Page 78 of Autumn at the Cat Cafe

Other than cleaning up the apartment and bookstore, he had a nice lunch on Tuesday with Bennett at the Corner Eatery, had taken Charlie for another ride in the Turismo—they could talk sports cars all day long—picked up the record player from Needle Drop Vinyl, and got a needed haircut at Barb’s Barbershop. It wasn’t the stylish coiffeur he was used to and she’d left it longer on the top and sides, but he liked it.

Keeping busy was good for fulfilling his stipulations, but his mind wasn’t far from Via, and he caught himself wondering what she was doing and if he should go to the café for a visit. Even Sir hadn’t been pawing or meowing at his door. He missed her, that was clear. Sir too, surprisingly. But he stayed reserved. One week to go before he left Pecan Corner. He didn’t want to think about that, or leaving her, but it was the reality of the situation.

On Saturday they were scheduled to go to the midnight corn maze, and it seemed like the longest day of his life. He wasn’t due to pick her up until eleven thirty, and as that time neared, his anticipation made his nerves dance. He felt like a teenager with his first crush, and he supposed half of that was accurate—he definitely had a crush on her. After changing his mind three times about what he was going to wear, he decided on one of Earl’s fishermen sweaters to add to his usual uniform of jeans and running shoes. He’d never worn jeans as much as he had since coming to Pecan Corner.

Finally, it was time to go. He knocked on her door, absently smoothing down his hair. This wasn’t a date, but he still had the jitters. But when she opened the door, his nerves immediately settled.

As usual, Via was dressed in cozy, autumn-hued clothing, and underneath her puffy teal coat she had on a cranberry sweater, jeans, and the boots she wore to the pumpkin patch. She also had corncob earrings, of all things. Quirky, and so very Via.

“Hi,” she said, smiling.

His heartbeat triple-timed. “Hey.” Then he frowned at her empty hand, expecting to see a leash or the catpack. “Where’s Sir?”

“I couldn’t get him to budge tonight. He wanted to stay home with Squeaks. I had to move her in with us because she couldn’t behave around the other kitties. She’s been by his side ever since.”

“Smitten kittens,” he said. At her nod, he added, “And I’ve been replaced.”

“Looks like it.” She shut the door behind her.

“Can you handle not having a chaperone?”

She smiled, but it didn’t seem to reach her eyes. “Since when do friends need supervision?”

Friends.He was starting to hate that word.

They walked down the stairs, and he headed for the front door.

“Aren’t we taking Gold Yeller?” she asked.

He paused. “I figured we’d take my car.”

“It’s dusty at the farm,” she said, tugging on the hem of her coat. “The Turismo will get dirty.”

Leo smiled. She’d gotten the name right. “I can wash it.”

Her eyebrows lifted. He was a little surprised himself. Three weeks ago he wouldn’t have dared let farm dirt get on his precious car.

“Let’s take the truck anyway,” she said. “I might want to get some more cornstalks.”

He didn’t think she could cram any more decorations inside Pawsitive Vibes, but he nodded and pulled out his key ring that held the Gold Yeller and apartment keys. “Our carriage awaits.”

Sanderson Farm, which hosted the corn maze, was closer to Pecan Corner than Paradise Pumpkin Patch, so the drive was short. When they arrived, the parking lot was full and the overspill lot was almost filled. “Popular attraction,” he said, pulling into a space.

“All right, here are the rules,” she said after they got out of the truck and headed to the farm. “You have half an hour to make it through the maze or the staff will rescue you.”

He stuck his hands into Earl’s jacket pocket. “How big is this maze?”

“Not too large, but it’s easy to get lost. They let you enter in intervals so you aren’t getting stuck behind people. If the line’s too long, we can get some snacks.”

“I’m down for that,” he said. “What else?”

“Um, that’s it basically. We can divide and conquer or stay together—”

“We’re staying together.” He was tired of dividing and conquering. “This is my first corn maze. I need guidance.”

“You’ll figure it out before I will, Harvard Boy,” she said with a grin.

“I seriously doubt it, Smitten Kitten, since you’ve done this before.”