Read Online The Cats that Surfed the Web by Karen Golden - Free Book Online
Authors: Karen Golden
Ads: Link
Lombard stood outside, holding a tray with a coffeepot and a sweet roll. “You wanted me to wake you at eight?”
“Yes, thanks. Please come in,” Katherine said.
The woman placed the tray on the dresser and then left.
Katherine’s cell phone rang and she hurried to answer it. She glanced at the incoming number, then said, “Colleen, I was just going to call you.”
“I’m so tired,” she complained. “I don’t think I slept a wink last night. I’ll be so relieved when you get back. Actually, I’m just kidding. The cats have been great. I had to lock them out of the bedroom last night because the big one—”
“Scout?”
“Yeah, her. She tried to strangle me.”
“That’s how she sleeps at night.”
“Oh. Anyway, they didn’t appreciate it at all. They howled like banshees and carried on for hours. ‘Twas a nightmare to behold. I finally got up and moved their cat bed out into the living room next to the radiator. They immediately curled up and went to sleep.”
“Perfect.”
Hey listen, Katz, is there something wrong with your cell phone? Your boss called and left a voice mail on your home phone. I saw the machine blinking and thought I’d just leave it alone, and you could check it when you got home. But Scout jumped up and stepped on the button.”
“Ah, my good girl,” Katherine cooed.
“Anyway, Monica complained that you hadn’t been checking your voice mail.”
“It’s the weekend, for pity sake,” Katherine said.
“She canceled the meeting for tomorrow morning.”
“She did what?” Katherine exclaimed in disbelief.
“She rescheduled it for Tuesday.”
“Oh, that witch. Why didn’t she tell me on Friday before I booked my flight?”
“That’s why I called you. Now you can take the extra day.”
“But I already paid for the round-trip ticket,” Katherine lamented. “It cost me a fortune the way it was. If I change the ticket it will cost more, so forget it. I’m coming back this evening. I’ll text you as soon as I land. We could order Chinese and have it delivered. You can tell me all about the office thing you attended, and I can tell you all about my Indiana thing.”
“Sounds good,” Colleen laughed, “But I may not be at your apartment when you get back. I’ve got tons of stuff to do at home.”
“Okay, we’ll play it by ear. Thanks so much for taking care of my kids. Bye.”
Katherine ended the call and took a sip of coffee. Awful , she thought. That woman must have warmed it up from yesterday . She jumped into bed, leaned back on the pillow, and thought about the decision she had to make.
Katherine weighed the pros and cons. She thought about the beautiful little bundle of fur named Abigail. She thought about the huge pink house and the guaranteed income for the rest of her life. She commanded an excellent salary in Manhattan, but she had paid the price: hardly any free time for herself. She was very close to being promoted to a manager position, which would require more work and absolutely no play.
Katherine wondered how her boss would react to her resignation. Would Monica be surprised? Angry? Would she dart to the phone and call her brother Gary? She wondered how much lead time a moving company needed to schedule a long-distance move.
She weighed the cons. She would be making a radical change—urban to rural. From the rush of the city, to the slow pace of the town. She didn’t know anyone in the town. She would have to make new friends. She would miss Colleen terribly. There would be no more hailing a cab and rushing off to the cinema for an eleven o’clock show, or two o’clock in the morning pizza deliveries. The town of Erie seemed to shut down at nine in the evening, with the exception of a few restaurants and bars.
She had just signed a two-year lease on her apartment. She was comfortable there. Yes, the space was small, and the cats would probably love running up and down the stairs at her great aunt’s home. But, wait , she
“Yes, thanks. Please come in,” Katherine said.
The woman placed the tray on the dresser and then left.
Katherine’s cell phone rang and she hurried to answer it. She glanced at the incoming number, then said, “Colleen, I was just going to call you.”
“I’m so tired,” she complained. “I don’t think I slept a wink last night. I’ll be so relieved when you get back. Actually, I’m just kidding. The cats have been great. I had to lock them out of the bedroom last night because the big one—”
“Scout?”
“Yeah, her. She tried to strangle me.”
“That’s how she sleeps at night.”
“Oh. Anyway, they didn’t appreciate it at all. They howled like banshees and carried on for hours. ‘Twas a nightmare to behold. I finally got up and moved their cat bed out into the living room next to the radiator. They immediately curled up and went to sleep.”
“Perfect.”
Hey listen, Katz, is there something wrong with your cell phone? Your boss called and left a voice mail on your home phone. I saw the machine blinking and thought I’d just leave it alone, and you could check it when you got home. But Scout jumped up and stepped on the button.”
“Ah, my good girl,” Katherine cooed.
“Anyway, Monica complained that you hadn’t been checking your voice mail.”
“It’s the weekend, for pity sake,” Katherine said.
“She canceled the meeting for tomorrow morning.”
“She did what?” Katherine exclaimed in disbelief.
“She rescheduled it for Tuesday.”
“Oh, that witch. Why didn’t she tell me on Friday before I booked my flight?”
“That’s why I called you. Now you can take the extra day.”
“But I already paid for the round-trip ticket,” Katherine lamented. “It cost me a fortune the way it was. If I change the ticket it will cost more, so forget it. I’m coming back this evening. I’ll text you as soon as I land. We could order Chinese and have it delivered. You can tell me all about the office thing you attended, and I can tell you all about my Indiana thing.”
“Sounds good,” Colleen laughed, “But I may not be at your apartment when you get back. I’ve got tons of stuff to do at home.”
“Okay, we’ll play it by ear. Thanks so much for taking care of my kids. Bye.”
Katherine ended the call and took a sip of coffee. Awful , she thought. That woman must have warmed it up from yesterday . She jumped into bed, leaned back on the pillow, and thought about the decision she had to make.
Katherine weighed the pros and cons. She thought about the beautiful little bundle of fur named Abigail. She thought about the huge pink house and the guaranteed income for the rest of her life. She commanded an excellent salary in Manhattan, but she had paid the price: hardly any free time for herself. She was very close to being promoted to a manager position, which would require more work and absolutely no play.
Katherine wondered how her boss would react to her resignation. Would Monica be surprised? Angry? Would she dart to the phone and call her brother Gary? She wondered how much lead time a moving company needed to schedule a long-distance move.
She weighed the cons. She would be making a radical change—urban to rural. From the rush of the city, to the slow pace of the town. She didn’t know anyone in the town. She would have to make new friends. She would miss Colleen terribly. There would be no more hailing a cab and rushing off to the cinema for an eleven o’clock show, or two o’clock in the morning pizza deliveries. The town of Erie seemed to shut down at nine in the evening, with the exception of a few restaurants and bars.
She had just signed a two-year lease on her apartment. She was comfortable there. Yes, the space was small, and the cats would probably love running up and down the stairs at her great aunt’s home. But, wait , she
Similar Books
