I go to the door and pull it open. Felix sits right up and wags his tail.
“Hey buddy. You better not need to go back out. We were just out a couple hours ago.”
His soulful brown eyes drift away from mine and his tail goes rigid.
Oh shit. I was too busy enjoying my glass of wine to think about Oscar and what my giant dog would do to the little thing.
“Felix, no!” I grab him by the collar, but he doesn’t move. He freezes. I follow his eyes and see that Oscar has already sauntered over here like a quiet, little ninja.
She’s sitting nose to nose with Felix who must be ten times her size. I don’t know if she has a death wish, but shejust sits there like she owns the place. I mean I guess this is her home, but that doesn’t make me feel any better about her facing off with my dog.
“Come on, dumbass. Get back.” I try to tug on his collar but he’s so laser focused on her with his crazy prey drive. This stare down continues until Oscar finally breaks their eye contact and licks her paw a few times.
“Girl. Run away. Where is your self preservation instinct?”
She stops licking her paw and just when I think she’s going to leave, she does the opposite. This crazy, tiny black cat extends her paw and holds it out like a feline praying mantis. Then she does it. She actually boops Felix right on his nose and leaves her paw there. Felix’s nostrils flare as he seems to be more curious than anything.
I guess he’s more patient than I give him credit for. A couple years ago, when he was a puppy, he would not have been this chill. Cautiously, I loosen my grip on his collar and he just lays down in front of her, inching forward to keep sniffing her while she gently bats his face with her tiny paw.
Alright, I guess they’re friends now? I don’t know cats or their strange, witchy ways and customs.
“OK, weirdos. No one kill each other please.” I point two fingers toward my face then back at them. “I’m watching you.”
Two sets of eyes turn up at me and I’m actually kind of surprised. Then Felix licks her face and she rolls over next to him.
I let an out an exasperated breath and walk over to the couch. I guess I can enjoy my wine and let them do whatever they’re doing for a few minutes before bed. I plop onto the worn cushion near the end table. The moment I slump back into Sutton’s spot on the couch, it feels like home.
The couch is too comfy. I take another sip of my wine and feel the stresses of the last few weeks start to melt away.
Across the room, I hear Felix’s collar jingle. Looking up, I see Oscar rolling on her back batting his dog tags with her paws. He just keeps sniffing and licking her.
I chuckle to myself. Felix rarely gets to play with other dogs and he looks like he’s enjoying this. Maybe a cat with a death wish is close enough to a dog for him. Even though I might be about to fall asleep, I don’t want to interrupt them. So I grab one of the books from the end table and flip it open, thinking that reading might help me stay awake a bit longer.
I attempt to read the first page and nope—this book is in French, which I guess makes sense for a chef. I still flip through a few pages and see picture after picture of desserts and their recipes. Even half asleep my mouth waters. I keep skimming the pages guessing that I don’t really need to understand French to appreciate the food on the pages. Deciding to really make myself at home, I kick off my boots and curl up under the plaid blanket.
A thud and grumbling sound across the room lifts my eyes from the image of chocolate cake that I’m starting to drool over. Both of them are now curled up and lying in front of the apartment door.
I sigh because I know what they’re doing. They’re waiting for someone. I shake my head and keep paging through the book, glad that Felix has gotten better at greeting people at the door. He was more than a handful as a puppy and would downright tackle people.
I’m not really sure what I expected from Sutton’s place, but I know it wasn’t this. Looking around the room, I decide that I would want my future place to feel like this apartment does. It’s not the same as it was when it was Grandma’s, but it feels so inviting and comfortable. So much so that I feel myself start to drift away, breathing in the scent of a place that feels like a home.
CHAPTER 19
SUTTON
Two Years Earlier
This is it.This is how I die.
I feel the crushing weight on my chest, pressing down on me, and I look into the eyes of the giant black and tan animal on top of me. I’m going to be mauled to death by a wolf or whatever this thing greeting me at Kelsey’s door is.
Or wait… maybe licked to death?
Instead of biting or clawing, my face is met with lick after lick from the giant dog. I guess she did say he doesn’t bite.
“Felix! No!” she calls out, trying to pull the dog off me by his collar. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry.”
I remain pinned to the ground, while the huge, furry dog—who I now know as Felix—stands with two paws on my chest. He stops licking and looks down at me. I swear this dog actually speaks to me through those deep brown, soulful eyes.