by Moxie North
“He didn’t look like any baby I’ve seen. I think you’re thinking you are older than you are. So what, you’re in your thirties, and he’s in his twenties. That’s not that far apart. What he lacks in an investment portfolio, I’m sure he makes up in stamina. Besides maybe one of those condoms broke and you could already be starting on those little bundles of joy. He would be a great baby daddy,” Alicia said with a teasing laugh.
“Don’t start.”
“Hells yes, I’m starting. You never did tell me all that happened the other night. You made up that fake headache so you wouldn’t have to tell me the dirty details.”
“Oh man, now that it’s been a few days I might die of embarrassment telling you. Worse, I’ll regret sending him away.”
“I bet you could call his brother, the doctor, and get the skinny on him. I hear he’s friendly and probably wouldn’t mind giving you that info. Tell him you have an STD and want to warn him.”
“Gross, dude. That is not funny.”
Alicia was laughing now and snorting. “Oh gawd, just imagine. I bet the entire football team knows about you. He probably still hangs out with them, reliving his glory days.”
“How do you know he played football?”
“I might have looked him up online to see what I could find out. I found the yearbook photo of him and the team. I also found some local police articles about a little trouble he used to get into. I say used to because there is nothing current. No criminal records that I could find either. That could be because he’s straightened up, or his family has deep pockets. I’m pretty sure the Sheriff is a Rochon too. We are lucky that family is mostly on the up and up since they run the whole town.”
“I half expect one of those Rochon mommas to show up at my door and ask why I’m being mean to her boy.”
“Oh, if she does, stall her until I can get there to record it.”
“Smartass.”
“Better than a dumbass,” Alicia smarted. “So you gonna share? Tell, was he well-endowed or all swagger?”
“You promised me alcohol to share, and I am in no shape for booze. You’re going to have to wait. Trust me when I say that I will not be forgetting any of the details any time soon.”
“So what are you going to do if he shows up at work again?”
“I’m more worried about him showing up this morning before I can leave for the shelter.”
“Hey, I know those kitties need your snuggles, but your pussy needs some attention too.”
“Gross, really?”
She didn’t get an answer; she got more hysterical laughter instead of a reply.
Not wanting to hash out her latest sexual escapades just yet, she said, “I need to go. I can’t have another Angel encounter this morning. The cats will pick up on my stress.”
“Heaven forbid.”
“I’ll call you later?”
“Just don’t do it naked if your man stops by.”
“He’s not my man. He’s becoming my shameful secret.”
“Honey, no shame in a hot night, a hot guy, and a sweet follow up. Think about that,” Alicia said.
Normally, Becca listened to her friend on everything. There was a good chance she was right about this situation, but Becca could not get past all of the problems that came along with Angel Rochon.
“Great, I’ll ponder that. Thanks.”
“Have fun!” her friend said a little too exuberantly. Becca didn’t think she was talking about her cat time at the shelter.
Becca hung up and made quick work getting ready. She always wore jeans to the shelter as the kitten’s tiny claws were sharp, and they loved to climb legs like they were trees. Plus, brushing cat fur off her pants was easier than cotton leggings. She pulled on a long-sleeve purple zip-up hoodie over her white tank top that would go straight into the washer when she got home.
Becca loved cats, but as a single woman, she was resisting that last thing that would brand her as an old maid. That’s what her mother called her anyway. She even once said she was on the shelf. Becca had to look that up to see what it even meant.
Her mother and father were normal. Weirdly average and nondescript is how she would describe them to a stranger. They both worked in insurance. They met at the office, got married, and had her. Their life was quiet and uneventful. Gee, she wondered where she got the idea for her life from.
Now her parents were a few years from retirement, and they both were bucking for grandchildren. At this point, she was pretty sure they would be happy with any baby. Adoption, artificial insemination, or a wildling found in the woods. They didn’t care how she got it, just that they would have someone to spoil and focus on in the upcoming years of not working and not wanting to talk to each other.
Becca’s girly parts were telling her that Angel Rochon had plenty of rugged, virile sperm just looking for an egg.
“Perfect. Trap him with a baby. That wouldn’t lead to a life of misery,” she murmured to herself.
Becca was suddenly glad her parents would never have a chance to meet Angel.
Grabbing her keys, she paused to peek outside to make sure there weren’t any suspicious cars outside. Not that she would know what she was looking for. She’d never seen Angel getting out of his car. Seeing only the normal neighbor cars, she grabbed her purse and phone and made it to her car in record time.
The drive to the shelter took all of five minutes. Walking inside she heard the sound of meowing and things being knocked over. Becca often set up toys on the windowsills and counters just for the little monsters to be able to whack and push off.
“Rebecca!” Joan, the volunteer coordinator, was sitting behind the counter. An excited family with a young girl were sitting in the waiting room. The girl bounced in her seat. Looked like someone was getting a new pet today.
Joan was also the only one besides her mother that called her by her given name. Being that she was probably ninety, if she was a day, Becca didn’t ever complain.
“Hey Joan, how are the kids?”
The kids being the cats, since Joan’s kids were older than Becca, and she was pretty sure Joan was onto great-great-grandchildren at this point.
“Rowdy. They need a calming influence today, so don’t you go getting them all riled up, you hear?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll hit the litter boxes first,” she told her. Not her favorite job but better she did it then Joan trying to lean over and do it. Plus, she liked to get the icky part out of the way so she could get to the snuggling part.
Chapter 29
Becca knew why people got pets. Having another heartbeat in your house went a long way to keeping you sane. That warm, little, fuzzy body snuggled up to you; someone that needed you not only for food but for affection. They were a calming balm to your soul. She would often spend her time just sitting to let the cats find a comfy spot on her lap and settle in for a nap. The feeling of their soft fur under her fingers would give Becca the same level of relaxation as a visit to a masseuse.
She didn’t have any pets of her own because, as a child, she had an unfortunate incident with a goldfish. Becca was worried that her fish was swimming in the dark, so she placed her desk lamp over the tank. Poor little Catherine the Great got boiled. After that, her parents wouldn’t allow anything in the house, even a fish. They were what you could call staunchly anti-hair. Her mother would shudder in horror at the thought of having pet hair on her clothes or furniture.
When she moved into her first apartment, she couldn’t afford the pet deposit. So she started volunteering and got her fix that way. It all worked out since her house was hair free, which she secretly enjoyed, but she still got lots of snuggly time with animals.
Becca made fast work of getting the area cleaned up, checking the cages and replacing any bedding that needed washing. The litter boxes had been done recently by another volunteer, so it didn’t take long to take care of them.
She went back to the wall of cages that held the cats when they weren’t in the ‘living room’ of the shelt
er. The cats were socialized in the room together that was set up with couches, tables, and lamps to get some of the cats that had never lived inside acclimated to the environment. Some of the cats, though, could never be around other kitties. The lone wolf of cats didn’t play well with others.
Marvin was one of those cats. He was of an indeterminate age, but he’d seen things nonetheless. He was ragged. At some point, he’d gotten in a fight and had lost part of one of his ears. He was also missing one of his canine teeth, so he had a wonky smile or snarl, whichever. When you put him in a room with another cat, the fur started flying.
Becca made sure to always spend a little time with Marvin one on one. Somebody was going to come in someday and find a soulmate in Marvin. She imagined a grumpy old man that wanted some company. The two of them would sit around in a room together ignoring the other while they watched The Price is Right, with both of them being better for the company.
“Marvin, hey pretty kitty. Wanna come out?” He wasn’t a pretty kitty, but Becca figured a little positive reinforcement could only help his disposition.
She opened the wire door and reached in, ignoring the hissing as Marvin warned her off. He always did that, and it was all for show with her. Scooping him up, she put him over her shoulder like you would a baby and started scratching his back as she shut the cage door. He began purring and kneaded her back with his paws.
“You big baby, so much fuss for nothing,” she laughed at him.
Becca walked him away from the other cats so she could sit at a desk across the room. She spent a good twenty minutes talking to Marvin and finding all the spots he’d let her pet without biting her. Putting him back in the cage, she grabbed a couple of the other cats, putting them under her arms like limp kitty luggage and brought them into the living room. There were already a group of kittens wrecking the room. She let the adult cats loose, and the kittens turned on them en masse chasing after the poor elder cats until they had to seek refuge at the top of the cat trees that the kittens weren’t big enough to climb yet.
The next few hours passed by with toys, laser pointers, and sleepy cats.
Her three hours were up in a blink, and Becca’s stomach rumbled. She put the cats back and gave Joan a big hug before she left.
She got into her car and headed into town to pick up some lunch at the diner. It was a great little mom and pop shop that served all the classic diner foods but with a Pacific Northwest twist.
Becca found a spot right in front of the diner on the street and parked. She jumped out and went in, bypassing all the booths to walk to the back where the long Formica countertop that was lined with stools was. She wasn’t a big fan of eating alone, not that she couldn’t do it. It was a skill every singleton had to learn, or you would end up eating fast-food in your car for the rest of your life.
A nice older woman came up wearing an apron.
“Need a seat, honey?”
“No, I’d like to place an order to go, please.”
“What would you like?”
“Any specials?”
“Cook made up some amazing elk sausage and pepper sandwiches. Those boys just got back from a hunting trip. Pretty much everything has elk in it. It’s really tasty, spicy. Comes with a side, and we have Marionberry pie fresh today too.”
“I say yes to all of that. Mind if I sit here and wait?”
“Not at all, honey. It will just be a minute to get this up.”
Becca took a seat on the last chair at the counter. She liked watching the cook through the high window moving around the sizzle and snap of the grill. Plus, she didn’t have to see who was behind her watching her get her lonely meal.
She knew that most of the time those thoughts were all in her own head. Truth was, most people didn’t have time in their busy lives to form opinions about every stranger they came across during the day. In fact, dining alone you tended to get overlooked. It felt like you were on display, but most people looked past you like you blended into the furniture.
Today, she didn’t have to worry. The diner was bustling, lots of families were out and about on a Saturday. It was too early for the couples crowd and being one of the better places to eat in town; it was a frequent date night spot.
Becca was thinking over what shows she had recorded from the last two days that she needed to get caught up on when a body appeared next to her. Her brain immediately went to Angel, but it couldn’t be him unless he was following her. She was afraid to look. Glancing down, she saw nice blue dress pants and stylish leather loafers. Definitely not Angel.
As she gathered her courage and looked up, she saw he was blond and blindingly good looking. Angel was handsome in a dark, rough, rugged way. This guy looked like a model.
“Hi, there,” the man said with a rakish grin. Yup, it was rakish. She wasn’t even sure what that would have looked like until she’d seen this man.
“Hi.” Becca didn’t want to engage in conversation. Rule number one when out at a restaurant alone: keep conversations brief and then only to wait staff.
“Haven’t seen you around here before. New in town?” the man asked his hands tapping on the counter.
“Uh, no.”
She glanced up at the man because looking directly at him would be like looking at the sun. Too much of a good thing.
Becca saw him raise a hand to the woman that helped her, and the woman waved back.
“You eating alone?”
Boy, this guy was nosy. Clearly, he didn’t know the dining alone rules.
“Just picking up food to go.”
“Me too, got a hungry wife and kids at home. I’m Eddie.”
“Becca,” she said giving a little wave.
Of course, he was married with probably a smoking hot wife and beautiful perfectly well-behaved children.
The man continued to stare at her, and it was making her nervous.
“Ahh—” Becca really didn’t know what to say to that, and it was getting awkward. She was trying to avoid this possible scenario by taking her food to go.
“You smell like coconut,” the man announced.
Okay, weird. Two guys remarking on how she smelled in two days did not bode well.
“Yes.” Again she didn’t know how to respond to that.
“Huh. My little brother told me he just met a girl that smelled like coconut. Strange that I ran into someone that smells like coconut after he said that.”
“I doubt there are that many options for body products out there to make sure everyone has a unique smell.”
“Hmm, true. But, you wouldn’t happen to have met my brother Angel would you?”
No, no, no.
This was not Eddie Rochon, the doctor. Today was clearly not her day to buy a lottery ticket. Karma was starting its payback session for her being mean to Angel.
“Yes, I know Angel,” she admitted. What was the chance he’d take that and leave it alone?
None. The chance was none.
“He came to talk to me about you. He was worried about your migraine. Seems like you’ve recovered well enough.”
“Yes, all good.”
There was a lull where she knew that he was looking at her, judging her. She was probably covered in cat hair; she’d left her hair in a braid to keep the tension off her tender skull. Zero makeup, because the cats didn’t care what she looked like. Now she was in front of Angel’s apparently hot doctor brother, and he knew about her. That was a karma upper cut straight in the kisser.
“You seeing a doctor for those?”
“It’s covered, thank you.” She was not going to discuss her medical conditions with him.
“You know, he likes you.”
“Yeah, he’s great.”
“I don’t think you understand. He really likes you. My brother normally doesn’t talk to me about women he meets. He met you and came straight to me because he was worried about you.”
So when she left work, he went to get medical advice from his brother? That was sweet and a l
ittle weird. Becca knew good and well that if she didn’t have her hang-ups, she’d see there was a chance here at something new and exciting. It would be fun until it wasn’t. She’d fall for him, and he’d realize that she was older than him by enough that it would matter eventually. His twenties should be about having fun, making mistakes, and finding himself.
“Well, he’s very sweet and persistent,” she agreed.
“Are you not interested in him?” This seemed to concern Eddie, judging from the frown he was now sporting.
“No, I mean sure, he’s a great guy. I really don’t know him all that well. We only met the other night.”
She’d heard rumors about the Rochon men. They were known to find a girl and settle down in a blink of an eye. It was a running joke in town that as soon as a Rochon boy hit puberty, the girls started lining up. They were all good-looking, the product of some amazing genes. They also were all well-off. Not that most people would know that from how they lived. They were old money that didn’t need to live large. But the young girls in town knew that the Rochon boys meant a good life.
The family’s girls, on the other hand, intimidated the hell out of the young boys in town. Not just because they were afraid of the older family members should they slip up. But the young studs at school never seemed to impress the Rochon girls.
“So are you dating?”
“Uh, no.”
“Why not? I’m sure he’d love to take you out. I know he’s working at the logging company right now, but our cousin is okay with giving him time off if he needs it. You two could come over to my house. Meet my wife Gemma, my son, Dash, and my baby daughter, Talia. What are you doing tomorrow night?”
“It’s Sunday. I have a standing appointment with my best friend and Game of Thrones. It’s a long-term relationship that I never shirk on.” She was trying to be funny to get out of the uncomfortable situation. It wasn’t working.
“One night, can’t you record it? I can call Angel right now and see if he’s available.”
“No, really. Thank you, Eddie. But Angel and I are going to just be friends. I think that’s best.”