Want to see if you like any of these?”
He moved the tray to the floor, then pushed it toward the cat before sitting back to see what the creature would do.
As the cat approached the tray, Robin kept talking to it. “Do you have a name? I feel like I should call you something, but I don’t know if you’re a boy or a girl. And I’m not sure I could tell even if I looked.”
The cat glanced up at him suddenly.
“Yes, I suppose that would be rude of me as well. All right, then, what shall I call you?”
The cat sniffed all three bowls and settled on the one in the middle. The salad shrimp.
“Shrimp, hmm? I would have guessed the tuna first. Further proof I know nothing about cats.” He settled against the chaise and watched with great curiosity. The animal ate with more delicacy and grace than he’d expected. There was no gulping down of the food, but careful, dainty bites.
“How about Pepper?” Robin asked. “You were rather spicy with my valet. Which is fine. He deserved it. For the record, I would have never let him hurt you.”
The cat looked up, licking its chops.
“Pepper is black, too.”
The cat went back to the bowl, clearly less invested in the conversation than Robin.
He didn’t mind. “And Pepper could be a girl name or a boy name.”
The cat kept eating.
“All right, Pepper it is. I’m going to assume you’re a boy. Unless you decide to tell me otherwise.”
Pepper finished the shrimp, had a few bites of the salmon, then a few bites of the tuna, and finally jumped up onto the foot of the chaise, where he went to work washing his face. Again.
Robin realized he’d been smiling the whole time he’d been watching the cat. “You might be just what I needed, little one. You and our new Theodora. But I think if you decide to live here, we’re going to have to get you a collar. That way, if you get lost, it’s clear where you belong.”
Finally clean enough, Pepper yawned, walked up the chaise until he was across from Robin, then flopped down next to him. Not touching. But beside him all the same.
“Do you live in the enchanted forest? I know there are meowls there, but they’re not exactly cats. Is that really a safe place for you to live? There are hellhounds in there. I just heard one last night.”
Pepper let out a little sigh.
“I suppose you’ve done all right protecting yourself.” Robin put his hands behind his head. “You look very soft. Can I pet you?”
Pepper’s eyes were half shut. He seemed amenable. And maybe a little sleepy. A bird flew past the balcony, and he didn’t budge.
Robin took the chance. Slowly, he moved one arm down and traced his fingers over the curve of Pepper’s head. “You are soft.”
Pepper’s eyes closed all the way, and he started to rumble.
Robin inhaled in surprise. “You’re purring, aren’t you? That means you like this. Or you’re happy right now. Either way, I know it’s a good thing.” He nodded. “I could totally have a cat.”
Pepper put his head down, closed his eyes, and gave a big exhale as if the weight of the day had just been lifted off him.
Robin stroked the animal’s back, pausing to feel the vibrations of joy filling his little body. The cat was thin, but not to the point of being worrisome. And Robin figured a few days of good eating would help that tremendously. If it didn’t, maybe a vet visit would be in order.
He almost laughed. He was making plans for the animal, and he had no idea if the cat would even stick around. One day at a time.
Before long, Pepper seemed sound asleep, and for the first time in a long time, Robin felt the pull of sleep himself. He closed his eyes, one hand resting on Pepper’s side, and drifted off.
When he awoke, he was still on the chaise, but Pepper was gone, and someone had covered him with a throw.
None of that surprised him so much as the fact that the sky was pink with dawn. He’d slept the entire night.
That shocked him so much that he sat bolt upright and blinked at the sky in disbelief. Clouds were already rolling in to mute the rising sun. “How is that possible?”
He looked around for any sign of the cat, but Pepper had definitely left. Robin’s hot toddy and iced oatmeal cookies were still on