Page 29 of Autumn at the Cat Cafe

For the next twenty minutes she helped Dora get the café readyto open. At ten till eight, Birdie showed up. Via didn’t bother telling her about Leo’s upcoming visit. Dora would be more than eager to fill her in. Via headed for her office, Sir Meow at her heels.

Suddenly he meowed and dashed off. She turned to see the side door open and Leo walk into the café. Honestly, Sir could smell that man a mile away.

He turned to face her, still wearing Earl’s sweatshirt, his face shining with perspiration. He held up his hands, looking sheepish. “I locked myself out.”

Leo wasn’t used to keeping up with keys. His car, house, even his office had either keypad locks or sensory ones. A tap and everything was locked or unlocked. Which was why when he went upstairs to take a quick shower before his meeting with Via, he realized he’d left the key inside the apartment.

He couldn’t remember the last time he went out for a run. He swam at least five days a week in his pool at home to keep in shape. But he’d woken up extra early this morning for some reason. Earl didn’t have internet or a computer, and his TV, like his landline, was a relic. Leo hadn’t packed his laptop, so he took care of a few emails on his cell phone, then surprised himself by setting his email to reroute to Robert before he finished reading all of them.

Something must have clicked with him last night during his talk with Via. He didn’t want to deal with his job right now and that was unfamiliar to him. He didn’t want to spend the next three hours sitting on Earl’s old couch knee-deep in clutter either, so after finding Earl’s closet filled with clothes he could wear, he got dressed and left. The discovery was a boon. He’d planned to either overnight-order some clothes or find a suitable mall and purchasesome, but now all he had to do was buy some extra boxers. He drew the line at wearing his uncle’s old underwear.

He stood a few feet from the side door, sweaty from his run even though it was still chilly outside, and anxious about having to admit his mistake to Via. He ran his hand through his damp hair and shrugged. “I forgot the key.”

“I’ve got an extra one.” Via motioned for him to follow her.

“Meow!” Sir trotted behind him.

“Nope, you’re not invited.” She picked him up and raised her gaze to meet Leo’s. “I’ll be right back.”

He nodded and waited for her to return. This part of the café was more utilitarian than the front—shelves lined a black-painted wall and they were filled with cleaning and cat supplies. Bleach, kitty litter, wipes, and other staples. He’d noticed yesterday how bright and inviting everything was in Pawsitive Vibes. And while he could never imagine himself as a cat person, he was starting to see the appeal of a cat café.

Via returned, holding a bottle of water. “All right, Sir is taken care of. Gwen Tibbetts has him. She’s an extra cuddler.” She handed him the bottle.

He took it, appreciating her thoughtfulness. “What’s that?” he asked, twisting off the top.

“We have a few loyal patrons who just want to sit with a cat in their lap and pet it. No coffee, no conversation. Just calmness. Sir doesn’t mind, and he’s a customer favorite... when he’s behaving. I gave him a little catnip for good measure.”

He chuckled and took a swig of the cold water, then followed her to a door with a sign on it that said Cats Welcome, People Tolerated. She opened it and went straight to a desk, opened the top drawer, and fished inside. When she turned around, she had a key in hand, plus a small pink box. She handed them to him.

Leo took the key but not the box. Allergy medicine. Guilt hit him. “I’ve, um, got some in the apartment.”

“Here’s extra. I’ll do my best to keep Sir at bay, but I don’t want you suffering.”

She’d given him the chance to admit his lie, but they were on good terms right now and he didn’t want to jeopardize that. He took the box. “Thanks,” he said. He would tell her, though. Soon. He glanced at the clock. Five past eight. “It won’t take me long to shower—”

“You don’t have to.”

“I’m all sweaty.”

“You came back from a run, so of course you’re sweaty. You’ll cool off soon enough. Do you want some more water?”

“No,” he said, marveling at how nice she was being. Not that there weren’t nice people in LA. Robert was one of the nicest he’d ever met. But he was an employee, so it was different. And Leo was used to being on his own, with only himself to depend on. A bottle of water and box of unneeded allergy medicine made an impression.

She pulled over the extra chair in her office and he sat down. Like her apartment, it was eclectically decorated—the walls painted red with two tiers of shelving filled with cat-themed knickknacks. Her desk wasn’t messy but not as tidy as he normally kept his. A closed laptop with a purple cover on it was in the center, a few file folders to the left, a cat mug filled with pens, highlighters, and colored pencils to the right.

Grabbing a cat calendar off the wall, she brought it over and parked next to him.

“Don’t you use an electronic one?” Leo asked, looking at the picture. October’s cat of the month was a kitten sitting by a blackcauldron wearing a witch hat, tiny pumpkins scattered around. Kind of cute.

“Sometimes,” Via said. “But I like old school too. Besides, my phone is in the café.” She looked at Leo. “So’s Sir Meow.”

“Old school it is.” He listened as she pointed out the fixed Pawsitive Vibes activities already jotted on the calendar. Cuddles and Coffee on Tuesday, their monthly Senior Day this Wednesday, and Pawtrait night every other Thursday. “We always have a couple of pop-up activities that we do during the month. We get suggestions from customers, and if we can, we try to do them.”

Good thing she had him focusing on the calendar, because he needed the diversion. She smelled wonderful, like a mix of cinnamon, spice, and vanilla. She’d put her silky auburn hair up in a high ponytail, a few stray wisps framing her face. He really liked this natural, offbeat style she had going on. Meanwhile, he probably smelled like old sneakers, but she didn’t seem to mind.

Cats, right. They were talking about cats. “What’s this one?” He pointed to the third Friday.

“Meow and Mingle?” She sighed. “Dora came up with that one. I’m not too excited about it. Just because she and her boyfriend ‘re-met’ each other at a speed-dating event doesn’t mean we need one here.”