Page 28 of Just A Little Magic

Owen murmured something in the cat’s ear as he stood by the window. As best I could tell, he was telling Lucifer about the new life he was about to start and how much he was already loved. I was loath to interrupt, but even I knew our time away had come to an end.

“Babe, are you ready to go?” I asked quietly.

I’d already gathered our meager belongings and cleaned the room. I’d stowed our trash in my trunk. Hopefully, more bears wouldn’t be attracted to the lodge. “I’m hoping we can avoid as much traffic as possible so Lucifer won’t have to spend extra time in the car.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s a good point. I guess it’s time,” Owen answered with a melancholy tone.

He cast his eyes around the room. I supposed he could be making sure we hadn’t forgotten anything, but his eyes lingered on the bed and the bathroom door. “I needto find a veterinarian when we get back. Even if Levi says no, Lucifer will need one.”

“Oh, I can help with that. Do you remember my cousin Ryan? I think you met him a few Christmas parties ago. Anyway, he graduated from vet school and joined a practice in town. I’ll call him from the car and see if he can get us in quickly. Plus, we need to figure out if Levi will let you keep your little guy.”

With a hand on Owen’s lower back, just like I’d always done, I ushered him out the door and into the car. Under my other arm, I carried the closed box with the cushion inside. Once I got them situated in the car, I ran back inside to dump out the old sand from the container lid, replace it with new, and put the makeshift litter box on the floor in the backseat.

“Okay, let’s get going,” I said when I slid into the driver’s seat and pushed the start button.

Owen kept Lucifer in his lap with nonstop petting. I was a little worried he’d try to escape, but that cat hadn’t budged. It was sweet. Hopefully, Levi saw it the same way and allowed the stray to stay.

I refused to regret what we’d done. This awkward, stilted thing was fucking torture, though, so it wouldn’t work either. Owen was my fucking guy. The idea that last night’s and this morning’s events might be the end of us made me sick.

“Hey, Barrett, how’s it going?” said the crackly voice on the other end of the line.

“It’s good. Thanks for taking my call. It sounds like you’re busy,” I answered.

When the receptionist picked up, she’d sounded harried and short-tempered. But given that there was a cacophony ofscreeches and barks before she could even get out the business’s name, I gave her plenty of grace. Even from this end, it gave me a headache.

“Yeah, it’s ummm, yeah, it’s a lot. But what can I do for you?” Ryan sounded frazzled and rushed, which meant I also felt bad for calling in a family favor.

“My friend, Owen, found himself a kitten in the woods without its mama. I hoped you’d be able to give him a check-up. He seems healthy enough.”

“He definitely needs one,” Ryan said through static. “Can you get here by noon? If you can, I’ll tell the front to expect you. If not, just text me and come in at the end of the day.”

“Shit, really? Thank you so much. We are about ninety minutes out from town, so unless traffic is worse than usual, we should be able to make it,” I said while simultaneously sending a silent plea to the universe for the miracle of no accidents on the interstate on the way back.

After exchanging a few more rounds ofthank yousandyou’re welcomeswith Ryan, I hazarded a glance at Owen. He rested against the headrest with his eyes closed. Lucifer snored in his lap with the towel still wrapped around him. Owen’s body was stiff, and that bothered me so damn much.

“Babe, you doing okay? Not too sore?”

“I’m asleep.”

“How are you answering if you’re asleep?”

“I’m talking in my sleep. It’s a thing I do.”

“When did that start? I’ve never noticed it before.”

“Uh, how would you notice it?”

“We’ve shared a tent camping. We’ve traveled together. That time we passed out at Gabriel’s apartment because we got shit-faced drunk with him. It would have come up.”

“It’s a new thing,” Owen quipped back.

This time, the smile in his voice was obvious, which settled something inside me.

“Babe, I think you might be full of shit,” I scoffed.

“Legit, I’m going to pause what I know you want to talk about…” Owen trailed off for a minute before he finished. “But I’m glad you still call me babe.”

That confession was enough for me.

---