Page 24 of Jilted Jock
“You’d let me name your cat?”
“She’s not my cat. Not for long anyway.”
“Did you find another home for her already?”
“Not yet, but my buddy Foster thought his sister might want her.”
“No!”
Finn chuckled.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t get rid of her. She’s bonded to you.”
“I think you mean you’ve bonded to her.”
“Well maybe, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of you two being separated.” Kitty came over and pranced in front of him until Finn picked her up. “She’s smitten.”
“Once the season starts, she’d be alone a lot. It’s not really fair of me to keep her.”
I nodded in understanding. “Maybe you could take her to kitty daycare or hire a nanny.”
“A nanny for my fucking cat?” He shook his head. “I’d never hear the end of it. I’d be laughed off the field.”
I smiled big.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.
“You just called heryourcat.”
We finished the strawberries and I took the bowl to the sink. I noticed Finn staring at the boxes in the entryway.
“Is that more stuff from your old apartment?” I wondered if it was hard to see his old life boxed up like that.
“No,” he said firmly with no indication he planned to say more.
“What’s in the boxes?”
He shook his head.
“Come on. Tell me.”
He stayed silent which only made me more curious.
“Fan mail? Is that the weekly shipment of used panties and heart-shaped cards?”
He snorted but didn’t reply.
“Free merchandise?” I guessed. “Do you have some sort of shoe or merchandise deal where they send you loads of free stuff? Chance’s still getting royalty payments off merchandising.”
“No.”
“Tell meeee,” I begged.
He walked over to the closest one and kicked it lightly with the toe of his shoe. “Nothing I care about.”
“The suspense is killing me.”
He turned then and studied me closely. I couldn’t tell what he was deciding, only that he was making some sort of call – to trust me, maybe. To open up. Finally, he nodded once. “Open it and find out.”
