I point to the two kittens that were brought in today and he nods.
“Sounds good. Sheila and I are headed up to the lake this weekend but I’ll have my phone on me so give me a call and let me know how they’re doing, will you?”
I nod. “Of course. Have a good weekend, Sir.”
“You, too, Kady,” he calls, shaking his head as he grabs his files and heads back to his office. When he disappears, I turn back to the kennels and slowly approach the two tiny kittens in the top cage.
“Hi, babies,” I coo and one of the kittens, a little orange one with a white stripe on her nose, lifts her head as she softly mews back at me. The other one, a gray and white little girl, watches me carefully but makes no move to approach the front of the cage. We appraise each other carefully and I decide to leave her be as I scoop her sister up and cuddle her against my chest. She purrs and nudges my hand for more attention as I laugh.
“Well, isn’t this adorable,” a voice says from behind me and I roll my eyes as I spin to face Hannah, my best friend.
“Listen, woman, I don’t need your sass today.”
She laughs as she pulls a chair out and sits down. “You’d be lost without my sass and you know it, babe.”
“I plead the fifth.”
“Typical,” she fires back with a laugh before turning serious. “By the way, did you get my voice mail? About you know who being back in town?”
“Yeah,” I sigh, setting the kitten back in its cage. “I got it. And you don’t have to avoid using his name like he’s Voldemort or something.”
She shrugs as I close the cage and walk across the room before sinking into the chair next to her. “I don’t know the protocol for when your best friend’s soul mate suddenly shows up out of the blue after seven years.”
“He didn’t show up out of the blue; he was released from jail and don’t call him that.”
“What?” she asks, arching a brow. “Your soul mate? What the hell else would I call him?”
I shake my head. “How about nothing at all?”
“Oh, come on, Kady.”
Pushing out of my seat, I walk back to the kennels and pet one of the dogs through the bars. “You know he and I can never go back to the way things were.”
“If you say so but that doesn’t mean…”
“Yes, it does, Han. Noah and I are ancient history and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”
She sighs. “Are you sure? I mean, I saw him the other day and boy is still stupid hot. Like even better than he was seven years ago. Plus, he’s still got it bad for you.”
“I know,” I mutter, dying to ask her how she knows that. “He showed up at the cabin.”
“What?” she screeches, lurching out of her chair as her eyes widen. “And you’re just telling me now? What the hell?”
“It doesn’t matter, Han. Nothing has changed, no matter how good he looks.” I glance over my shoulder and meet her gaze. She studies me for a moment before sighing and sinking back into her chair.
“I get it, Kady, I really do but what you and Noah had… It was epic, the kind of love we always dreamed of. I really hate to see you throw that away.”
“I’m not throwing it away, Hannah. It was taken.”
She opens her mouth but before she can say anything else, my phone starts ringing and she sighs as I pull it out of my pocket. Mason’s name flashes on the screen and I show her.
“I need to get this.”
“Are you really going to keep seeing this guy now that Noah’s back in town?”
Ignoring her, I turn away and press the phone to my ear. “Hey, Mason.”
“Hey, gorgeous. We still on for dinner tonight?”
“Absolutely. I just need an hour to finish up here at work and get changed. Do you want to meet up at the restaurant?”
“Not a chance, babe. I’ll pick you up at the cabin.”
I shake my head. “You really don’t have to do that. It’s a long drive.”
“My mother would skin me alive if she ever got word that I didn’t pick a lady up like a proper gentleman so I’ll see you in an hour.”
I laugh before agreeing and saying good-bye. As I hang up the phone, another sigh catches my attention from behind me.
“Yes, Hannah?”
“Nothing. I just love you.”
My heart aches as I smile at my best friend. She’s been by my side since the moment we met twenty-four years ago and I have no idea what I would do without her in my life. I never had parents or siblings, no aunts, uncles, or grandparents that loved me but I’ve always had Hannah.
“Love you, too.”
She stands up from her chair and pulls me into a hug. “Have a good night and call me tomorrow. We’ll grab lunch or something.”
“Sounds good, babe.”
After she releases me, she goes back to the front desk and I finish up cleaning the back room before grabbing my things and heading out to my truck. The feeling of being watched overwhelms me again but I shake it off as I slip behind the wheel, choosing to focus on my plans for the evening instead. There’s nothing I can do about Noah coming back into my life or all the baggage he brings with him but I won’t let him destroy everything I’ve managed to build in the last six years.
The cabin is peaceful as I pull into the driveway and I scan the tree line before turning off the truck and hopping out. Jack lets out a warning growl as I unlock the door but as soon as he sees me, he hops up, his tail wagging like crazy.
“Hi, Jackie. You have a good day?”
His butt wiggles back and forth as he runs across the room to see me and I laugh as he stops himself just before he crashes into my legs. As I run my hand over his head, he sits and looks up at me with his big, brown eyes full of devotion.
“Were you a good boy today?” I ask, scanning the room. Most days, I have nothing to worry about when it comes to Jack but every once in a while, he gets a wild hair and I’ll come home to toilet paper all over the cabin or the fridge wide open and all its contents all over the floor. When I’m convinced that everything is as I left it, I shut the front door behind me and dump my bag on the desk in the corner with a sigh. I’m exhausted after working at the animal clinic all day and I’d love nothing more than to light a fire and read all night but I know I need to get out of the house. After Noah’s reappearance in my life, I haven’t been able to stop looking over my shoulder and being out here, all alone, will only drive me crazy.
Jack barks and I whip toward the door as the motion detector starts going off. I order Jack to his bed.
“Who is it, Jack?” I whisper, creeping toward the window and peeking out of the curtains. Mason, in all his good old southern boy charm, flashes me a grin from his spot in the driveway and I shake my head. The large bouquet of flowers in his hand is complete overkill but I’m not having that argument again. Stepping away from the window, I let the curtains fall back into place. Jack jumps up from the bed and follows at my side as I approach the door and swing it open.
“I thought you said an hour?” I call to Mason and he chuckles before shaking his head as he walks up the front walk.
“Well, I did but you know how impatient I can be.” He stops in front of me and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me close. “Besides, you look so damn cute in your scrubs.”