She got the tin of chocolate down, measured a scoop of the dark powder, then added it to the simmering milk. She gave the mix a little stir with the small wire whisk that had come in the set.
Her doorbell rang.
Could that be him? She looked at her watch. The twenty minutes was up.
She turned the burner down, set the whisk aside, and went to answer the door.
Ethan stood on her front porch, loaded down with bags and a carrier that Bowie peered out of. “You didn’t think I was coming, did you?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I didn’t.”
“Have you changed your mind? Want to rescind the offer?”
“Nope. I don’t.” She stepped out of the way. Bowie meowed at her. She smiled at him. “Hiya, kit-cat. Nice to see you too.” And it was really nice to see Ethan. So nice, her right ankle started to ache.
Ethan stepped inside. “He hates being in the carrier.”
“Poor guy. Let him out then.”
“You’re sure?”
She laughed. “Well, you can’t keep him in there forever.”
“I just thought because I didn’t have his litter box set up—I’ll go get that right now.” He put the carrier down with the rest of his bags and unzipped the top. Bowie hopped out. “There you go, bud.”
He looked at Undrea. “Be right back.”
“Okay.” She wiggled her fingers at the cat, who was now standing in her foyer. “Hi, little dude. How are you? You look very handsome in your sweater. Like a kitty-bee. My friend Mattie would love it.”
Bowie was looking around, paying no attention to her. She figured that was how it would go. He’d need to get the lay of the land and sniff everything at least once before he felt comfortable.
“It’s cool,” she said. “Have an explore. See what there is to see. I don’t mind. I do have to go check on the hot chocolate, though, so don’t get into trouble while I’m gone, okay?”
He’d wandered into the living room and was sticking his head under the couch. Maybe he was going to crawl under there? She knew cats liked to hide. “Um…maybe don’t go under there, though?”
She could only imagine how much dust he’d end up covered in. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cleaned under there. That would make a great impression on Ethan, wouldn’t it? Turning his handsome Sphynx cat into a common household dust bunny?
With a sigh, she went into the kitchen, turned off the burner completely, and set the pan aside.
The front door opened, and the sounds of Ethan returning filtered in. She went back out to see what she could help with.
He had the litter box, a jug of litter, and another bag with him. He looked around the foyer. “Where’s Bowie?”
“Living room. He might have gone under the couch. Come on, I’ll show you.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “That cat.” He followed her in, then stopped and stared. “That has to be the tank.”
Undrea smiled. “It is.”
“It’s…amazing.” He put the litter box, litter jug, and the other bag down. “Explain it. What am I looking at?”
Her grin widened. “It’s an Amazon-style naturally planted and scaped six-hundred-and-fifty-gallon tank with ember tetras, green neon tetras, albino Corydoras, a pair of dwarf gouramis, and blue velvet shrimp. Those are just like the green jade you saw at my shop. Only blue. There are a couple varieties of snails in there too.”
He took a step closer, his eyes never leaving the tank. “That’s a lot of fish.”
She nodded. “Two hundred and fifty in each tetra school, twenty-five of the cory cats and who knows how many shrimp. They breed like rabbits.”
His smile was a little lopsided. Hitched up higher on one end. “I feel like I’m looking through a window into some underwater jungle scene.”
He got it, which made her all kinds of happy. “That’s pretty much the idea of an Amazon-style tank.”
He glanced at her. “This is modeled after the Amazon river?”
“That’s the general idea.” She went over to the light switch and turned off the room lights, leaving the tank as the only illumination.
“Wow,” he breathed. “How do you do anything but watch this tank all day?”
“Why do you think that chair is there?” She pointed to the Eames-style recliner that sat across from the tank. “Go on, sit. I have to finish the cup of hot chocolate I was making. Do you want one?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m good. Thanks.” He took a seat.
She returned to the kitchen and got her cup, adding a swirl of whipped cream to the chocolate after she poured it in.
When she came back to the living room, Bowie was sitting in Ethan’s lap. Thankfully neither he nor his sweater were covered in dust, either. “I see someone showed up.”
“He did.” Ethan glanced over, smiling. “I think he’s as enthralled by this tank as I am. I want one of these. This Amazon-style tank. When I get my house back. The saltwater is great, but this is…” He shook his head. “I want this.”
“You can have more than one tank, you know.”
He laughed. “I’m starting to get a feel for your business model.”
“Fish are addictive. Just saying.” With a grin, she pulled the small ottoman over and sat beside him.
He watched her. “I took your seat.”
“Because I offered it to you. It’s fine.” She crossed her legs and drank her chocolate while looking at the tank. It was something to behold, for sure.
“Why did you call those albino fish cory cats?”
“Corydoras are a type of catfish. Cories or cory cats is shorthand for them.”
“I think one went up for air.” He frowned. “Is that possible? It’s not sick, is it?”
She nodded. “Nope, not sick. They do that occasionally. They can also move their eyes independently, which makes it look like they’re blinking at you. They’re really entertaining. And there are lots of varieties, so you don’t have to go with the albinos.”
“They’re really cool.” He went back to just watching.
Bowie stood with his back feet on Ethan’s lap and his front feet on the arm of the chair and looked at Undrea.
She smiled at him and gave his cheek a scratch. “What’s up, little man?”
He leaned into her hand, then made a little chirp and pawed at her.
She laughed. “What do you want?”
Ethan snorted softly. “He wants to sit in your lap.”
“Really?” She put her cup down and patted her leg. “Come on.”
Bowie climbed over and curled up in the crook of her legs.
She stared down at him, petting his velvety head. “Look at that. He nestled right in.”
Ethan slanted his eyes at the cat. “Boy oh boy, didn’t take him long to make himself at home. He really likes you. The only other person he likes as much as me is my mom. You’re in rare company.”
“Well, I like him right back.” She smiled at the charming, purring beast in her lap. “He’s just the sweetest thing.”
As if he understood her, Bowie turned his head upside down and somehow made himself cuter.