Page 20 of Autumn at the Cat Cafe

“We could go to the lounge—oh, wait, you’re allergic.”

Uh-oh. That had been a fib. No, an outright lie. He wasn’t allergic to anything, as far as he knew. At the time, he wanted her cat to leave him alone and that seemed to be the quickest way. He was fine going to the lounge, whatever that was. “I, uh, took some allergy medicine.”

She tilted her head at him, and he couldn’t tell if she suspected he wasn’t telling the truth, was deciding to talk to him about the shop, or both. Then she nodded. “I’ll hear you out after I finish up.”

He almost smiled with relief but pulled back. He never entered a negotiation showing his cards and he knew this discussion with Via would definitely be a negotiation.

Her sister appeared. “Hello again, Leo.”

He was struck by how much they looked alike. He also noticed subtle differences—Via was slightly taller. Her eyes were a lighter amber color, almost golden. Although she was slightly bent over the sink rinsing off a coffee mug, he had a full view of her. She waswearing a form-fitting orange-, teal-, and purple-striped sweater with the sleeves pushed up a few inches past her wrists. Without thinking, his gaze traveled the length of her, taking in those captivating curves.

“Via said you left for California.”

Dora’s statement yanked him out of his covert observation of Via, only to see from her sneaky smile it wasn’t so covert. “Plans changed,” he mumbled.

“I’m going on break,” Via said quickly, looking at Dora. “Can you cover for me?”

Dora’s face lit up. “I’d love to.”

Via rolled her eyes, then turned to Leo. “Do you want something to drink? I’m making a chai latte for myself.”

He nodded. “Coffee, black.”

“I’ll get those for you.” Dora was already behind the counter. She gave Via a little shove. “Go take your break. Time’s a’wasting.”

Another sharp squint at Dora, and Via moved left of the coffee station and went to him. “Follow me,” she said, and they entered the cat lounge.

He’d never seen anything like it. Several four-top tables were in the center of the expansive space, surrounded on the perimeter by cozy, cat-friendly furniture and comfortable-looking cats.

She gestured to the one empty table in the lounge. The others were occupied by customers. When he sat down, a tawny-colored cat immediately jumped in his lap.

Via hurried to Leo. “No, Toffee. You can’t sit there.” She bent over to pick up the cat, and in her haste, her chest brushed his shoulder. “She’s overly friendly. Sorry about that.”

Leo wasn’t. Not one bit.

He shut down the thought. Caffeine. That’s what he was missing,and once he got some, he’d rein in all this noticing he couldn’t seem to stop doing when he was around her.

She set the feline on the ground, gave her a soft pat on the head, and sat across from him. “I thought Sir was the only one who had a crush on you, but you’re a cat magnet. They always seem to be drawn to people who don’t like them.”

“I never said I didn’t like cats.” He preferred dogs but cats were fine.

“I guess you’re not all bad then.”

Considering the bright glint in her pretty eyes, he didn’t take her comment personally. He also liked a little bit of edge, and Via definitely had that.

He glanced over her shoulder to see Dora and Birdie watching them, smiling and whispering to each other. Past time to get to the point of their meeting. “Via—”

“Leo—”

She smiled, and warmth vibrated through him. This time, he couldn’t stop from smiling back.

“Black coffee,” Birdie said, placing his drink in front of him. He’d been so focused on Via’s smile, he hadn’t seen her approach. “And a chai latte for Smitten Kitten. Sir is in time-out, by the way. He kept trying to escape and see...” She glanced at Leo again. “Harvard Boy.”

Via slid in her chair. “Birdie...”

“Enjoy!” She gave them two thumbs-up and left.

“Smitten Kitten, huh?” Leo smirked.