Page 7 of Pickled
Not everyone is as big of a nerd as you are, I whispered to myself.
The Porsche engine revved as I geared down to enter Rosewood Estates. The Miami Barracuda and Coach Stephenson were top-notch. I was in peak physical condition, and my slapshot was the fastest and hardest in the league. The last thing I needed was to derail my life by getting involved with the cute blonde next door.
I pulled into the driveway, and while I waited for the garage door to open, existential questions whirred through my mind. If my life was so perfect, why did it feel so empty? I had everything I’d ever dreamed of as a kid. Instead of heading inside my cold, empty house, I clicked the button to close the door and reversed out of the driveway. When I started getting too philosophical, going for a drive always helped me get out of my own head.
The radio played Jimmy Buffett as I did a slow cruise down Thistle Lane, keeping my eyes open for a cat. The damn thing had likely been an alligator’s tasty appetizer, so I wasn’t exactly hopeful. As Jimmy waxed poetic about a cheeseburger, something flashed in my peripheral vision.
Tires squeaked on hot asphalt as I slammed on the brakes. I left the engine running as I got out to investigate. Dropping to my hands and knees, I peered under the bush.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Two yellow eyes stared back at me. “Come here, kitty.” I tried to replicate thepshh pshhsound that Piper had made. I couldn’t bring myself the say cat’s damn name out loud. What kind of person names their cat… that. It would be like having a pet rooster and naming him Cock.
For a tiny thing, it had lungs like Eddie Van Halen. How had we not heard it? The cat’s meow was more like a scream. “Come here, kitty cat.” I reached my hand under the bush, but the cat hissed and swiped at my hand. “Ouch,” I yelped. Blood pricked on the tip of my finger.
“Piper failed to mention that you’re a mini tiger.” I crouched on my heels and sucked at the cut. She also hadn’t mentioned that it was a kitten. “Come on, kitty. You can’t stay out here. Someone is missing you. You’ve got to come with me.”
Learning from my mistake, I shot my arm under the shrub and grabbed the cat in one lightning-fast motion. The kitten was so tiny I could easily wrap my index finger and thumb around its entire body. I pressed it to my chest and ran to the car. With one hand, I opened my gym bag, pulled out a sweaty T-shirt, and wrapped it around the furry ball of claws.
It was challenging to drive a stick shift with the cat clutched to my chest, but I was able to get turned around and headed back to my house. As I got closer, a familiar blonde ponytail bobbed in the wind, its owner executing an impressive power walk stride. I gave the horn a friendly tap to let her know I was coming up behind her.
She turned and shielded her eyes with a bunch of envelopes. “Gideon?”
I stopped next to her. “Hi.” The curves of her triceps created shadows on her sun-kissed arms. She was even prettier in the daylight, which I didn’t think was possible. I skimmed past her cleavage to look into her eyes but couldn’t help but notice that she wasn’t wearing a bra.
“What are you doing?” she said.
“I found your cat!” I pulled the T-shirt away to reveal little black and orange ears. The kitten executed another ear-piercing screech.
Her brow furrowed. “Gideon, that’s not my cat.”
“What? It was down the road from your house.”
“This is a calico kitten. My cat is a tabby, and I found him last night.”
I looked down at the white, orange, and gray furball on my chest. “Isn’t a tabby a cat with spots?”
“No.” Piper smiled. “They’re striped. Mine is black and gray. This is someone’s pet or a stray.”
Piper reached into the car to scratch the cat on the head. Vibration tickled my thumb as he or she purred.
“It’s purring. I guess whatever it is, it’s your cat now.” I tried to hand the T-shirt to Piper.
Her face dropped, and her eyes filled with sadness. “I wish I could take it, Gideon, but my cat is not friendly with others.”
Shit. “What am I supposed to do with it?”
Her mail key jingled on its Mercedes symbol key chain as she tapped the envelopes on the palm of her hand. It hadn’t escapedmy attention that she still wasn’t wearing a ring. “We could put a post on the community page and see if anyone is missing a kitten.”
“What about the shelter?” I asked.
“We could call to see if someone has reported a missing cat, but don’t you dare drop this little guy there. They euthanize cats if they don’t find a home in three weeks, and last I heard, all of the shelters around here are full.” Her voice trembled.
Dammit. If I ever wanted to look in those Caribbean-blue eyes again, the shelter option was out. “What are you doing right now?” I asked.
She held up the envelopes. “Just getting the mail.”
“Get in.” I got out of the car and opened the passenger door. “I’ll drive you home.”
Piper folded her arms across her chest. “I enjoy the walk,andI don’t take orders.”
