Page 167 of Back in the Saddle

I hoped I had the touch.

“Is it better to get them as kittens or cats?” I asked her.

“It’s better they got someone who loves and feeds them,” Mary answered. “No matter what their age.”

She spoke truth.

She also followed us to the door.

“You girls be careful out there,” she called as we walked down the hall. “This is serious business.”

She wasn’t wrong about that.

Raye tagged the elevator button.

I turned to Mary and gave her a salute.

She gave me ashoohand.

We got on the elevator, rode it, got off, hustled out to the parking lot, into the Sportage, and then we rolled out.

* * *

Raye wasparking outside the camp when I received a return text from Eric about my text asking,Do you like cats?

Yes. Prefer dogs. Why?

I think I’m getting a cat,I replied, hit send, grabbed my Taser and angled out as the other girls did.

I’d learned from watching Eric, so I shoved my Taser in my front left waistband.

Easier to get to.

I did this making a mental note to ask Arthur for holsters. But I needed to do research before that, because I wanted to pick the one I’d get so it’d go with my outfits.

My phone vibrated in my hand.

Want to go to a shelter this weekend and look?

To respond and do it expeditiously, I sent him about twenty smiley emojis.

We headed toward Homer’s tent, with me watching Homer emerge from it to greet us, when my phone vibrated again.

I glanced at it.

Eric replied with a smiley, a thumbs up and a red heart.

All three were good.

Though, the heart was my favorite.

“Late again, Jessie,” Homer noted when we made it to him.

It wasn’t that late. It was just before eight.

But it was dark, already cold, and people were disappearing.

So I got his concern.

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