Page 25 of The Great Maple Mistake

Finn nods. “Maybe, but with the way these guys are going at the food, I don’t think it’s their first time eating it. And maybe this little girl just isn’t feeling well, and she won’t take the milk either.” He turns to look at me. “I’m going to keep her overnight. But you can take the other ones home with you. They’ll need to be back for shots in about two weeks, but I think I want to see the lot of them again in one, just to check and make sure everyone’s doing well.”

Wait. He wants to separate them? And leave them withme? “Shouldn’t they all be together? They just went through a traumatic experience. Won’t they want their siblings since theycan’t have their mom?” Fuck. The thought of my mom hits me like a ton of bricks, and I have to fight the lump in my throat. “Won’t she miss them if I take them home?”

Finn watches me for a minute and then shakes his head. “She might, if she were feeling better. And if she takes the bottle and is more playful and energetic, I might let you take her with you too.” He gestures to the other kittens, who are now curiously investigating the bin and the table. “But these guys are already perking up, and if they start to get rambunctious, and she’s not feeling well, they could end up hurting her.” Oh. I hadn’t considered that.

Al comes back in with the bottle, and Finn tries to get the little kitten to eat. After a few tries, she finally latches on, and she eats decently, but Finn is still frowning. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m probably worrying too much. But I’m still going to take her home with me and watch her overnight.”

Relief washes over me. “Whew! I thought she was gonna be here overnight by herself. But if you’re gonna take her home, I think she’ll be okay.”

“What are you going to do with the rest of them?” Finn catches the all-black kitten as he tries to fling himself off of the table.

“Well, I’m heading home tonight, so I guess I’ll take them with me. But I’m not sure Aunt Viv is up for watching four kittens and trying to work at the same time. They’ll do better with the guys at the firehouse until I can find permanent homes for them.” I hadn’t planned on taking them back with me, but if the guys are willing to help with them, that won’t be so bad. And Enya’s a good dog. I don’t think she’ll have a problem with kittens. Hopefully.

Finn nods like he approves of my plan. “I can help find good homes, and they’d be alright to go to them now, if needed, but I’d love to get them their first round of shots before we do that. Can the firehouse hang onto them for two weeks?”

I nod, confident in making that decision. “It’s two weeks. We can use the time to find them forever homes.” I pick up each kitten and kiss their little faces before gently placing them into the bin for the ride back to Aunt Viv’s. When I look up, Finn is watching me again. “What?”

“You know, I was going to give you the shovel speech.”

It takes me a minute to figure out what he means. “What? Why?”

“You’re dating my best friend. Alex is like a brother to me. And he’s been treated like shit by past boyfriends. I don’t want to see that happen again.” I’m stunned, unsure if it’s because someone as amazing as Alex was treated badly or because Finn thinksI’ddo that to him. Before I can protest, Finn holds up a hand, stopping me. “I said Iwasgoing to do that. But watching you with these kittens, knowing you went dumpster diving to save them—” He stares at me and crosses his arms. “I think maybe I don’t need to. Just treat him respectfully. If things don’t work out, then they don’t work out. But remember that he’s a person. With feelings.”

I have no idea where this is coming from, and part of me is worried I’ve done something to upset Alex. Was I too pushy Friday night? Did I make him uncomfortable? Another part of me is furious that Finn would even need to say this. But obviously he does because someone or some people treated Alex badly enough that Finn is protective. “I promise you, I respect him now, and I’ll respect him in the future, even if things don’t work out. But I hope they do. I really like him.”

Finn holds my gaze for another few seconds, then nods and starts typing into the computer. “Good. He’s a great guy. Now, I’ll have instructions for you at the front desk so you know when to feed the kittens and how much. There’s also a new cat owner shopping list of things we suggest you get. You don’t need anything else, and you don’t need to get the most expensiveversion of any of this. You can purchase the food here that we were feeding them today. I’ll give you a discount.” Finn stops typing, and once again, he’s looking at me with a very serious expression. “Who’s paying for everything? If it’s the firehouse, I can call Chief Brennan and work out the payment. If it’s you personally, then I have a small fund from donations that we can tap into to help cover some of the cost since there’s five of them and you’ve done a good deed. You shouldn’t be financially penalized for that.”

Shit. I hadn’t even thought about that when I volunteered to bring the kittens in. I just knew they needed to be seen immediately. “Give me a second.” I pull out my phone and send a text to the chief.

Me:Hey Chief. Am I covering the vet bill or is the firehouse?

It takes an awkward minute for a reply, during which Finn, thankfully, turns back to the computer and continues entering information.

Chief: You shouldn’t get stuck with the bill. The firehouse will cover it. I’ll expense it. But we’ll need to find homes for the kittens fast. Pets are expensive

Although I’d have willingly covered the cost, I’m glad I don’t have to. “Chief says the firehouse will cover it.” My phone buzzes again.

Chief:How are the kittens doing?

Me:Four are doing great. They seem to be healthy and Finn got them to eat. One isn’t so hot. Finn’s going to take her home with him to keep an eye on her

Me:I’m going to take the rest home with me tonight and I’ll bring them back to the station tomorrow

Chief:thumbs_up emoji

Chief:Have the front desk call when you get the final bill and I’ll give them a credit card over the phone

Me:Will do. Thanks Chief

Chief:no problem

Finn finishes entering information into the computer and offers me his hand, which I take, shaking it firmly. He holds on a little longer than normal and looks me in the eyes. “Thank you for rescuing the kittens and for bringing them to me. It’s obvious you’re worried about them, and honestly, that makes me feel a lot better about you and Alex.” He finally lets go and picks up the little female, stroking under her chin. “I’m sure this little one will be fine in a few days.” Then he looks at me again, eyes deadly serious. “But just so you know, if you hurt Alex, it’s not just me you’ll need to worry about. You’ll have the whole town to answer to.”

Chapter 12

Alex

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