spare key. Déjà vu crept in as she thought about her incident in the jeep with Terry. It dawned on her that Terry might have been the last one to see Jev, the last one to see what she was doing, where she was going. Kate turned to see if Terry’s car was parked in the driveway, but it wasn’t. She needed to tell her about Jev. She didn’t know how well Terry knew Jev, but she gathered even if she didn’t know her well, it wouldn’t make telling her any easier.
Kate turned the lock and opened the door. The four of them filed inside the house, one at a time. She decided to put Jev’s house key on the key chain until they could find the missing one; maybe it was on the counter inside or possibly she’d given it to a friend. The pungent, rancid smell of excrement polluted the air; Kate had forgotten about Jev’s cat, Lucy. She guessed she was a cat owner now.
Thick pine green curtains covered the two living-room windows, casting an unpleasant darkness in the room. Kate noticed a lamp lit up the corner that hadn’t been on the other day when she was over. Apart from that, everything looked in order. The coffee cup and plate of crumbs she’d seen were gone too and the end table was wiped clean. Even the bright red pillow she’d seen on the floor had been positioned artfully on the couch. Jev had been home since her visit and had to have seen her note. She headed into the kitchen to see if her note was still on the counter. It wasn’t. So why hadn’t she called? Kate wondered, feeling a cold hurt from Jev’s avoidance of her.
She searched for Lucy’s litter box and set it outside to clean later, then walked back into the living room where her dad, Louise, and David stood, sharing light conversation. It seemed awkward to Kate given what had happened.
Unexpectedly, a soft meow came from the corner and everyone turned their heads to find Jev’s cat, Lucy, creeping out from under the futon.
“Hey girl,” David said, bending down to entice the cat with a jiggle of his fingers. Lucy’s tail quivered high in the air and she stretched her back paws out exaggeratedly before slinking toward him.
“I didn’t peg you as the cat type,” Kate said to him.
“I don’t have a type,” he replied, looking back up at her. “I like all animals.”
“Good answer,” Jack interjected. He came up behind David and set his hand on his shoulder. “I’ve found that preferences get us in a lot of trouble…know what I mean?”
David raised a brow at Jack who smirked at Louise. She shook her finger at him. Kate was relieved to know her dad hadn’t totally lost his sense of humor, but she could tell his protective wall was still up…but then, so was hers.
Kate walked up to the other side of David. “Her name’s Lucy. She’ll be sleeping on your side of the bed. Know what I mean?”
With mocking winks and nods, Jack and David seemed to express a mutual agreement regarding the male rules of triumphant courting. Louise shooed them with her hand and then fell into her comfort zone as a home decorator, turning on lights, pulling back curtains, and straightening the remotes on the coffee table.
“Stop, don’t touch anything,” Kate said curtly. Louise froze, feigning insult with an exaggerated frozen pose. “I just want to leave things as they are for now, how Jev had left them.”
Louise’s pursed lips faded into a forced smile. “I just can’t help myself sometimes. It comes natural, you know.” She held her hands up as if she wasn’t going to touch anything else. Kate detected irritation, but didn’t care. Today, she wasn’t up to playing niceties or good etiquette.
“I’m going to get something to drink,” Louise said, heading toward the kitchen. “Is that okay?”
“Help yourself,” Kate replied.
“Would anyone else like anything?” Louise asked.
“No thanks,” David replied.
“Some water would be great dear,” Jack told her before she left the room. He turned to Kate. “You could try to
Kate turned the lock and opened the door. The four of them filed inside the house, one at a time. She decided to put Jev’s house key on the key chain until they could find the missing one; maybe it was on the counter inside or possibly she’d given it to a friend. The pungent, rancid smell of excrement polluted the air; Kate had forgotten about Jev’s cat, Lucy. She guessed she was a cat owner now.
Thick pine green curtains covered the two living-room windows, casting an unpleasant darkness in the room. Kate noticed a lamp lit up the corner that hadn’t been on the other day when she was over. Apart from that, everything looked in order. The coffee cup and plate of crumbs she’d seen were gone too and the end table was wiped clean. Even the bright red pillow she’d seen on the floor had been positioned artfully on the couch. Jev had been home since her visit and had to have seen her note. She headed into the kitchen to see if her note was still on the counter. It wasn’t. So why hadn’t she called? Kate wondered, feeling a cold hurt from Jev’s avoidance of her.
She searched for Lucy’s litter box and set it outside to clean later, then walked back into the living room where her dad, Louise, and David stood, sharing light conversation. It seemed awkward to Kate given what had happened.
Unexpectedly, a soft meow came from the corner and everyone turned their heads to find Jev’s cat, Lucy, creeping out from under the futon.
“Hey girl,” David said, bending down to entice the cat with a jiggle of his fingers. Lucy’s tail quivered high in the air and she stretched her back paws out exaggeratedly before slinking toward him.
“I didn’t peg you as the cat type,” Kate said to him.
“I don’t have a type,” he replied, looking back up at her. “I like all animals.”
“Good answer,” Jack interjected. He came up behind David and set his hand on his shoulder. “I’ve found that preferences get us in a lot of trouble…know what I mean?”
David raised a brow at Jack who smirked at Louise. She shook her finger at him. Kate was relieved to know her dad hadn’t totally lost his sense of humor, but she could tell his protective wall was still up…but then, so was hers.
Kate walked up to the other side of David. “Her name’s Lucy. She’ll be sleeping on your side of the bed. Know what I mean?”
With mocking winks and nods, Jack and David seemed to express a mutual agreement regarding the male rules of triumphant courting. Louise shooed them with her hand and then fell into her comfort zone as a home decorator, turning on lights, pulling back curtains, and straightening the remotes on the coffee table.
“Stop, don’t touch anything,” Kate said curtly. Louise froze, feigning insult with an exaggerated frozen pose. “I just want to leave things as they are for now, how Jev had left them.”
Louise’s pursed lips faded into a forced smile. “I just can’t help myself sometimes. It comes natural, you know.” She held her hands up as if she wasn’t going to touch anything else. Kate detected irritation, but didn’t care. Today, she wasn’t up to playing niceties or good etiquette.
“I’m going to get something to drink,” Louise said, heading toward the kitchen. “Is that okay?”
“Help yourself,” Kate replied.
“Would anyone else like anything?” Louise asked.
“No thanks,” David replied.
“Some water would be great dear,” Jack told her before she left the room. He turned to Kate. “You could try to
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