Keeping Kenzie - Pepper North Page 0,13

to be naughty?”

“No! I’m a good girl,” she rushed to reassure him.

“Then, that answers your question.”

She turned back to study the drawing. “Would there be room for a chameleon there?”

“Of course Cupcake would be welcome. Maybe, we’d need to do some research and see if a real chameleon would be happy in our house as well.”

“I know all about chameleons. They have two now at the store. They go fast.” Her memory jogged, she twisted on his lap to look for a clock.

“It’s ten after seven, Kenzie. What time do you need to be at the store?”

“At eight. I better get dressed. Oh, no! I forgot to change the clothes from the washer to the dryer.”

“I finished the laundry. It’s all folded neatly on the dryer.” He set her down on the floor and swatted her bottom. “Hang them up neatly in the closet. And come back here for breakfast. I have a breakfast sandwich you can take with you if you’re rushed for time,” Osiris advised.

In a flash, she darted to the laundry room and carried the armful of clothes to her room. Setting them down on the bed, she decided she would hang them up later. She was too worried about getting to work on time. Dressing and putting on her dried tennis shoes, Kenzie stopped in the bathroom to pee and brush her hair and teeth. Dashing back into her room, she kissed Cupcake goodbye.

“I’m ready to go. Thanks for getting the smoke out of my clothes.” She lifted her lips to offer him a kiss. Kenzie loved that he swept her into his arms and gave her a Kiss with a capital K. Osiris truly knows how to make my toes curl!

Taking the breakfast sandwich from his hand, she flew to the door with her keys, phone, and wallet. “See you after five.” With a wave, she ran out to her car. Prudently, she dropped a marker on her phone’s navigation program to make sure she’d be able to find her way back home. “Home,” she thought contentedly. Osiris already had made her feel at home.

Chapter 7

What an awful day! The boss had literally followed her as she did her work, inventing demerits to add to her evaluation file. Kenzie was always very careful when she cleaned out the cages. Her first concern was for the animal inside.

The owner seemed to be focused on finding anything to criticize. When he opened a cage to inspect for stray kitty litter on the bottom surface, Kenzie saw him deliberately leave the cage partially open. The boisterous kitten, wound up after playing with Kenzie when she cleaned his cage, bounced against the barrier and tumbled toward the floor. Kenzie, already on her way to close it securely, dropped to her knees to catch the small creature inches from the floor.

“Look what you’ve done. That’s a pedigreed Persian. That’s it. You’re done. Get your things and leave.”

“What? I didn’t leave the cage door open. You were the last in that area,” Kenzie protested as she soothed the kitten.

“Your job is to keep the animals viable for sale. You risked that one being unsaleable. That’s a very expensive product. Grab your purse and leave. Your last paychecks will go to train a new employee.”

“That’s not fair. I’ve worked very hard for you. Why are you trying to get rid of me?” she asked in shock.

“I’ve asked you to leave. I’ll call the police to have you removed if you don’t leave now,” he threatened. “And Kenzie? Don’t use this job as a reference.”

Unable to look at the hatred on her ex-boss’ face, Kenzie carefully replaced the kitten in its cage and latched it securely. Walking to the storage shelves, she grabbed her purse and headed to the back door. Just as she reached it, a teenage boy opened it from outside. She stepped back to allow him to enter.

“Oh! You were supposed to be gone by now. Thanks for giving me your job,” he crowed, before calling, “Uncle Henry, I’m here. I’ll lock the door behind her.”

“Great, Sean. She left only a few cages for you to clean.”

As the door closed behind Kenzie, she overheard, “I don’t have to clean…” Click! The door slammed shut, and the bolt slid into place. Kenzie stood shell-shocked. She’d just lost her job to him?

The image of all the animals inside that she loved flooded her mind. He wouldn’t care for them. She couldn’t just leave them there. The contents of her thin wallet wouldn’t