Gravity (Greenford #2) - Romeo Alexander Page 0,60

time he’d seen Sam, the man had looked near to being defeated, though he’d done a good job of concealing it at the end. After that, the few glimpses he’d caught of Samuel had been in passing, and he had worried that the man didn’t look like he’d been sleeping again.

But it wasn’t his place to ask, and he didn’t want to intrude. Samuel had made it clear that he had to do it on his own, and as much as Caleb wished it could be any other way, he couldn’t force it. In the end, only Samuel could fix what was wrong, at least as long as he believed it had to be that way.

“Looks like it’s just you and me tonight,” he told the ball of fluff watching him from the hallway. “What do you think of that, Axel?”

The name, which would have probably been more fitting for a hundred-pound guard dog, instead belonged to the small orb of gray fur that he was told was a cat. According to the adoption papers, she was two years old, having spent her early years with an elderly woman who had lived alone. Axel had been named by the woman’s teenage grandson and wasn’t equipped to deal with children, which had made her difficult to adopt out.

Yet, just like she had done when she’d seen him from her cage, Axel piped up with a soft meow at his question. Chuckling, Caleb crossed the room to scoop her up in his arms and cradle her gently. She’d been with him for only a week, but Axel had grown fond of him, almost as fond as he was of her. The little cat wiggled to make herself comfortable, closing her eyes gently as she started in with the soft rumble of a purr that vibrated against his arm.

“Sounds like a good Friday night to me,” he told her with a smile. “Let’s see about getting you some treats and then getting me some treats. And we can spend the rest of the night pretending we’re not lazy in front of the TV.”

She trilled softly at his question, bringing another chuckle from him as he turned to the kitchen. Caleb had taken one step when he heard a firm but quick set of knocks at the door.

He stopped, looking down at the cat in his arms. “Did you order takeout when I wasn’t looking?”

She squinted up at him but otherwise chose to keep her peace. Shrugging, he turned back around and walked to the door. Axel was small enough that she fit comfortably in the crook of one arm, allowing him to reach out and open the door, though he nearly dropped her when he found Samuel standing on his front step.

“Uh, hi,” Samuel said, fidgeting as he waited for Caleb to say something.

“Hi,” Caleb said, not sure what was happening.

Samuel’s eyes drifted down and widened when he spotted Axel. “Holy shit. You got a cat.”

“Oh,” he looked down and smiled at her. “Yes. Her name is Axel.”

“God, aren’t you just adorable? Holy shit, she’s like, ninety-percent fur,” Samuel chuckled, reaching out a hand for Axel to sniff.

Caleb watched the small cat crane her neck to gently sniff, lingering on the man’s knuckles. “Just got her a couple of weeks ago. She’s settling in nicely. Practically rules the roost.”

“She’s a cat, it’s what they do,” Samuel chuckled. “I shouldn’t be surprised you got one. You always did love your cats.”

“Says the man cooing over her,” Caleb pointed out.

Samuel shrugged. “I love animals. I grew up with them, you should know that by now.”

Caleb did. Out of the two of them, it was Sam who was most likely to stop on the street to greet a happy dog or a wandering cat. Every time they passed by an adoption clinic, Sam always struggled to go in to see the animals, proclaiming he wanted them all.

“Why didn’t you get one?” Caleb asked. “You definitely have the space and the money now.”

“Eh. Doesn’t seem right to get a dog, I’m not home enough for it to be fair to one. And I’ve thought about getting a couple of cats.”

“A couple?”

“Yeah, cats like having company too. I’d feel way more comfortable having two cats instead of one.”

Axel had finished her required amount of sniffing, settling back onto Caleb’s arm with a content squint of her eyes. Caleb didn’t miss that she was watching Sam carefully, but he wasn’t sure if that was out of acceptance or wariness.

“Oh