Page 47 of Keystrokes and Kittens

“That would be lovely.” I cast him a sideways glance. “The problem is that we’ll still have the kittens and I have a dog, Tibby. I suppose I could board her.”

“Come home.” Sam blurted the words. “Bring him here. When you can. I just…LA…”

Quinta’s gaze softened. “I know. I just…thought I should try.”

I squeezed Sam’s knee. “I have a wonderful property on Big Butte Lake. You can have your own bedroom. Unless you have your heart set on staying in Hartsville.” I winced. “Sorry, jumping the gun.”

She laughed. “Oh, I like you. I need to know more about you.”

So, as she had shared Laurent and what was going on in her life, I told her a bit about myself. Mostly to do with work and funny anecdotes about raising a labrador retriever puppy.

Tibby, upon request, put her nose on the table and we were able to angle the camera in such a way that she could look up.

Quinta sighed, cooed, and promised treats when they met.

My dog was charmed.

We showed off Peaches and Jack. Peaches yowled, Jack slept, and both ate when the time came.

And still we kept talking.

Quinta was so easy to converse with. She had a natural charisma that far outshone Sam’s.

Maybe because Sam was shy. In the store, he handled himself well—but he’d always held something back with me. I had an inkling, now, of why that was.

“I’ll buy the tickets for you to come up.” Sam nodded. “The weekend of the fourth, right?”

“Sure. But I think we might want to drive up. It’s notthatfar.” She grinned. “We can stop along the way. It’ll depend how much time we can get. Everything’s closed for the holiday.”

“Great.” I grinned. “Any food allergies? Or pet stuff? Or—”

She shook her head. “All good for both of us. One of my roommates has a cat, and we all adore the old cantankerous queen. Your two look like they’ll be way more friendly.”

Sam managed a smile. “Well, they’ll have their eyes open and be motoring along.” He swallowed.

“It’s okay to be sad.” She gazed at the camera—and therefore at Sam. “You remind me of that. That we still have love in our hearts.”

“How did you get to be so smart?” Sam sniffed.

“You raised me.” Said without a moment’s hesitation. In so many ways, Quinta clearly loved her uncle. “I have to run. But I’ll email you when I have the details of our trip.”

“I can send more money.” Sam sounded a little desperate—like he didn’t want to end the call.

She shook her head. “The lab pays me a decent salary, and I’m still sharing an apartment that’s not stupid expensive.”

“What will you do in the fall?”

“Laurent’s roommate is moving to Paris. Yes, literally Europe. So Laurent planned to find a new roommate, and I suggested that I just move in. He agreed, and that was that.”

“How romantic.” I offered that as a tease.

She grinned. “I know my own mind. In truth, it’s a little awkward having roommates.” She glanced at the camera. “But we’ve been very restrained.”

Sam winced.

A laugh bubbled up from both Quinta and me.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, Uncle Sam. Love you.” She cut the call.