Page 29 of At the Heart of It
“Sort of. It’s just some chicken. Trying to work in a little lean protein to balance out his regular food.”
“And a song to go along with it.”
Jonah grinned and stirred the pot again. “I hadn’t made it past the first couple lines.”
“I love to stuff my face, stuff my face, more kibble?” Kate only meant to speak the words, but found herself singing the last few in her best Meghan Trainor voice. She laughed and continued on, leaning against the counter as Jonah wiped his hands on a dish towel.
“My mama, she told me to always eat all your foooood,” Kate sang. “If you don’t lick your bowl clean, the humans will think you’re rude.”
Jonah laughed and tossed the dish towel on the counter before launching into the next line of the song. “You know I might be a thick kitty, but I got lots of heart.”
“So just feed me some chicken, and don’t mind it makes me fart.”
Jonah cracked up, shaking his head as he tossed the dish towel onto the counter. “I can’t believe you just said that,” he said. “That was awesome.”
“Thanks,” Kate said, irrationally proud of the compliment. “Maybe if this TV production thing doesn’t work out, I can become a professional cat composer.”
“It’s good to have goals. Come on. You hungry?”
“A little bit,” she said. “That smells really good.”
“It does, but that’s not our dinner. That’s for Porky, remember?”
“Porky’s got it pretty good.”
“Not yet, but he will. As soon as we find him a home. Come on, I’ll show you the Cat Café. We’ve been trying to get some of these guys used to being in a room with people eating and not jumping up on the table, so this is good practice.”
He reached into a compartment above the oven and pulled out a pizza box.
“Would you mind grabbing those plates?” He nodded at a pair of paper plates rimmed with pictures of cartoon cats, and Kate scooped them up and followed after him.
“Careful,” he said as he held the door for her. “There are a couple escape artists in here and one new girl who’s not too sure about things yet.”
“I know the feeling,” Kate said. “Which one’s new?”
“Judgey-eyebrow cat over there.” He pointed to a fluffy black-and-white tuxedo kitty on the windowsill. The cat lifted her impressively arched brows and studied Kate with a look of intense scorn.
Kate laughed. “I see what you mean.”
The cat had the most unusual markings she’d ever seen. Her body was black fluff with white socks, and her face was white, too. She had a little black spot on one side of her face and eyebrows that gave her a permanently skeptical expression. The brows lifted a bit as Kate approached.
“If you could caption her right now, she’d be saying, ‘Lady, I don’t think so,’” Kate said as she stroked a hand down the cat’s back. The cat allowed it, but her expression suggested serious doubt about Kate’s petting skills.
Jonah grinned and pulled the door shut behind him. “She’s been looking at everyone like that today. I heard a guy this morning say, ‘If I wanted someone judging my every move, I’d get a wife. At least then I wouldn’t have to clean a litter box.’”
“Very nice.” Kate set a plate on each side of a bright-blue table and pulled out a chair as Jonah set the pizza box in the center of the table. She moved a chrome napkin dispenser out of the way and sat down. A fluffy orange tabby hopped into the center of the table, then jumped down as Jonah made a psst sound.
“Sorry, but it’s how they learn,” he said. “We want them to have manners when they go to their new homes. That way there’s less chance of them getting returned to the shelter.”
“Sort of like cat finishing school.”
“Exactly.”
He opened the pizza box, and Kate breathed in the heavenly aroma of pepperoni and sausage. A little gray cat with white feet stretched up to bat at the box top but didn’t make any moves to jump for it.
“I’m impressed by your commitment to animal welfare,” she said as Jonah handed her a bottle of iced tea that didn’t feel particularly iced. “Have you always been such an advocate?”
“Nah.” He sat down across from her and twisted the top off his own bottle, taking a swig before he continued. “I don’t even like cats that much.”
