Page 78 of This Heart
“I’d say she likes the meatloaf,” I said with a laugh.
“That’s the one thing about Winnie, she hasn’t ever been a picky eater.”
We both looked at Winnie, who was attempting to put the mashed potatoes on her spoon, not the fork. She had a peculiar habit of using the same utensil for more than one different food item.
I laughed and said, “Winnie, should we pick out a name for the kitten?”
“Yes!”
Liam looked up in thought. “What about Snowball?”
Winnie giggled. “Yes!”
“What about Elsa?” I suggested.
“FromFrozen?” Liam asked with a scrunched-up nose.
“What’s wrong with Elsa?”
He shrugged. “Nothing, but it’s not original or cute.”
My brows shot up. “Cute?”
“Yeah, like Snowflake.”
I laughed. “I thought it was Snowball.”
“Yeah, that one too. Or Snowflake.
“Yes!” Winnie cried out.
“Pearl?” I suggested.
Winnie shoved mashed potatoes into her mouth at the same time as she said, “Yes!”
“Marshmallow?” Liam said.
“Ohhh, yummy,” Winnie said with a smile.
With a chuckle, I said, “Winnie, we have to pick one. Just one.”
Pushing a few pieces of meatloaf into her mouth, Winnie smiled and said, “Rora.”
“We can’t name her Rora, sweet pea,” Liam said with a smile in my direction.
The rest of the dinner was spent talking about the bookshop and The Muddled Moose while we put the names on the back burner for a bit. Winnie and I played with the kitten while Liam insisted on cleaning up.
“Looks like the kitten is out cold,” Liam said, jerking his head to where the kitten was on top of the sofa and sleeping like a baby. “Should we go for a walk?”
“Yes!” Winnie said, jumping up and running for her shoes.
The walk was short, but only because Winnie started to fall asleep in her stroller.
“You should probably get her home and to bed,” I said when I peeked around to see her head bobbing all over the place.
“Yeah, she didn’t get a nap in today. Do you mind staying? After Winnie goes to sleep, I’d like to talk to you.”
My heart started racing, and I felt the panic beginning to take hold.
