From the May 18, 2023 writer's prompt on the JE FF Facebook page. Write a one-shot using the words "asking for a friend". No longer a one-shot.
Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I am not making any money from this. Mistakes are mine.
Spoilers for Plum Spooky where Tank's cats are named.
Asking for a Friend by Debra8652
Chapter 7
I'm Tank. That says it all. I'm a member of the Core Team at Rangeman Securities along with Carlos "Ranger" Manoso, Lester Santos, and Bobby Brown. My job pays very well and I chose to buy a house near the office on a quiet residential street to accommodate not only my three cats - Applepuff, Miss Kitty, and Suzy - but I now foster kittens and cats for our local animal shelter. My home life is never boring. At the moment, I have a mama cat and her four kittens living in my laundry room until they are ready for adoption. The laundry room door is open but blocked by a baby gate to keep the kittens corralled while mama cat can jump over it for a little respite.
My girlfriend Lula lives with me and we have furnished our home but chose to do some repainting on first floor - the entryway and bathroom - in a sage green, washable paint. Luckily, my coworkers have a wide variety of work experience. Ramon and Vince will be arriving soon to paint the walls, along with our resident artist, Raphael, who will be painting an outdoor bench that will be an original work of art. The bench was made by Woody and Louis and will have great sentimental value for us.
Ramon, Vince, and Raphael arrive and unload the stepladders, drop cloths and paint brushes and rollers from the Rangeman workshop. Raphael has his own supplies and will work in the garage with the door open. The bathroom is large enough that Ramon and Vince can work in there together. They make quick work of it and do a great job.
After a coffee break they move on to the front foyer - they are on stepladders with their backs to each other. Just as they finish, Applepuff can't contain her curiosity and love of heights any longer, scurries up the ladder behind Ramon and sits by his paint pan on the top level. Lula and I both shout, which freaks out Applepuff. Ramon swears in Spanish and Vince swears in Italian. Applepuff flips the paint pan over on her way down the ladder and then crashes into Miss Kitty and Suzy, who have enough weight and momentum to knock over the can of paint sitting on the floor.
Mama cat joins the fracas by jumping over the baby gate hard enough to knock it down, which lets the kittens loose. The front door is open to help with the paint smell, as is the patio door, and 32 kitty legs skitter in at least that many directions, tracking paint everywhere. It's on their feet and their fur and their wildly waving tails and whiskers.
We are in need of suggestions for cleaning washable paint from the following places:
4 adult cats
4 kittens
Ramon
Vince
2 stepladders
ceiling fan
transom window
upholstered couch and chairs
glass top coffee table
Hermes knockoff bag
ceramic tile flooring
hardwood flooring
cat-shaped Espresso maker
bathroom counter
washer and dryer
toaster
canisters
utensil holder
litterbox
kitchen table
placemats
patio door vertical blinds
home entertainment center
cement patio and front step
next door neighbor (trimming hedges)
next door neighbor's wife (weeding flowerbed)
elderly Asian man (walking two Corgis)
UPS delivery woman
pest control employee
young boy riding his bicycle
Schwan's delivery man
woman pushing a stroller
jogger
teenager flying a drone
Raphael (who came to see what all the noise was about)
Asking for a friend.
A/N Thanks for your reviews and to Gayle, who wanted to see a chapter about Tank and his cats, and shared a RL experience with a cat, ladder, and paint.