this little dude when he tried committing suicide by running in front of my truck.”
Her face softens, but it’s Rose who coos at him and looks at me like I’m a hero.
“I can’t take him home because my roommate’s allergic to the world, but especially cats, and most of the people I know can’t take care of themselves, so I was hoping…”
“Yes,” Rose answers, reaching for the cat.
“No,” Olivia says, shaking her head. “No way.” She turns her attention to Rose. “We can’t have a cat here. It’s in our lease. Plus, what if it has some disease or fleas? And have you seen what a cat can do to a couch or curtains?” She shakes her head again. “No way.”
“You want me to put it back outside?” I ask
Her blue eyes snap to me. “Yes. You probably took it from its mother.”
I shake my head. “I looked. This cat was in the middle of nowhere, miles from any houses, and there was nothing else around. But, if you want, I can put him back out there.” I reach for the cat that Rose is petting and making quiet promises to.
“You can’t do it tonight,” Olivia says on a huff. “An owl or something will make a snack of him. He’s tiny.”
Rose’s lips climb into a smile, but she doesn’t look at Olivia or me.
“Stop getting attached,” Olivia tells her. “We literally can’t have a cat. We’ll get kicked out.”
Rose lifts the cat, making kissing sounds at him. “Tell her she worries too much. Yes. What could a sweet little thing like you do?”
“Don’t tempt him to show us,” Olivia says, her Southern accent teasing the words. I take a moment to take her in while she stares at the cat. Her raven hair frames her face, and freckles pepper her cheeks and nose, and when her eyes turn back to me, I realize her eyes are lighter than I remembered.
“How’s your knee feeling? One crutch, this is a new improvement,” Rose says.
“It was more of a necessity, but, yeah.”
Rose grins and takes a step back, farther into her apartment. “You want to come in? We’ve got some food and were just watching TV.”
I feel like all I do is eat and watch TV since my accident, but a change of scenery is a welcomed change. Then I glance at my shirt and the streaks of mud drying across my chest. “I’m a mess.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I’ve got you covered.” Rose turns, disappearing into her room. “What size are you?” she yells?
I’m about to shout back an innuendo that I know she’d laugh at but swallow the joke as Olivia shifts, catching my attention. She looks wholesome and pure in a way where jokes about torpedo sized condoms would likely have her looking at me like I was what is wrong with humanity.
“Large or extra-large usually works,” I call back to her.
“You’ve got big shoulders,” she says from her room, once again opening the stage for a million innuendos that are nearly impossible to hold back.
“You should just say it,” Olivia says. “You look like you’re about to hyperventilate by keeping the words in.”
“What words?”
She drops her chin, but there’s the note of a smile on her face. “I live with Rose. Trust me, your jokes will be PG compared to what she shares.”
I grin, sensing the small hole in her defenses and offer my hand. “By the way, it’s nice to officially meet you.”
She stares at my fingers for a couple of seconds before slipping her hand into mine.
“So, where are you really from?” I ask.
“Texas, just outside of Austin. Where are you from?”
“What makes you think I’m not from here?”
“Your accent’s thicker than mine.”
I shake my head, a laugh hitting my lips. “Only to you. No one even assumes I’m not from here. But I’m from Jersey. It’s nice to meet you, by the way.”
She nods, raising dark eyebrows as her lips curl with amusement. “Are you done shaking my hand?”
“I was just about to ask you the same question.”
“Oh, yeah?”
I nod, pulling my hand free. “I thought you were offering me help since I look like a gimp.”
She chuckles, her cheeks pulling high.
“I even found you a Brighton Tee,” Rose says, appearing with a bunched shirt in one hand and the kitten in the other. “Also, we should probably get some necessities because Junior here just defiled a dress shirt someone left.”
Olivia shakes her head. “This is a bad idea.”
4
Olivia
“Maybe,” Rose says with a smile.