Page 28 of Autumn at the Cat Cafe

From his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and chiseled jaw, she figured he worked out, and that had her imagining exactly how defined his biceps were under that sweatshirt... which looked suspiciously similar to one Earl used to wear. “Is that your uncle’s?” she asked, gesturing to the shirt.

He nodded, seemingly a little self-conscious. “I only packed for a couple days,” he said. “Wasn’t expecting to stay longer than that. I opened the bedroom closet this morning and it is full of clothes from different eras.”

Now that wasn’t a surprise. “He didn’t like to throw things away.”

“I’m starting to realize that. Good thing we’re close in size.”

They must have been close in size when Earl was younger. She’d only known him when he was in his seventies, with the slumped shoulders and rounded paunch typical of men his age. But now that she was noticing, he had been close to Leo’s height. But that’s where the similarities ended. Earl’s eyes had been blue, not bright green, and his silver hair had thinned so much he was rarely seen without a baseball cap.

Sir plopped on top of Leo’s shoes.

Not again. Via tugged on Sir’s leash. With the exception of his little tantrum over Sir shedding on his suit, Leo had shown a lot of restraint when it came to him and the other cats in the café. “Come here, Sir.”

The cat ignored her.

What happened to her well-behaved boy from last night?

Leo stepped out from under Sir’s ample body. “Better get going.”He headed down the stairs, then called over his shoulder, “See you at eight.”

“See you.”

“Meow!”

Via picked him up, and he tried to break free. Last night had been a reprieve apparently, and she suspected it had to do with the nibbles of chicken fried steak she’d given him. Sir knew which side his bread was buttered on. But he couldn’t keep pestering Leo. “No,” she said in his little curled ear. “Leave him alone.”

The downstairs door shut, and Sir looked at her blankly, as if he had no intention of minding her.

She set him down and they went to her apartment. He roamed around as she took inventory of her fridge and pantry, made a list, then tucked it in her pocket. After a few more quick chores, she and Sir headed downstairs to the café. When she went inside, soft morning sunlight was coming through the window and the cats were eating their breakfast in the back.

Dora came out front, carrying a large bag of coffee beans that she set on the counter. “What are you doing here so early?”

“I have another meeting with Leo at eight o’clock.”

Juniper meowed, and Via looked down to see her sitting next to her purple suede boot. “I’ll be with you in a few minutes,” she said. Right now she had to give her sister her undivided attention.

“We’ll be in my office,” Via continued. “I don’t want to be disturbed.” When Dora’s face broke out into a grin, she said pointedly, “It’s a business meeting.”

“Sure it is,” Dora said. “That’s why you’re looking extra cute today.”

She glanced down at her burnt-orange jeans, white henley shirt, and red cardigan. “What’s so cute about this?”

“It’s not just the outfit.” She gestured up and down at her. “It’s the total package. Your cheeks are even pink... Did you already see Leo this morning?” When Via didn’t answer, Dora’s smile widened. “You so did.”

Even though the café wasn’t open yet, she pulled Dora to the side. She told her about their meeting last night and what they would be talking about this morning. She left out the part about Perry Percival. Dora didn’t know who he was, and Leo had reassured her that he wasn’t going to sell to him. “It’s all very logical.”

“Logical. Right. Keep telling yourself that.”

“Dora—”

But her sister was already walking away. “Don’t worry,” she said, her teasing grin firmly in place. “I’ll make sure you and Leo are left alone.”

Via tapped her head on the counter. Getting through to her sister was hopeless.

“Meow!”

She knelt down to pet an insistent Juniper, and suddenly Mochi, Cinnamon, and Onyx, a normally shy white female, were clamoring for attention. She smiled, grateful for her kitties. She moved over to the couch and sat down. All three jumped up and presented themselves for cuddles. Calmness immediately came over her.

Dora could keep stating that there was something between her and Leo, but there were so many reasons why they wouldn’t work. A big one was his cat allergy. Trevor might not have treated her well, but he was always decent to Sir Meow. And while Leo was being tolerant, he only had to be for the next thirty days. She would do her best to keep Sir away from him as much as possible. It wasn’t fair that Leo had to take allergy medicine all the time on account of her cats.