12:58. By that point, Brooke had managed to beat not only the cumbersome level but five others as well. She was done waiting. Going through her contacts, she found him and called him. It rang several times, but he never answered. Feeling a little irritated, she sent him a text: Hey. I think we said we would meet up at 12 at Cupid’s, but you aren’t here yet. I’ve been waiting for an hour. Maybe we should do this some other time. Brooke sent the text. After thinking about it, she thought it sounded rather harsh, which wasn’t her intention at all. She quickly sent another one: How about tomorrow at two?
Chapter Seven
Brooke kept staring at her text messages, waiting for the word delivered to change into read, but even after ten minutes, it never did. She felt completely deflated that Justin had just stood her up like that. She had expected better things out of him. Sighing, she jumped off her stool and went to pay for her uneaten sandwich.
Before Katy could stop her, she was out the door and standing outside under the diner’s awning. The skies had turned gray and promised rain. Brooke prayed that the rain would hold off just long enough for her to walk home. She felt like walking. Her legs could use the exercise, and her mind wanted some quiet time to shift through her thoughts.
She didn’t know whether to be mad or sad about what had happened. She had never been stood up for a date and it stung that Justin didn’t even think to text her that he would be running late. It seemed inexplicably rude and very unlike the Justin she’d been with the evening before. Did I completely misjudge his character?
A boom startled Brooke and she looked up to see several slashes of light streak from cloud to cloud. The skies had darkened to an ominous black color, casting a shadow over the entire campus. The pounding of rain caught her ears, and before she knew it, fat rain drops poured from the sky.
Brooke cursed under her breath and started to run down the sidewalk. It would take her at least thirty minutes to get home on foot. She shivered, feeling the heavy, ice-cold raindrops splashing against her skin. She’d freeze to death before getting there. First, I get stood up. Then, it decides to rain. Brooke picked up the pace, hoping that running might warm her up a bit.
A car pulled up next to her and followed her progress along the street. She looked over and saw that it was Justin’s car or at least she thought it was. It was hard to tell with the downpour of rain that crashed against the car’s whole frame.
The passenger-side door opened up, and Justin’s voice called out. “Get in before you get soaked.”
“I’m already soaked,” she shot back.
Little balls of hail had begun to fall with the rain and pelted her skin. Mad or not, she wasn’t going to stay out in the hail. She jumped into the car and slammed the door shut.
With her hair soaked and her body cold to the bone, she gathered her dignity enough to give Justin a heated glare. “You have some nerve!” She crossed her arms over her chest, her face taut with disappointment and anger.
“I’m sorry I was late for our date…” Justin said, his voice low as he made the apology. “I didn’t mean to.”
He eased the car back onto the road, but the mix of hail and rain made it impossible for him to drive. He parked on what he thought was the side of the road and turned on the heat. They would just need to wait it out for a bit. He checked his gas gauge. He still had a half a tank. For Brooke’s benefit, he turned the heat another notch higher.
“Then, what were you doing? Why didn’t you at least text me or something?” Brooke refused to look in Justin’s direction. Instead, she stared at the sheets of rain mixed with balls of hail coming down from the skies. It was unusual for it to rain this much in California. Maybe it was a sign or something.
“Oh… I lost my phone,” Justin said. He looked at her and frowned. He could tell that she was angry and didn’t really know what to do about it. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but it seemed like she would bite his hand off if he even attempted it.
“That sounds like a really lame excuse. How did you lose it?” Brooke finally turned in his direction, her dark eyes narrowing as she looked at him sharply, trying to figure out whether he was lying or not.
“While I was driving to Cupid’s, I saw a stray kitten. It ran across the road, and I missed hitting it, but I was worried about it. It wasn’t walking straight.”
Brooke was instantly intrigued by his story, but at the same time kept herself aware that this could all just be some intricate lie he was trying to sell her. “So, then what happened? I don’t see how a kitten could make you lose your phone.” Brooke pressed him for details, thinking it would reveal the truth.
“Well, I followed it for a bit as it wandered along the edge of the road, near the sidewalk. It lost its balance and ended up falling right into a drain pipe.”
“Oh no!” Brooke gasped, moving her hands to her mouth. “Poor kitten.”
She was now horrified and on the edge of her seat as she tried to figure out the outcome of his story, even if it wasn’t true.
“Yeah…” Justin saw the concern on her face. He knew she really liked animals. What vegetarian didn’t? “Well, I did what anyone would… I tried to get it out. But… I always put my phone here.” He pointed to the breast pocket of his shirt. “So, when I bent over to look into the drain pipe, my phone kind of fell in.”
“Seriously?” Brooke asked, once again thinking the story was farfetched since the kitten wasn’t mentioned.
“Seriously. I lost my phone, but I was able to reach inside and grab her.” Justin paused and scrunched his face in thought. “Maybe it’s a boy. I didn’t really bother to check…”
“Well, what happened to the cat? Is she okay?”
Justin twisted in his seat looking in the back. Brooke turned and saw a small, cardboard box sitting in the back seat. A bright blue blanket peeked out one edge of the box. Without another word, she scrambled out of her seat and clambered to the back. She gasped when she opened the flaps of the box and peered inside.
The kitten seemed scared as she looked up at Brooke. Her fur was caked in dirt, and she shivered from the cold. Brooke immediately took pity on the small creature before she gently reached inside of the box and took it out, cradled it against her chest, and wrapped it up in the blanket. “Poor thing…” she whispered, feeling bad for the animal. “Why didn’t you take her to a vet or something?”
“Well… I don’t know anything about animals, or pets rather. I’ve never had one myself, so I thought you’d be able to help me. I was rushing over to Cupid’s, hoping I would still catch you there.” Justin rubbed his nape and looked a little embarrassed as he used his rear-view mirror to look at Brooke, still cradling the cat.
“Well… we should probably get her to a vet. Her eyes look cloudy. Maybe that’s the problem.” Brooke began to examine the rest of the kitten. As she pressed on its back leg, it whimpered loudly. “Maybe even a broken leg.” Brooke frowned, checking the cat’s stomach. “And she hasn’t eaten in a while, her stomach is completely empty.”
“Wow… how do you know all of this stuff?” Justin asked.
He had taken animal biology for an elective as an undergraduate but could have never deduced these things as Brooke did. It seemed like she was a natural veterinarian.
“I used to bring home stray cats and dogs as a kid.” Brooke shrugged one shoulder. “Mom helped me nurse them back to health and find them homes.”
“A broken leg sounds serious. Should I drive to the vet or something?” Justin asked and looked out into the rain. It was still raining heavily, but there was better visibility now.
“Yes, please. I don’t know if she will be able to make it if we just bring her home,” Brooke said.
“Okay…” Justin nodded and eased onto the road, taking the quickest route to the local vet. As they got there, the parking lot was empty. He hoped it wasn’t closed. “Wait here, let me check if they’re open.”
He stepped out of the car and ran over to the doors, but as he tugged on them, t
hey didn’t budge. He peered inside, but everything was dark. He cursed under his breath. How are we going to help the kitten now?
This whole afternoon wasn’t going as he’d planned. He didn’t regret saving the kitten, but he hated that it had made him late for his date with Brooke. Now, he couldn’t even find help for the kitten. He let out a frustrated sigh and marched back to the car.
“They’re closed,” he mumbled, refusing to make eye contact with her.
“Well, there has to be somewhere else we can take her,” Brooke pushed. She didn’t want to think what would happen to the kitten if they didn’t get her professional help.
“I don’t know any other place around here.”
“We both have smartphones. Just look something up.” Brooke’s voice was sharp as she made the command. The kitten had begun to meow pitifully, and its tiny cries pulled at her heart.
“Ummm… not really…” Justin’s voice was a little downcast as he recalled seeing his phone being taken away toward the sewers by the water current.
“What does that mean…?” Brooke scrunched her nose in confusion. It took a second, then her eyes went wide. “Oh… I’m sorry.”
“That’s alright.”
“Here. Use mine.” She unlocked her phone and passed it to Justin. After a quick search, he found what they were looking for.
“There’s an animal hospital about ten miles away. It’s open twenty-four-seven. Do you think that will work?” Justin asked, feeling a bit unsure. He felt a little embarrassed that he was so naïve about the care and treatment of animals while Brooke seemed to be an expert.
“Yes. Perfect.” She shifted the kitten in her arms and looked at Justin. “But first, can you help me for a second?”
Justin found himself lost in her gaze. She looked at him like he was some sort of hero or her own personal knight in shining armor. He’d do anything for her if she kept looking at him like that.
Mesmerized, Justin answered, “Of course, how can I help?”
“There are no heating vents back here, so I’m coming back to the front. I need you to hold the kitten while I move.” Brooke settled the bundle of blankets and kitten into Justin’s arms.
The weight was nothing but Justin felt unsure of himself, especially when the kitten meowed pitifully and moved her cloudy yellow eyes to look up at him. The kitten had black fur with a patch of white around its eye. Justin looked closer and saw that a bit of its left ear was missing like it had been bitten off. A pang of pity shot through Justin’s heart as he observed the defenseless creature. Who would have the heart to abandon such a little thing?
Before he had the time to think about it, Brooke jumped into the front seat and opened her arms.
“I’m good. You can give her back to me and drive us to the vet,” Brooke said.
Justin deposited the kitten in her waiting arms and looked back up to Brooke’s face.
She turned on the heat and looked at Justin expectedly, waiting for him to start driving.
It took Justin a moment to figure out what he needed to do. When his eyes locked with Brooke’s, his whole body froze in place, possessed by an all-consuming elation. He didn’t want to break away his gaze as he found himself peering deep into her beautiful eyes. His heartbeat quickened, and he felt a warm heat roll over his skin as he fell victim to her magnificent eyes.
“Justin. We need to hurry.”
He snapped out of his trance. “Right… right…” He stammered and turned on Brooke’s phone navigation. He followed the directions closely, and soon they made it to the animal hospital. “This is it, I think.”
“Come on then,” Brooke said as she pulled the blanket over the kitten’s head and then cradled it close to her chest. Moments later, she exited the car, dashing through the rain and into the building. Justin followed close behind, after parking the car in the lot. Now, all they had to do was hope the kitten would make it through.
Chapter Eight
After a long night at the vet, the kitten was finally cleared. She was partially blind in one eye and had a torn muscle in one of her legs, but the vet reassured them that with some love and care, she would make a great pet. They had tried to look for an identification chip, but couldn’t find one. So, Brooke and Justin decided to take her home for the time being and see if anyone claimed her.
Brooke was exhausted by the time Justin finally pulled up in front of his townhouse. They had decided to bring the kitten there since May was allergic to cats and Justin’s roommate, Christopher, was rarely home. “Here we are,” Justin announced as he pulled into the driveway and looked at Brooke, who nodded and got out of the car.
Brooke carried the kitten inside as Justin pulled out the cat supplies they had purchased from the vet. There was a small cage, a litter box, food, and a water dish.
“We should keep her where we can see her. Do you have a living room?” Brooke asked.
“We can just put her in my bedroom,” Justin offered. He tugged at the collar of his shirt. Brooke was about to enter his room, and he couldn’t remember if he had left it in a presentable state. He was worried as he guided her up the stairs, holding his breath as he opened the door. Luckily, everything was in order. His desk was tidy, and his bed was made, the only thing out of place was his sketchbook, plopped on top of his bed from his midmorning drawing.
“Where are we going to set her up?” Brooke asked, holding the kitten as she looked around the room, searching for a good spot to put the cat stuff.
“How about to the side of my dresser? I don’t have anything in the corner,” Justin said.
Brooke stroked the animal’s soft fur and a purring noise emanated from the kitten. “You don’t want to be put in a corner. Do you?” Brooke murmured to the kitten and then looked up at Justin. “That sounds so lonely.”
“Um… in that case, the middle of the room works for now, and we can figure it out later on.” Justin stammered as he rubbed the back of his neck. All this cat stuff was becoming a bit too complicated for him. He had no idea what he was supposed to do or not do. He was just glad that Brooke was here, or he would never know how to handle the kitten.
“That works. Just put the cage down, and take the top part off. We don’t want her to feel trapped.”
Justin nodded and then grabbed the cage, dislocating the top half.
“Do you have an old blanket to put in the bottom?” she asked.
“Sure. Grab the one on the back of the couch. I never use it anyway.” Justin made a face and shook his head. “My crazy Aunt Barbara made it for me. She was always pinching my cheek and tell me what a good little boy I was, even when I was twenty.”
Brooke laughed and took the blanket off the couch. She pictured an older woman patting Justin on the head, and her heart warmed. I bet Justin’s aunt loved him to pieces. He’s a very sweet guy.
She went back to her task of making the kitten comfortable. While holding the kitten in one arm, she worked to line the cage with the soft material. “There.” She smiled before slowly placing the kitten down, making sure to not hurt her.
Justin observed Brooke as she took care of the kitten. She spoke to the kitten in a calm voice, assuring the kitten it would love its new bed. The tender concern and soft voice shot right through Justin’s soul. How had he managed to get a date with such a beautiful woman whose heart had so much compassion? The corners of his mouth lifted as he watched Brooke play with the kitten, allowing the small animal to nibble on her finger.
“She’s a feisty one!” Brooke exclaimed as the feline continued to play with her hand. “What should we name her… for now? We don’t know if this is someone’s pet or not.”
Even though she wanted to reunite this animal with her rightful owners, at the same time, she was hoping to keep it. She hadn’t had a pet in a very long time. Now, however, she was finally getting a chance at a pet, and the kitten was so cute. Brooke didn’t know if she would be able to let her go if it came to that.
“Hmm…” Justin sat down nex
t to the cage and gave the cat a skeptical look. He wasn’t sure whether he should reach inside and pet it or just keep his distance. Its needle-like teeth bit at Brooke’s fingers. She didn’t move her fingers away or scold the kitten, but he thought that it had to hurt. He wasn’t about to let the kitten make a snack of his fingers.
Brooke glanced at him and burst out laughing. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a tiny kitten.”
“Cats have sharp claws and teeth,” Justin observed, a wary expression still on his face.
Brooke waved a dismissive hand and said, “She’s still small and fairly harmless.”
To prove her point she picked up the feline and placed it on Justin’s lap.
Justin froze in place. The little ball of fur let out a meow and circled in Justin’s lap, looking for a comfortable spot to settle. When she was satisfied, she curled up, closed her eyes, and began to purr.
“Look, she already likes you,” Brooke said.
“Can I pet her? Is she going to bite me?” Justin’s voice was laced with uncertainty.
“Of course, you can. Even if she does bite you, she’s only a baby. Her teeth aren’t big enough to hurt you.”
“So, she will bite?”
“She’s half asleep and purring. You’ll be fine. C’mon, just try it.” Brooke grabbed Justin’s hand and placed it on top of the kitten’s small body. The kitten’s eyes opened, and it let out a content meow before gently licking Justin’s hand.
“That feels weird…” He shuddered, feeling the cat’s grainy tongue.
“A cat’s tongue can be a little strange, but look how cute it is.” She smiled down at the kitten before rubbing it behind its ear. The kitten closed its eyes again and leaned into Brooke’s hand. “It’s simply adorable.”
Justin couldn’t help but agree with her. The kitten was indeed rather cute.
“But what now?” He asked, wondering if he would have to spend the whole night with the animal on his lap.
Cafe Love: Cupid's Cafe Box Set Books 2-4 Page 5