Didn’t mean she couldn’t fantasize about it.
Mateo came out and sat next to her holding a glass container she recognized. “Charlotte made you lunch?”
He grinned. “Jealous?”
“Hell, yes. Is that her famous three-cheese lasagna?”
“The one and only.” He pulled out two forks and handed her one.
“You are a God among men,” she said fervently.
“While I’m not opposed to that title, it was Charlotte’s doing. She gave me this container on the demand that I share with you, because, as she said, you probably packed a protein bar and a soda.”
They both looked down at Jane’s protein bar and can of soda.
Mateo laughed and began eating. She did too, and they raced each other to the middle, because if there was one certainty on this job, it was that no break lasted long.
After a few minutes of blessed silence stuffing themselves, Jane pointed her fork at Mateo. “So what’s up with you and Charlotte?”
“Other than that she finally allowed me to help her take down the holiday lights? Nothing.”
“She fed you. She only feeds the people she cares about.”
Mateo smiled hopefully. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She jabbed her fork in his direction again. “Hurt her and answer to me.”
“Hurting her is the very last thing I want to do.”
It was Jane’s turn to smile hopefully. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Then good luck to you,” she said seriously. “The odds are against you.”
“No kidding. Got any tips?”
“I wish I did. But the fact is, she’s dead set against opening her heart.”
“Why?”
Jane shook her head. “Not for me to say, but trust me, she has her reasons.”
He looked troubled as he nodded. “Yeah. I’m getting that loud and clear.”
She put her hand over his. “Just don’t give up too soon, okay?”
“I won’t.”
“Good. Oh, and while we’re doing this, your best friend is Levi? How did I not know that?”
Mateo shrugged. “Until the gondola incident, I hadn’t seen him in a few years.”
She set her fork down. “Because of Amy?”
He lifted a shoulder.
“I’m sorry about your sister, Mateo.”
He sighed. “Yeah. Me too.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you knew Levi?”
“You mean that night in the hospital? He was a patient. HIPAA and all that . . .”
She nodded. “And after?”
He looked at her. “Until right this very minute, I didn’t realize there was anything to talk about.”
Crap. “There isn’t.”
He laughed. “Uh-huh. You do realize you’re about as forthcoming with your emotions as Charlotte, right?”
“Pretty sure I’m worse,” she admitted.
“Yeah, well, knowing it is half the battle.” He paused. “Levi seem okay?”
She met his eyes and saw genuine concern. “He says his headaches and dizziness are mostly gone.”
“I didn’t mean that. I mean . . . shit.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I’m not as bad at this as you and Charlotte are, but I’m not good at it either.”
“You’re worried about him.”
“He cut himself off from friends and family, like maybe he thought he didn’t deserve that kind of connection. Which is bullshit, of course. I’m glad he’s back, but he’s still here only because of the gondola accident.”
“You think he’s going to vanish again?”
“Well, not until you go anyway.”
“So you do know something.” She shook her head. “It’s not like that.”
“I hope you’re wrong.”
“It’s a long story,” she said. “But I’m just pretending to be his girlfriend for some family dinner.”
Mateo stared at her and then grinned. “Oh, man. You’re so in over your head.”
“Why? Is his family awful?”
“No. They’re amazing.”
Her phone pinged an incoming voice mail. It was from the local humane society, offering free shots for rescue animals. The email went on to stress the importance of keeping the immunizations of rescue pets current so they remained healthy, and offered a phone number to call for a free appointment. She looked over at Mateo. “Should I get Cat his shots even though he’s not mine?”
“Yes, and yes he is.”
She hit the number and was surprised to get an opening for five o’clock. “I don’t have a cat carrier,” she realized when she’d disconnected.
“Charlotte has one in her garage. I don’t know why. I think a previous renter had a cat.”
So that’s how Jane found herself after work wrestling Cat into the carrier she did indeed find in Charlotte’s garage. He went into it willingly enough, but narrowed his eyes at her when she shut the crate’s door.
Then proceeded to howl his displeasure all the way to the animal shelter.
“Free,” Jane told him via the rearview window. “And it’s important to your health that you get your shots.”
He had a lot to say about this, but she carried him into the shelter anyway, still yowling his displeasure.
The woman at the front desk looked up and smiled. “Oh my,” she said. “He’s got quite a voice.”
“Sorry, and yes, he does. My name’s Jane, and I have an appointment.”
The woman’s smile widened, her eyes friendly behind a pair of bright blue glasses. “Hello, Jane, how lovely to meet you. I’m Shirl. We didn’t actually get the name of your lovely cat.”
“It’s Cat. Short for Alley Cat.”
If Shirl thought this was odd, she didn’t show it as she had Jane fill out a form and then took her and Cat to a patient room.
“Oh, look at you,” Shirl said softly to Cat, who’d stalked out of the crate when Jane opened it, looking royally pissed off. “What do we know about this beauty?”
“Not much. He’s a stray, but I don’t think anyone lets him inside their house or has gotten him checked out.”
“Aw.” Shirl bravely scooped Cat up from the floor and set him on the examination table. “Don’t you have a sweet cat mommy?”
“I’m not,” Jane said. “He just lives in the alley behind the house I’m staying in, and I wanted to make sure he’s taken care of.”
“So a good cat mommy with a big heart.” Shirl continued to love up on Cat, who’d lost his defensive stance and seemed to be enjoying the attention.
“This precious boy needs a real name,” Shirl said. “That’s the first step in making him yours.”
“But he’s not mine.” Just saying it gave Jane’s heart a squeeze. “I’m a nurse. I work twelve-hours shifts that always turn into more, so I’d be a terrible cat mom. Plus, I’m here only until the end of ski season, and then I’ll be gone.”
This seemed to startle Shirl. “Where to?”
“I think it’s Haiti next.”