loves those cats to bits, I could tell the minute he saw how hurt Ginger was.”
“Yeah, I saw it too. His face when you told him on the phone.” Orry uncrossed his arms. “He seems okay.”
“He is okay, and you worry too much. Now if you’re done haranguing me, I have to go clean my room. I’m having a guest.”
“Your room is spotless like the rest of the apartment.”
“I need to know the exact right spot for Ginger’s cage. I might have to rearrange something.” Plus, they were going to have a visitor inside the apartment for the first time in ages, and George wanted everything to look good.
His bedroom didn’t have much in it besides a basic single bed, a flimsy side table, and his desk. Hamper. The closet was tiny, but he didn’t own a lot of clothes because he worked from home. Why not wear the same T-shirt three days in a row as long as it didn’t smell? Saved on laundry, too. His desk was near the room’s only window and there was a bare spot on the floor by the wall to his right. Should be a good spot for Ginger. She’d at least have a small view of the outdoors during her confinement.
The bed was made, because George always made his bed after taking a morning shower. He’d read once that if you accomplished one task first thing, you’d had a successful day already. His grandmother had crocheted the afghan on his bed, and he smoothed a hand over it. She was dealing with a lot, and he really needed to visit. It had been too long. She still crocheted things she occasionally sent back to the apartment with Orry, like winter hats and scarves. Others she sold at craft fairs held by their assisted living center.
With nothing else to do in his room, George grabbed his tablet and opened the last book he’d been reading. Perched on the bed, he let time pass. Maybe an hour went by before the buzzer rang out in the living room. He stood, unsure where Orry was, and left his room. Since Orry wasn’t in sight, George hit the button.
“Hello?”
“It’s Levi and Ginger.”
His pulse jumped. “Okay. Come inside and we’re the staircase on the right.”
“Cool.”
George pushed the button that unlocked the front door for visitors. Every tenant had two keys: one shared to get into the house and a second key unique to each apartment. He opened the apartment door to the pleasant sight of Levi ascending the stairs with a cardboard carrier in his hand and a shopping bag in the other. It only occurred to George then that Levi probably had more stuff in his truck, and that he should have volunteered to help.
Ginger was no longer meowing her head off, which George appreciated. Once he reached the landing, Levi met his gaze and smiled. “Hey again.”
“Hi,” George replied. “Uh, please, come inside. Do you have more stuff to get?”
“I do.” Levi put the bag on the floor near the door, then handed the carrier over to George. “But I can manage in one more trip, if you want to get to know a slightly stoned Ginger a bit better.”
He laughed. “Okay.”
Levi disappeared again, and George left the door partly open for him. He peeked in through the wide holes in the cardboard carrier, likely from the emergency vet. Ginger’s hind leg was wrapped up in a white bandage, and the poor kitty did look stoned. A tiny slip of her tongue stuck out between her lips, and that was strangely adorable. “Hello, new roomie.”
She blinked.
“These are your new digs for a while. Welcome.”
Orry wandered in from his bedroom. “Levi gone already?”
George resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “No, he had to go get more stuff. Want to meet Ginger?”
“I guess.” He bent over and looked inside. “Hi, kitty. Don’t cry too loud, okay? I have a hard time sleeping as it is.”
That tidbit surprised George a little. Sure, Orry worked several different jobs that varied hours, but he wasn’t sleeping? Even more reason for George to get his shit together. Maybe he could go out and find his own second, part-time job so Orry didn’t feel like he had to do all the work keeping the rent paid and food in the fridge.
“Why do you have trouble sleeping?” George asked. “For how long?”
“A few months, and I don’t know why. Probably just stress, and I don’t want to take those over the counter