Page 34 of August Heat
“Do you hear this?” Krys said to her girlfriend. “Having a baby, and she thinks she’s Captain Domestic.”
“Ten years from now, when we’re all sitting here with our kids, you’re still gonna give me crap, Krys?”
“If in ten years you’re hauling your kids into abar,I’m personally calling the deputy the haul your ass back into that cell you love so much.”
“I oughta wring your…”
Siobhan immediately went onto the defensive, but Jalen didn’t look too bothered by the altercation erupting between them. She continued to drink her beer before calling over Lorri and Krys’s heads, “So, how are those wings? Good, huh?”
Siobhan couldn’t help but laugh. Three seconds later, Lorri and Krys were still best friends, and everyone wanted to hear about how the kittens were doing.
If this were another night living and loving in Paradise Valley… well, Siobhan supposed she could get used to it. Sure beat locking herself up in her house for the rest of eternity and having nothing to do with anyone besides her aunt and a few select animals she was paid to treat.
The fact that she had been in this bar this long and onlynowstarted to think about Emily… well, perhaps that was progress.
Siobhan would take it.
Chapter 17
KRYS
“Welcome to your new home, buddies.” Krys hoisted the kitten carrier between both hands, body swaying to the beat of their insistent mewls. “Look at all the space you have to run around and be little assholes. Ain’t it grand?”
No one was more excited than Young, who had personally assisted Krys with bringing the cats over on their lunch break. The plan hadn’t been to press the issue until after the kittens were fixed and recovered, but Lucas received a call from their landlord two days ago saying a “visit” was on the horizon. The cats had to get out. Now.
Johnson was the man to give the all clear for these little bundles of furry joy joining the team indefinitely.
“Oh, oh, let them out over here.” Young rushed to the lounge, where he had built a respectable cat tree made of recycled materials from the county dump. Johnson had donated an old blanket as good faith to the kittens. Quimby bought a cat toy and dangled it from the top of the tree. Krys made sure it was positioned fairly between the big windows and the human furniture. Slowly, but surely, parts of the firehouse would be adequately transformed into a living and playing space for four rambunctious kittens who were sure to turn into lazy, lazy adults one day. God knew they got plenty of sunlight in there, even during the winter.
One by one, kittens sprang out of the carrier. It made for grand introductions.
“That one’s Beckham.” Krys scratched the little guy leading the charge, his tail of curiosity erected and his nose sniffing the air. “This one’s Pelé.” His brother joined him at the edge of the couch. Grooming would be necessary to keep them from scratching it.
“I’m sensing a pattern here,” Quimby said behind them.
“And this is Mia…” The short-haired girl went off in another direction, forging her own kitten-led path. “And this is Meg.” The little shy fluffy girl needed some help out of the carrier. Once she was out, though, she trotted right over to Young, who was in tears already.
“Mia, I get,” Quimby said. “But Meg?”
Krys shot him a critical look. “Megan Rapinoe. Hellloooo.”
“Got it. Soccer people.” He chuckled. “You know I ain’t much into futbol.”
“One of these days I’m dragging you to Portland and making you watch a Thorns game.”
“You lost me atPortland.”
Johnson came out of his office to see what the commotion was about. “I see the gang’s all here. Now, remember what I said about taking care of them? I’m not cleaninganylitter boxes.”
“I would consider it an honor to clean their litter boxes,” Young said.
“You are a weird, weird man, Young.” Johnson shook his head. “Bless you, though.”
A shadow appeared in the opened garage door. One glance over her shoulder told Krys that one of her favorite people had stopped by, because that was absolutely Siobhan’s work truck parked along Main Street.
And that wasdefinitelySiobhan standing in the doorway.
“I didn’t know today was D-Day.” Arms akimbo, Siobhan patiently waited for Krys to come over and give her a kiss. The boys pretended they hadn’t noticed. Besides, Young was chasing kittens and Quimby decided now was the time to readjust the cat tree. Again. “I see everything is under control.”
