Graham selected a chair from the dining room table and spun it around, facing the doorway leading to the garage. He was still dressed in his school clothing — a red collared shirt with a black knit vest over the top and jeans to complete the look — and couldn't break his concentration on waiting for Stephanie to arrive home. She was due to walk through the door any second, and when she did, he would already be lying in wait. There was also the added bonus that his dad would be arriving home as well, so, in a nutshell, he had plenty to look forward to in the approaching minutes.
Sara worked tirelessly at the kitchen counter, preparing dinner and stealing glances at Graham, smiling at his unmoving form every so often. She had offered him a pre-dinner snack, which he had turned down more than once, but out of the goodness of her heart, she provided him with a bowl of carrot sticks and ranch dressing regardless. It was better to play it safe than sorry by making sure he had something to fulfill his appetite if he so happened to change his mind. Vivian was in the adjacent room with Caylie, doing her best to keep the baby occupied, as always, until Amanda arrived home from work and could take over her lead.
Vivian had been granted the newest responsibility of taking baby Caylie along during the trip to shuttle Graham home from school in the afternoons, since she was the only adult available besides Sara, and Sara's work duties didn't extend beyond providing hot meals. That afternoon's ride had been almost typical of any other day of the week, that was, until they came upon the home stretch. Graham had witnessed a sight he couldn't ignore, but his pleas had fallen on deaf ears. Vivian, though her intentions were good, had overlooked the gravity of the situation, but the maturing side of Graham couldn't let it go. He had to tell someone, another adult who would believe him, what he saw.
His eyes lit like a fuse when a solid thump reverberated from the opposing side of the door that led into the garage, where the muffled sound of car doors being shut sliced through the quiet of the kitchen. Soon after, a key jiggled in the lock, and he hopped out of his seat, crashing into the first pair of legs to step through the door and hugging with all his might. Chris, the recipient of the world's biggest bear hug, patted Graham's back and smiled. "Well, isn't this a warm welcome? How was school, kiddo?"
"I saw something outside, Daddy."
Chris was still blocking the doorway with Graham and shot Stephanie an apologetic look. "I'd love to hear all about it, but we've got to move out of the way so Stephanie can come inside. We can't keep her out of her own home."
"No, it's okay, don't rush," Stephanie reassured. That was the status quo for her, always the person to calm the storm and ease all signs of worry. Nevertheless, Chris placed a hand on Graham's shoulder and led him further into the room so Stephanie could gain entrance. "Hey, Graham," she greeted. "I hope you had a fun day at school."
"Stephy," he murmured, inadvertently overlooking the thoughtful sentiment and waving her down until she was kneeling at his side. She placed her briefcase on the floor but kept her hand on top for balance. "I saw a kitty. He's cold."
"You saw a kitty that was cold?" she frowned. "When did that happen?"
"When Vivi was driving me here, I looked out the window and saw a kitty," Graham repeated. His memory flashed back to an image of the abandoned feline, hungry and scared, using a trash can as a temporary shield from the falling snowflakes. His eyes grew wide with horror the longer he pictured the injustice, and he had to remind himself his dad and Stephanie were there to help. "It was a little one, and it was hiding by a trash can."
Chris had taken a seat at the dining room table and was listening in. He loosened his tie and allowed his posture to fall into a slouch as he interjected. "Was an adult around to take care of him?"
"No," Graham shook his head, jaw slackening and making him appear much older and wiser than his years. "He was all by himself. He's like us, Daddy. He needs a house, just like we did."
Stephanie's face fell, and she reached into the pocket of her blazer and withdrew her keyring. The savior inside of her had an almost incessant need to make everything right with the world at all costs, and the thought of leaving a poor kitten to weather the storm headed their way broke her heart in two. The heartache coursing through her eyes was replaced with a flash of determination, and she stood and reached for Graham's hand. "Do you think you can remember exactly where you saw the kitty?"
"Mm-hmm," he nodded, grasping her hand in his own.
She turned to Chris, seeking only his seal of approval. "Can I take Graham in my car to track this kitten down? We'll only be a few minutes."
"Yeah, that's fine," Chris agreed. "Are you bringing him to a shelter if you find him, or back here?"
"I'll bring him here, at least until morning, and then I can put out fliers in case he's someone's pet here in this neighborhood," she explained, tucking away a wisp of unruly hair that had caught onto her fresh coat of cherry-flavored chapstick. "There's a snowstorm warning for our county tonight, and I don't want the poor thing to freeze out there."
"As long as Graham's up for going, I'm okay with it. You want to go for a ride with Stephanie, bud?" Chris asked, reaching down to ruffle his son's unkempt mane.
"Yeah!" he exclaimed, forcing a cringe onto the faces of every adult in the room.
"Use your indoor voice," Chris corrected, sending Stephanie a succinct nod. "All right, I think I'm going up to take a shower, but I'll see you two in a bit. Unless you think you need me to ride along..."
"Oh, we'll be okay," she declined his offer and led Graham to the door, key already poised in hand. "Dinner smells incredible, Sara."
"I'll have everything ready by the time you get back," Sara winked, and turned her attention back to the boiling pot's contents as it sat steaming atop the stove.
The first of an entire flock of heavy storm clouds moved in and settled over the neighborhood, there to greet Stephanie right where she had left them when initially pulling into her garage. As she backed into the driveway, Graham clenched his hands in his lap, eyes darting every which way as he tuned out all possible distractions and went on the lookout for the displaced kitten. The urge came forth to tell his dad more about the cat, but when he found the front passenger seat empty, he was reminded he had gone the solemn trek alone. He wasn't completely alone, though, because he had Stephanie, and just that quickly, his fists were released of their tension.
Stephanie steered to the end of the road her home was settled on and checked on Graham in the rearview mirror, relying on his memory to show her the way. "All right, you're in charge here. Which way should we go first?"
"That way!" Graham's finger darted out as he pointed in the direction of a gaggle of trees, with branches tangled and twisted in a gathering that formed the outskirts of the woods. Stephanie bit down on her tongue, holding out hope that the kitten hadn't run off into the mass of woods while searching for cover. If he had, there was no way they would find him before dinnertime, and, subsequently, no way to determine his ultimate fate. Her heart couldn't take the thought that he would freeze in the middle of a blizzard, scared and alone, but she wasn't equipped to go hiking through the thick vegetation for him, and neither was Graham.
Her foot remained planted on the break pedal as she glanced first to the right, then the left. "Is that where you last saw him?"
"Um...no," Graham shook his head. Taking direction from a small child proved challenging in a way she hadn't readily guessed, but Stephanie still managed to release a heavy breath she had been withholding, the corners of her lips tugging into a flustered smile. It was a relief Graham hadn't actually seen the kitten near the woods.
"You're still in charge, but we can't just drive in any direction, silly," she laughed. "We have to go where you last saw the kitty, and that way we'll have a better chance of finding him. You said he was near a trash can, so he would have had to be somewhere in the neighborhood, not by the woods. Was he this way?" she asked, pointing out of her tinted car window, to the left of where they sat.
"Yeah, down there."
"Off we go, then," Stephanie said, pulling off of her street and onto the road that would, with any luck, lead them straight to the kitten's temporary resting place.
She didn't have to drive far, only a matter of yards, before Graham called out from the backseat and singled out a particular trash can that was taking up space near the sidewalk curb. The trash can itself wasn't directly in front of a specific house, so it was unclear who it belonged to, but Stephanie pulled safely to the side of the road and unlatched her seat belt. Graham followed her action, releasing his protective strap and pressing his nose to the window, a thin film of fog forming where his breath hit the glass, as he checked for any signs of life near the trash can. Stephanie did a brief scan of the area with her eyes and faced the backseat, where an anxious Graham was awaiting.
"Do me a favor, Graham," she requested, "and put your seat belt back on."
"But I wanna go with you," he whined.
"I know you do, but I don't see the kitten anywhere around," she replied. "I'm going to take a look inside the trash can to be sure he didn't climb in there somehow and, if not, we'll keep looking. I want you to be safe, though, so I need you to put your seat belt back on and do not, under any circumstances, touch anything near this front seat, okay?"
"Okay," he nodded, wide-eyed and serious. "I can make the car move if I do that, and that would be bad."
"That would be very, very bad," she agreed, holding her hand out to Graham. "So we have a deal?"
"Deal!" Graham called out, slapping the palm of her hand with his own.
She smiled so big that her previously unseen dimples poked through her cheeks, and she tousled his hair before holding her suit jacket taut to her body and stepping out of the car. She shut her door, icy wind blowing her loose strands awry and sending a shiver up her spine as she made rapid, clipped strides to the trash can and completed a full circle around it. Stephanie held her fluttering hair away from her face as she checked the contents inside, and her free hand shot to her mouth at the sight that met her. Graham was enthralled with what he was watching, and not even the fleeting sound of her cell phone's ringtone blaring out each time she received a new call could tug his gaze away.
He tilted towards the side window, as much as the restriction of his seat belt would allow, and his mouth dropped open far enough to reveal his tonsils when he saw what she did next. Stephanie had pulled her coat off and reached into the dirty trash can to pull out their newest furry companion. His shaggy orange fur stood tattered and messy, the same way Graham's hair did in the morning, before Chris ordered him to run a comb through it. The kitten leaned in, pressing his spongy nose to Stephanie's chest, and she held him close, stroking the top of his head with the tips of her fingers before winding the length of her coat around his body to entrap warmth.
She bundled him like a parent would their baby, left in only her undershirt and slacks, and rushed back to the vehicle. Graham's eyes grew wide with alarm when she thrust open the car door nearest him, but his insides were flooded with elation when she placed the kitten in his lap and entrusted him with the task of keeping the kitten safe during the car ride back to her home. After climbing back into the driver's seat, she tossed over her shoulder, "That's the only kitty you saw, right?"
"Yeah, this is him!" Graham squealed, eyes dancing as he hugged the kitten to his chest, just as he had witnessed Stephanie doing earlier.
"I'm so happy we found him in time for dinner," she said, checking her side mirrors for oncoming traffic. She pulled back onto the road and turned the car around, in the direction they came from. "He can eat with us."
"What does a kitty eat?"
"He can have some milk, and maybe a little bit of whichever meat we're eating, like ham or something," she estimated. "I normally wouldn't give him too much human food, but he's awfully skinny, so it might be good to fatten him up before we switch him to regular cat food. You know, I'm going to need your help with making some fliers too, Graham. If he's got owners, we need to find them."
"So we can't keep him?" Graham asked. Every drop of excitement drained from his eyes and his bottom lip protruded. Those weren't the words he had wanted to hear. "I want him to be my kitty."
"I know you do, but if he belongs to someone else, we can't keep him," she explained. "That would be stealing, and we don't want to do that. Someone could be out there missing him and wondering where he's at, and if that's the case, we need to find that person and give them their cat back. Do you understand why we would have to do that?"
"'Cause it's the right thing?"
"Absolutely," she nodded. "It's the right thing for everyone."
The telltale aroma of a glazed ham dinner was first to greet them when they stepped in the door, and Sara had already arranged the place mats on the tabletop. All utensils were in their rightful spots as well, resting on top of folded cloth napkins, and Stephanie's mouth watered as the hunger-inducing scent wafted to her nostrils, but she had business to take care of first. Sara arched an eyebrow when she caught sight of the mystery bundle in Graham's arms, and Amanda entered the kitchen with Caylie tucked in her arms, gasping faintly at the light pink set of ears peeking out from behind the coat. "What's that?" she asked.
"We found a cat," Graham supplied.
"Really?"
"Ca!" Caylie shouted, her best attempt at pronouncing the animal's name.
"Yes, that's a cat, good girl," Amanda said, erupting in muffled applause and pressing a kiss to the crown of her young daughter's head. Stephanie went to the kitchen cabinet and retrieved a medium-sized bowl, bringing it to the refrigerator and filling it to the halfway point with milk. She placed the chilled beverage on the floor, in an unoccupied corner of the kitchen, and signaled Graham over.
"Let's see if he'll drink some milk," Stephanie said. She unfurled her coat from the kitten's lean body frame and placed him in front of the bowl, spying his movements as she waited to see how he would react to the cool liquid. He sniffed around the bowl and touched the tip of his nose to the milk's surface, pulling away and swiping a paw at his face immediately after. A frown settled over Stephanie's brow, swooping in like the storm clouds that were forming just beyond the walls of her home, and she pulled the kitten into her lap and patted his back. "I don't think he likes it. Maybe I should make a store run and get him some actual cat food."
"You're going to the store?" Amanda asked, eyebrows arching like the hook of a question mark. She bounced Caylie in her arms, a motion that slowed to a stop when Stephanie's inquisitive gaze met hers. Her cheeks burned crimson. "Sorry, I'm just not used to seeing you do the grocery shopping. That's all."
"No, it's okay," Stephanie smiled, handing the kitten off to Graham after he took a seat on the kitchen floor beside her. "I don't usually do my own grocery shopping, but I might have to start today. If I have to go buy him some food or milk, that's fine, but I want to get it done before the snow sets in."
"Oh yeah, I heard at work that there's supposed to be a bad storm tonight," Amanda acknowledged. "I'm glad I don't have anywhere important to be and that I can stay cozy in here while it's going on."
"I'll second that," Stephanie answered. Her eyes were trained on Amanda, but she was looking straight through her, as if she was going to find guidance on the other side. It was clear that the kitten situation was worrisome to her, and Amanda felt the least she could do was offer her assistance. Stephanie had given her a place to live and hope for the future, and it wouldn't kill her to make a quick trip to the store to pick up some supplies for a kitten. An extremely cute kitten, at that.
"Why don't I leave Caylie here to eat dinner while I go grab some cat food?" she offered. Stephanie was already shaking her head in protest before she got the full question out, but Amanda wasn't taking no for an answer. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was feeling like she wasn't pulling her own weight, and after all Stephanie had done for her, she could return the favor every so often. "I'll be quick. I can just pick up a bag of cat food, or maybe the cans would be better."
"I don't want you out in this weather," Stephanie said. "I'd rather you stay here with the baby and I'll go."
Without giving anyone the chance to object, Stephanie pushed herself up by the palms of her hands and made a grab for her keys on the kitchen counter. Sara tried to speak up, but Stephanie grabbed her purse with a flourish and returned to the door she had walked through with Graham only minutes earlier. Taking a stray cat in came with responsibilities, and she was unwilling to blow off any part of the job set out before her. Amanda called after her, "Stephanie, I really wish you would let me do it. I don't mind."
"I'll be fine. See you in a bit," she winked, tossing her hair over her shoulder and slipping out the door.
Chris stood in the doorway of Stephanie's bedroom after wishing Amanda and Caylie a good night when they headed off to their own bedroom, a few hours removed from the conclusion of dinner. He had searched the entire house for Graham so he could put him to bed, and the last place he thought to check for him happened to be precisely where he was hidden. Stephanie's back was pressed against the edge of her bed, a fluffed towel draped over her thighs as she held the kitten in her hand, with his stomach pressed to her open palm. She controlled the even flow from his bottle with her other hand, and the kitten drank the contents greedily, sucking up every last drop of the warmed milk replacer.
It was the first time Chris had gotten a good look at him, and his gaze followed the white stripes that cut through his fur, the same shade of orange as sorbet. The irises of the kitten's eyes were a soft hazel, surveying the room around him as he gulped down his treat, safe and snug in Stephanie's grip. The entire household was secure in Stephanie's arms, when it came down to it. She was a lifeline for everyone fortunate enough to meet her, and as much as he tried to swat it away, Chris could feel the tickle of guilt building in his stomach and rushing upward to his chest, where it settled like a dark and heavy raincloud. Stephanie did so much and expected so little, and, somehow, it didn't seem right.
Chris took his first step inside the room, and Stephanie lifted her head to greet him, an ever-present smile pasted on her face. The crinkle of her nose and gleam of her eyes when she grinned melted his heart every single time, without fail. Somehow, he managed to find his missing voice and project across the bedroom. "Hey, guys. What are you up to?"
"Just feeding the kitten," she replied.
"His name is Freddy," Graham offered.
"If we can keep him, then Graham is going to name him Freddy," Stephanie corrected, reaching out to pat Graham's leg. "We won't know for sure until we hang fliers, so we have to be patient. Graham, I don't want your feelings to be hurt if somebody steps up and claims him, so we can't assume anything."
"He wasn't wearing any tags, I take it?" Chris asked.
"None at all," Stephanie said. She shook her head and scowled as she scratched gingerly at the kitten's fur. "I don't know why anybody would have a pet and not bother to make sure they put the proper tags on them. If people are going to have pets, they should be responsible about it. Can you imagine where this poor thing would be right now if Graham hadn't looked out the car window today and seen him?"
"Probably trapped somewhere out there in the snow," Chris folded his arms, jaw setting squarely on his face. Perhaps the kitten's situation was hitting too close to home because it reminded him of the lifestyle he shared with Graham before they had been essentially rescued by Stephanie. An expert with feeling out emotions, she noticed his expression. She picked up on just about everything, even when Chris didn't particularly want her to.
"Chris, are you all right?" she questioned. Her speech was slow and controlled. "We can talk after Graham gets to sleep if you need to."
"No, I'm fine."
"It's just..." she paused, studying the deep creases in his brow, "you don't look fine."
"I am," he returned, a bit too quick for her liking. Chris held up his index finger and beckoned Graham over. "Say goodnight. It's time for bed."
"But, Dad..." he whined.
"Don't 'but, Dad' me. You've got to get to school tomorrow, and I have work, so we both need our sleep. You'll be able to play with the kitten tomorrow."
"Don't be surprised if it's a snow day tomorrow," Stephanie cut in. "I'm sure you dealt with those quite a bit in Canada, but we get them a lot here, too. I really don't want to be snowed in, just because I hate not having the option to go anywhere, but if it happens, we'll be prepared. I've got a room stocked downstairs with flashlights and extra food and water. We're covered if anything should happen."
"Is it bad that I sort of hope we do get snowed in so I can get a break from work?" Chris pondered, cringing the second the words left his mouth. "I'm terrible. I sound like a whiny, entitled brat, don't I?"
"No," she laughed, "everyone wants a break at some point. That's only normal."
"But I only just started this job," he pointed out.
"Hey, I'm trying to help you out here by throwing you a bone, but you've got to let me do it."
"Oh, right," he chuckled.
Chris made the mistake of letting his eyes linger a little too long, as they drifted over Stephanie's face and came to an abrupt stop at her soft, full lips. Lust bubbled deep in the pit of his stomach and worked its way upward, until it rumbled behind his own set of lips and urged him forward, against his better judgment. What felt like a magnetic force tugged him toward her, but he was likely the only one who felt its insistent pull, as Stephanie had returned to doting on the kitten long since. She wasn't his, nor would she ever be, and the sooner he came to terms with that fact, the easier his life would grow to be. Some things, however, weren't so simple, and attraction was not an easy phenomenon to break free of. But, oh, how his lips longed to touch hers.
"Good — " the word left Chris in a sharp squeak, as if he had only just begun to cross the threshold of puberty, and his cheeks warmed to an unnatural shade of pink as he cleared his throat. Stephanie must have caught his faux pas, because a smile danced in her eyes. She pressed her lips together, as if managing to at least hold in her laughter. Chris mumbled, "Sorry. Meant to say goodnight, minus the squeaky, prepubescent voice."
"Goodnight to you as well," she nodded, and that time he definitely recognized the amusement in her tone. Everything about Stephanie made his heart prone to melting straight through the carpet and into the floorboards below. Even when he embarrassed himself in front of her, she still had a hold on him that he couldn't shake away. "I'll see you bright and early in the morning. We'll go to work together, given that the weather allows for it."
"Sounds good," Chris nodded. "Time to go, Graham. Say goodnight to Stephanie."
Graham pouted and stood from the floor, kicking at it lightly with his sock-covered foot as he sidled up to Stephanie's side and stared at the carpet. "I don't want to go, but Daddy's making me leave. 'Night."
"Aww, goodnight, you little angel. What you did for this kitten today showed a lot of maturity, and I'm so proud of you," Stephanie matched his expression with a pout of her own to make him laugh and kissed his cheek. "Kitty will sleep in here with me tonight, since it's only his first night, but if it's okay with your daddy, he can sleep in your room tomorrow night. Get some sleep, and I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
"Okay," Graham said, perking up just the tiniest bit at Stephanie's offer.
Chris mouthed a few words of appreciation, and she nodded curtly, as if she hadn't done much to begin with. She was wrong about that, though. Stephanie had done more for Chris than she ever could have known, and just as he was leading Graham towards the door, he glanced back and found her attention on the kitten again. A possessive thirst for Stephanie parched his throat and squeezed his larynx, making it increasingly difficult to swallow. For the first time in his life, Chris was jealous of an animal — an endangered kitten, no less. He distracted himself by bringing Graham to his bedroom and tucking him underneath the veil of covers, and it wasn't until he closed the door that he understood the agitation he felt inside. Everything always came back to Stephanie.
Chris wanted her to himself. All to himself.
He envied a kitten.
