Page 58 of Desperate Pucker

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Her cheeks flush as she stares at me. She looks away and drinks more water, then glances around.

“What are you looking for?” I ask.

“My phone. I need to apologize to Camden for missing our session.”

“I texted him that you were sick. I texted the guys and Ingrid too.”

She frowns like she’s confused.

“They were all worried about you when you didn’t show up for work.”

“Oh. Thank you,” she says quietly.

She drains the last of the water in her glass and hands it to me. I walk to the kitchen to refill it for her.

When I look up, she’s lying back down on the couch again, eyes closed.

“Hey, have you…” I trail off when I feel something brushing against my leg. I glance down and see a fluffy white cat with a brown face.

It rubs against my ankles, then looks up at me. I frown. I don’t like cats. “You have a cat?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry, he’s friendly,” she says without opening her eyes.

He makes a soft meowing sound. I look at the counter and see a small bag of cat treats.

“I think he wants a treat.”

“Can you give him one?” she says in a tired voice. “There’s a bag on the counter.”

I open it, grab a couple, and set them on the floor in front of him. He immediately starts purring.

I refill her water glass and walk back over to Maddy.

“Have you eaten anything?” I ask.

Eyes closed, she wrinkles her nose. “No. Food is disgusting. Yuck.”

“You need something in your stomach, Maddy.”

“My stomach can barely handle water. I don’t want food.”

“How about some soup then? You have any broth?”

“I don’t know what I have.”

I head back into the kitchen and open up her refrigerator. It’s almost empty. There’s an apple, half a head of Romaine lettuce, some eggs, a Tupperware container with what looks like spaghetti sauce, and a handful of condiments.

“Maddy, your fridge is bare.”

“I don’t like to cook.”

I feel rubbing against my ankle again. I look down and see her cat smushing his face against my socked foot.

“Your cat is weird.”

When I look up, her eyes are closed, but she’s smiling. “Is he rubbing his face all over your feet?”

“Yeah.”

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