When Birdie Babysat Spider

by Kristen Painter

Finally a throat cleared. “Can’t leave you two alone for a minute, I see.”

  At the sounds of Cole’s voice, Birdie broke the kiss and sat back on her heels.

  Jack pushed up to his elbows, his face flushed and his gaze lingering on Birdie. “Mind yourself, son. Birdie’s just giving me some mouth to mouth resuscitation.”

  Pandora snorted. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

  “What happened? Why do you need mouth to mouth?” Cole glanced at the carrier. “Did you get the cat already?”

  “We did.” Jack got to his feet, giving Birdie a hand up as well. Then he positioned himself slightly in front of her. Like he was protecting her. “You kids were taking too long.”

  “Yeah,” Birdie said, a little delirious from the mouth to mouth. Jack was a good kisser. She almost giggled, but managed to keep control of herself at the last moment.

  Cole bent and picked up the single feather laying on the snow. Concern narrowed his eyes. “How exactly did you get the cat?”

  Jack plucked the feather from his son’s fingers and tucked it in his pocket. “What’s done is done.”

  “Dad, I don’t think—”

  “Cole, I’m a grown man. I can make my own decisions.” He smiled at Birdie. “Now if you don’t mind, Ms. Caruthers and I would like a ride back to Main Street.”

  “Listen to your father, Cole,” Birdie said. “The man knows what he’s doing.”

  Once they were in the truck, with the cat between them, Jack slipped his arm around the back of the carrier to take hold of Birdie’s hand. She glanced at him, smiled, and laced her fingers with his.

  He’d had a moment of panic when Spider had lunged at him, and there was a spot on his right bicep that would be black and blue for a couple days, but he was glad he’d done what he’d done.

  Birdie was worth it. And that unexpected but very welcome kiss… When she’d laid it on him, he’d still been a little stunned by the hit he’d taken, but her kiss had brought him back to reality in the best way possible.

  And while not a day went by that he didn’t think about and miss, Maxine, his late wife, there was something so bright and sparkling about Birdie that not thinking about her too had become impossible. He wanted Birdie in his life. Not just once in a while, not just when he could talk her into pizza or a spin around the ballroom floor at some fancy event, but always.

  Birdie was special. Smart and funny with a bit of a hard shell, but seeing her more vulnerable side back there trying to wrangle the cat had done him in.

  He wanted to be there for her whenever she needed someone to talk to. To be the man she could let her guard down around. To protect her and take care of her and…

  He swallowed down the knot in his throat. He wanted to be the one to love her.

  But would she let him? Kissing him and holding his hand were great. But Birdie had walls up. He’d run into them at the Black and Orange Ball when she’d agreed to go with him, but only on the condition that one of her nephews, Titus, the fire chief, would be her other date.

  He didn’t think for a second she needed or wanted a chaperone. What she wanted was the ability to keep things from getting too intimate, too personal. What better way to do that than with her nephew running point guard?

  Even now she’d put the cat carrier between them. Had that been on purpose? Or was he overthinking this?

  Sure, she was warming up to him. But how much further would she let things go? Would she see him again? Date him one on one? There was always a chance that kiss had just been her way of saying thank you for his help with the cat.

  If so, it had been a long thank you, but maybe that was just Birdie’s way.

  He almost groaned. His head and heart were a mess and Birdie was the culprit. He watched her, peeking in at Spider and whispering sweet things to the little animal, clearly oblivious to the torture she was putting Jack through.

  He could tell her what he was feeling.

  Or he could show her.

  Jack smiled. He’d always considered himself a man of action.

  Cole and Pandora stopped right in front of the warehouse door, which Birdie appreciated. The snow was still drifting down and the thought of walking back through that while carrying Spider was a big no. Although the alone time with Jack would have been a big yes.

  A thought that honestly frightened her as much as it excited her.

  She hopped out of the truck, then took the carrier from Jack, who handed it to her before getting out on his side. “Thank you both for all your help. Pandora, I’ll get the carrier back to you as soon as I can.”

  “No rush,” Pandora said. “Pumpkin isn’t going anywhere.”

  “Except,” Cole said. “We might need it. For Kaley.”

  Pandora looked at him. “Really? You’re going to let her get a cat?”

  He shrugged. “Why not?”

  She kissed him. “You’re the best.”

  Jack walked around from the other side of the truck. “About time you gave into that granddaughter of mine. But don’t go to the shelter without me.”

  “We won’t. Bye, Birdie, bye, Dad.” Cole waved goodbye and carefully pulled away from the curb.

  Birdie waved back. “Thanks again!”

  Jack took the carrier from her. “Let me hold that so you can get the key.”

  “Thanks.” She dug in her purse for it, getting them inside as quickly as she could, hoping Jack didn’t realize how much he was discombobulating her. Kissing him had been a split second decision and while she didn’t regret it (at all), she hadn’t expected it to cause such chaos inside her.

  He wasn’t John. He wasn’t a replacement for John. She knew all that. But he was a really good man. And someone she could see herself spending a lot more time with. She unlocked the door and they headed for the elevator.

  Did Jack even want to spend time with her? He seemed like he’d be up for that, but she’d purposefully avoided anything remotely romantic with a man for so long, she wasn’t sure she knew how to read them anymore. At least when it came to matters of the heart.

  Because her heart was most definitely involved. That was the part that scared her. Losing John had almost undone her. He’d been her best friend, her life partner, her better half.

  And as much as she’d love to have that kind of companionship again, she wasn’t sure she could survive that depth of loss a second time.

  They rode up in silence, stepped off onto the second floor, and Jack let out a soft laugh. “I guess our pizza is cold.”

  Three boxes and a note sat outside the front door of Jayne’s apartment. Birdie’s stomach rumbled. “I’m okay with cold pizza.” She took the carrier back from him.

  He picked the boxes up. “Me, too. I could eat a house right now.”

  “Don’t you mean a horse?”

  He snickered. “Who’d want to eat a horse?”

  She shook her head at his joke, then put the carrier down to unlock the apartment door, then pushed the door open. She tipped her head at Jack. “Go ahead. You’ve got the pizzas.”

  He went through. “It’s chilly in here. I’ll shut that window as soon as I put these pizzas—uh, Birdie?”

  She carried Spider in and turned to shut the door. “Mm hmm?”

  “What cat is that?”

  “What cat is what?” She looked over her shoulder to see a black cat curled up on the couch. She blinked. And glanced down at the carrier. “I…have no idea.”

  She set the carrier down. “Spider?”

  The cat on the couch lifted his head and meowed.

  “Spider, have you been here the whole time?”

  He jumped down and ran to his food bowl, meowing some more.

  That was Spider all right. Birdie put a hand on her head. “Oh boy.”

  Jack’s brows lifted. “So…what cat do we have in the carrier?”

  Birdie shook her head. “I have no idea, but I better feed both of them. And shut that window.”

  He put the pizzas on the
kitchen counter, chuckling softly. “I’ll call Cole and Pandora. So long as no one else is missing this kitty, I think Kaley’s about to get the cat she’s been pestering her daddy for a little sooner than expected. Pandora can check with her friend at the rescue to make sure whoever is in that carrier doesn’t belong to someone else.”

  Half an hour and another visit from Cole and Pandora later, Birdie and Jack were sitting on Jayne’s couch with a movie on the television, two plates of microwaved pizza, and one cat who was most definitely Spider playing with a fuzzy catnip ball on the floor.

  Birdie finished chewing her bite of pizza. Even reheated, Salvatore’s was the best pie in town. “I’m glad Cole and Pandora hadn’t gotten too far away. And I’m glad the cat we found isn’t going to have to be a stray anymore.”

  “Me, too,” Jack said. His phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the screen. “It’s from Pandora. She said Kaley cried with happiness when she saw the cat, who is a girl by the way, and Kaley is naming her Kizmet. With a z. Because that is, apparently, a cooler spelling than using an s.”

  Birdie laughed. “I’m so glad it all worked out as well as it did.”

  “Me too. I’m especially happy Kaley finally got her cat.” He was silent for a moment. “You think Spider was in the house the whole time?”

  “I don’t know. I did find his collar on the ground outside. But he could have lost that on the fire escape then jumped back in. Maybe he accidentally pushed the screen out, fell through, scared himself silly and came back in.”

  “Very possible. And I know we think we looked everywhere but there’s always the chance he has a hiding spot we didn’t consider.”

  “Or he was in one of the spots we checked but he blended in and we didn’t see him.”

  Jack nodded. “That could definitely be what happened.”

  She sighed. “I guess I’m not a very good cat sitter.”

  “Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself.” Jack pointed his slice at her. “He could have just as easily pushed that screen out when Jayne was here. It was happenstance, pure and simple.”

  “I suppose.”

  Spider jumped up on the arm of the couch next to Jack. His little black head tipped to one side, his nose working. Then he leaned forward and sniffed even harder.

  Jack smiled at him. “Hey, buddy.” He put his plate down and rubbed the top of Spider’s head.

  Spider responded by pushing his face against Jack’s hand, then nibbling on Jack’s fingers.

  “All right,” Jack said. “Settle down. I realize I’m especially delicious to your kind, but I’ve already been beaten up by one of you tonight so let’s not leave any more bruises, okay?”

  Birdie leaned forward, concerned by his words. “More bruises? Did the other cat hurt you?”

  Jack glanced at her and shrugged. “It’ll heal.”

  “Oh, Jack. I’m so sorry. That happened because of me. We should have waited for Cole and Pandora to come back with the food.”

  “And if that hadn’t worked? No.” He made a face. “I don’t regret what I did, nor am I upset by what happened and neither should you be. It’s a little bruise. It’ll heal.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. You needed a solution.”

  She stared at the handsome man next to her. “And you provided one. Without concern for your own well-being.”

  “I knew you’d catch the cat before he got to me.”

  “I almost didn’t.”

  He held her gaze for a long moment, his expression warming into something that looked very much like adoration to her. “Birdie, I don’t think you understand how much I like you.”

  She smiled, unable to stop herself. “I like you too. But I come with a lot of baggage.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Like what?”

  She looked down at her hand where her wedding ring had once sat. “I still love my late husband.” She picked her head up. “Always will.”

  “I’d be disappointed if you said otherwise. I still love my late wife.” He took her hand. “Don’t you think he’d want you to be happy?”

  She laughed softly. “My niece and nephews tell me that all the time.”

  “I’m not asking for your hand in marriage, Birdie. Just a chance to spend some quality time with you and see where things take us. A chance to show you that I’m for real. Look, we’re older and wiser and we’ve already experienced real love. Some people might think that one real love is all you get in life, but I disagree. What do you think?”

  She ran her thumb over his knuckles. He had big, rough hands, lined with years of work and play. “I think…I would like to see what’s possible.”

  “Good.” He leaned in and kissed her. It was quick but firm and not so fast that she wouldn’t be able to remember the press of his mouth on hers. “And on that note, I’m going home. It’s been a long day for both of us. Call me.”

  “I will.” They both got up and she walked him to the door.

  He gave her a quick smile as he headed toward the elevator. “Night, sweets.”

  Birdie stood by the fire escape window, watching Jack leave. When he crossed the street, he turned and waved, the smile on his face like a beam of light. She waved back, her smile just as big.

  Jack Van Zant was quite a guy. That didn’t stop her from feeling giddy and scared and happy and a little nauseous. She glanced at Spider, who was still sitting on the couch. He seemed to have no interest in sitting on the sill at the moment, which was just fine with her. “I’m too old to be infatuated, but that’s exactly what I am.”

  Spider canted his head to one side. “Not Mama.”

  “You can talk!” She went back to the couch. “Tell me what happened, Spider. Did you fall out the window? I found your collar on the ground and—”

  “Blue hair but not Mama.”

  “Yes, I know, puss.” She sat beside him. “But what happened to the window?”

  He glared at the window for a second before looking at her again. Then he casually lifted one paw, licked it and set it down again before answering. “Window bad. Window scare Spider. Spider hide. Bad window.”

  She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. “You poor baby. I’m so sorry you got scared. Did you fall out of the window? Catch your collar on something?”

  He looked downright dejected. “Collar gone. Mama mad.”

  “No, honey. Your mama won’t be mad. Aunt Birdie will get you a new one tomorrow, okay?”

  His little chin came up. “New collar?”

  “Yes, baby. First thing tomorrow as soon as the pet store opens.”

  His whiskers twitched. “Aunt Birdie tell Mama what happened?”

  She didn’t want to lie to him. “I think I should. But she won’t be mad at you, I promise. Okay?”

  He seemed to think that over. “’Kay.” He hesitated. “Bird man come back?”

  Bird man. She almost snorted. “Do you want Uncle Jack to come back?”

  “Bird man has good flavor.”

  “Oh my stars, you’re funny.” Jack would love that assessment. “Maybe we’ll invite him over for dinner tomorrow night. To have dinner with us. Not be dinner.”

  Spider stood and started kneading his front feet on the arm of the couch. “Spider loves Chicken Party.”

  “And treats. Which you should probably have right now for being such a brave boy in the face of that very scary window.”

  Spider jumped down and ran to his bowl. “Treats treats treats!”

  She got a handful of his kitty snacks out of the canister and sprinkled them on the floor. Then she got her phone out and sent Jack a text. Dinner here tomorrow night?

  It took him about five minutes to answer. She supposed he was still on his way home. Took you long enough to ask.

  She smiled. Is that a yes?

  You bet it is. Want me to cook?

  Can you?

  A winking face emoji was followed by, You have no idea the things I’m capable of.

 
; No, she didn’t. She smiled. But it was going to be interesting finding out.

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  About the Author

  USA Today Best Selling Author Kristen Painter is a little obsessed with cats, books, chocolate, and shoes. It’s a healthy mix. She loves to entertain her readers with interesting twists and unforgettable characters. She currently writes the best-selling paranormal romance series, Nocturne Falls, and award-winning urban fantasy. The former college English teacher can often be found all over social media where she loves to interact with readers:

  Website * Twitter * Facebook * Instagram.

  Other books by Kristen Painter

  COZY MYSTERY

  Jayne Frost series:

  Miss Frost Solves a Cold Case: A Nocturne Falls Mystery

  Miss Frost Ices the Imp: A Nocturne Falls Mystery

  Miss Frost Saves the Sandman: A Nocturne Falls Mystery

  Miss Frost Cracks a Caper: A Nocturne Falls Mystery

  When Birdie Babysat Spider: A Jayne Frost Short

  Happily Everlasting Series:

  Dead Man Talking

  Once Hunted, Twice Shy

  Fooled Around and Spelled In Love

  Witchful Thinking

  PARANORMAL ROMANCE

  Nocturne Falls series:

  The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride

  The Werewolf Meets His Match

  The Gargoyle Gets His Girl

  The Professor Woos the Witch

  The Witch’s Halloween Hero – short story

  The Werewolf’s Christmas Wish – short story

  The Vampire’s Fake Fiancée