Page 42 of Storm in a Teacup
“Damn,” Linny says flatly. “Must have left that one behind. Be right back.” She rotates and pretends to walk back to what I assume is her bedroom, but twists around to me with a smirk. “Yeah. He broke his leg when he was a kitten. It was so bad, it had to be amputated. Second most traumatic day of my life.” She kneels with us.
I scratch Oscar Wilde’s head as he rubs up against me. “What was the first?”
She leans across and strokes him down the back. “He manages just fine with three. Right, handsome?”
I duly note the obvious avoidance of my question as the cat moves to lend his attention to her before quickly coming back to me.
“He loves strangers,” she says.
“Well, I love him too,” I say, gazing down at the cat like he truly is the only source of light in the world. Well, maybe one of two. I peek back up at Linny, who is watching us interact. “So, when shall we break up?”
She chews her lip. “I was planning to talk to you about that. Would you mind, maybe, keeping this going until the wedding?”
I raise my eyebrows, surprised. “Sure. Of course. Why’d you change your mind?”
She sighs. “Mel texted and told me she’d given me a plus one for you. To both the wedding and the rehearsal dinner. I think she had to do some rearranging to fit you in, so I’ll feel bad if I have to tell her you’re not coming.” She then adds with a grumble, “And it’ll be nice to have you there.”
I cup my hand around my ear. “What was that?”
More clearly, she says, “It’ll be nice having you there. If you can go, that is.”
“Of course. Happy to. Maybe I can break out the ol’ kilt.”
“You own a kilt?”
“I’m Scottish, of course I own a kilt. Though I haven’t worn it since I was wee. Baws may be swinging below the hem if Itried it on.”
“That’s quite the picture you’ve just painted.”
“You’re welcome.” Oscar Wilde has moved on, leaving us to go sit on his cat tree in the corner and stare out the dark window. Yet, we remain where we are on the floor. “If we’re going to continue this charade until the wedding, we’ll need to spend some time with Isla and Rachel. They’ll get suspicious if I keep you all to myself.”
“Are you sure you’re okay lying to them?”
“I don’t love it, but I wouldn’t mind them thinking I’m in a happy relationship for a bit longer.” Isla was insulted when I told her Linny and I were getting dinner with David and Callum, asking if she and Rachel could tag along. I told her no, and that made her angry. “Maybe we could have them over to my place sometime and I could make supper? Something casual.”
“I mean, is dinner your only idea of fun?”
“Dinner is great! Especially if I make it.”
“Fine, we’ll continue to make the dinner rounds with everyone in our lives.”
“Just need to go to Saratoga for your mum.”
“Syracuse, and no, we don’t. She’ll be in town for the wedding. You can meet her then. What about your parents?”
“We can FaceTime them.”
“Sure.”
I reach out a hand, saying, “Shall we shake on it?”
She finds my hand with her eyes, then her hand. “Fine. We’ll keep this going for another month or so?”
“Then we can have a very dramatic and tragic break-up. It’ll be great.”
“Deal.”
CHAPTER TEN
