ramsey curses inside the car. “You know he’s waiting for the next juicy story.”

“He’ll be waiting a while. I’m on my best behavior now.”

He nods, scrolling through his phone.

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