Danica sneezed again, wedging the cat beneath her arm as she delved for her phone. “Hazel, it’s me.”
He couldn’t hear what the other woman said in reply, but it sounded cranky.
“Yes, he’s with me. I’m outside the courthouse eating on the bench beneath the elm tree. You have half an hour to get here. So help me, if he follows me to work—” Another pause. “I’m telling you, we never feed him!” She hung up and squinched her eyes shut as if she might be counting; then she flailed her free hand. “I’ve only used a pay phone once, but I was arguing with my mother, and it was so satisfying to bang that receiver down. How am I supposed to angrily end a cell call? And oh my God, I hate that Hazel doesn’t know how to text. Voice calls are the worst.”
“Especially with Hazel,” he said, feeling like he’d stumbled into a mystic portal where everything was weirder and more interesting and infinitely better.
“You have no idea,” she muttered. “Would you feed me another tart? I deserve an extra dessert for cat sitting. Hazel will scold me for luring Goliath, which I assuredly did not, and then Clem will yell at me for getting back late from lunch.” Her sad eyes testified to how vastly unfair all of this was.
And though he’d never been one for PDAs, he got a tart out of the box and held it to her lips, letting her nibble away at it. Honest to God, he could just about feel the echo of it on his skin, right on his shoulder, then tingles on his neck, as if she were using her lips and teeth on him instead. An old line from a movie popped into his head: What sorcery is this?
He watched her eat like it was his reason to live, and when she licked the last crumbs from her lips, he stifled a groan. It was past time for him to go, but he didn’t want to leave her until the cat situation was resolved. Making a snap decision, he texted Maya.
I need half an hour more. You and Stan can handle things?
Right away, she sent back, It’s fine. But are you okay?
A reasonable question, since he rarely took long lunches. He preferred heading up the next day’s prep work since Stan wasn’t a certified baker and might make mistakes that could impact the quality of their products. Fine, just an unexpected errand. Tell Stan to wait for me on prep. I’ll be there ASAP.
After tucking his phone into his pocket, he took the cat, ignoring Goliath’s protests and her shock. “What? You’re allergic. I’m not letting this jerk mess with you.” Goliath hissed and tried to scratch him, so Titus repositioned him and kept him angled away from Danica. “How did you become the feline Pied Piper anyway?”
Her gaze flickered away, and her smile had a strange cast. “I have no idea. This isn’t the first time, though. Goliath is the latest in a long line of obsessed cats.”
“That’s so weird.”
“Tell me about it. I have a theory that cats chase people who are allergic to them.”
Since Titus was a dog person and had no alternate ideas, it seemed like a reasonable supposition. “I wonder how Doris would feel about you.”
“Who’s Doris?”
“My dog.” Eagerly, he dug out his phone and brought up a picture, sent it to her on chat. Easier than showing his screen with the cat actively fighting him.
I’ll be covered in scratches at this rate.
“She’s so cute! Huge too. Is she friendly?”
He considered that. “A little standoffish with strangers, but once she decides that you’re trustworthy, she’s an absolute snuggle hound. You wouldn’t believe how much she hogs the bed.”
“This is moving so fast,” she said in a mock-somber tone. “First you want me to meet your dog, and now you’re talking about beds.”
Titus grinned. “Sorry, I won’t spring Doris on you until at least our third date.”
“You seem really sure that we’ll get there,” she said.
“There’s no doubt on my end.”
Whatever she would’ve said, he didn’t get to hear it, as a round robin of a woman with hair like a mature dandelion came power walking toward them in a puce tracksuit, arms swinging like she was fighting invisible gnomes. “That must be Hazel,” he whispered.
Danica only nodded, rising with an expression that went defensive the closer the old lady got. Titus didn’t like seeing her that way at all, and he stepped in front, preemptively thrusting the ginger cat at the older woman. “Here you go, safe and sound. Have you considered a better monitoring system at home? It seems like you let him out a lot.”
Hazel blinked, evidently unprepared for someone to attack her preventive measures. “He’s an escape artist! I have no idea how he’s getting out of the house.”
“Try getting a collar with a camera in it,” Danica suggested. “Maybe there’s an exit that only Goliath knows about it, and when you check the footage, you’ll be able to lock that route down.”
Hazel cradled the cat like a baby. She clearly wanted to yell at Danica like this was her fault somehow, but Titus could see that his presence was acting as a deterrent.
“How am I supposed to know how to do all that?”
Right, Danica had said that Hazel couldn’t even text. “Maybe a relative could help you?” he suggested.
Hazel beamed at Titus like he was a genius. “Oh! My grandson knows all about the internet. Do you think he’d be able to work a cat camera collar?”
“I’m sure. If the local pet store doesn’t carry them, your grandson can probably help order one online, and then he can set everything up for you.”
Clearly taken with this idea, Hazel nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll take Goliath home and call David right now. Thank you!”
She hurried off without another word, and Danica stared after her, apparently speechless. Titus couldn’t stop laughing.
“Really? David and Goliath?”
Smiling, Danica said, “The legends suggest her grandson is the one who can defeat that cat once and for all. Thanks for running interference.”
“Hey, I was terrible at the throwing and catching parts of football but damn good at blocking. I’ll be your defensive line anytime.” Ugh, no. Why did I say that?
“Careful, I might take you up on that. Friday at what time, by the way?”
“Seven,” he said at once. “And for the record, this was our first date. Friday will be the second. That’s why I’m so sure we’ll get to the third.”
“Date or base?”
“I’m flexible.”
Danica offered a smile so heated that his breath caught. “So am I.”