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Winston settled in and licked his paw like he couldn’t care less about getting out of that tree.

Glancing down, I met Abigail’s gaze. “I should have stood up for Abigail because that’s what she deserves, and sheshouldn’t have to put on a brave face on her own all the time. I wish I could go back in time and change the way I acted so she knew just how much she means to me.”

Her eyes were dark, and she hugged herself at the base of the tree. For a moment, I thought she was hearing me. Really hearing me. Then she dropped her gaze and closed her eyes, and my ribs tightened.

Maybe there really was no way to come back from this. Maybe Abigail and I were done as quickly as we’d come together. The thought made me want to scream.

But I had a cat to save. I turned back to Winston and took a deep breath. I’d been around him enough to know that the real way to his heart was through his stomach. So I called down to Abigail. “Abigail, do you still have my duffel bag?”

She paused. “Uhm. Yes?”

I peered down through the branches. “I bought cat treats and stashed them in the side pocket. Can you get them?”

Without a word, she ran toward the side gate. Odd. Not the fastest way to get in the house, but okay.

I settled in on the branch. “Winston, your mama’s going to get your favorite treats.” He looked up like he was listening for a moment before he began licking his other paw. He seemed aloof now, but once I opened that bag, I was sure he’d come running.

“Got ’em!” Abigail called up. Abigail’s tongue stuck out of the side of her mouth as she bent her knees and sprang up, using the momentum to heave the treats upward.

I reached out and caught them, the foil packaging crinkled in my fist. “Got it, thanks!”

“Rex, you gotta get him down!” she cried.

“I will. I promise.” Abigail deserved for me to do the rightthing, for once, even if it was only for her cat. “Okay, Mr. Winston. How would you like a little snack? I know you’re hungry.” That cat was always hungry. I opened the bag and offered a soft, triangle-shaped treat.

He tiptoed forward, leading with his nose. Even in the dark, I could see his whiskers vibrating. Oh yeah, I had him. He’d be eating out of the palm of my hand in no time.

Expecting him to jump into my arms, I watched him stop just short of my reach. Uh-oh, if food wouldn’t work, then what would? His branch was small, and I was worried if I ventured onto it, a bad situation would turn into a terrible situation. For both of us.

“Come on. You’ll love these treats. They’re salmon flavored,” I said, and he let out a soft meow. “She’s worried about you down there because she loves you. You love her too, right?” He meowed again. I dropped my voice low enough that the only one to hear me would be the cat. “Yeah, I love her too.” My throat tightened. The words hurt to say, because I knew I’d never get over them. I’d fallen hard for Abigail, and then I’d ruined it. But I wouldn’t ruin this. I smiled at Winston. “So what do you say? Can we go back to her now?” I offered the entire bag of treats because I’d tried everything else.

He stared at me for another moment, and I was sure he was going to stand his ground. Or rather, his branch. But he put one paw in front of the other and walked over, sticking his head in the open bag. I grabbed him and held him close, breathing a sigh of relief. He kept his head tucked in the foil bag, and I felt it move as he gobbled up the treats.

Some of the tension inside me eased, relief sweepingthrough me. I chuckled. Winston was a funny guy—when he wasn’t pooping in my shoes or peeing on my blanket.

“Got him!” I secured him in one arm and used my other to track back. “Send up the ladder.”

Moments later, the top of the ladder was just below my feet. I held him tight and proceeded carefully down. The second my boot touched the dry ground, Abigail grabbed him out of my arms and pressed him firmly to her chest. She ripped the treat bag off his head and ignored his angry yowl.

“Winston! I thought I lost you forever!”

My heart swelled seeing Abigail reunited with her cat. She snuggled with him, in her own world, and I watched the way her fingers sank into his fur and the lines on her face relaxed.

I wished I could do that for her. I wished I still had the right to touch her, to tell her how special she was, to make her feel good again.

But when she looked up and straightened, her eyes shuttering, I knew that what had once existed between us was still broken—maybe beyond repair.

THIRTY-SIX

ABIGAIL

Rex stoodin front of me in his firefighter uniform, exhaling heavy breaths. With my hands buried in Winston’s fur and my heart rate finally beginning to return to normal, I didn’t know how to feel.

I was still angry at him. Furious, really. He’d made me feel special, and then he’d thrown it back in my face. He’d treated me like an object that he could pick up and put down at will, with no regard for how I felt. He’d put everyone ahead of me. Climbing a tree to get my cat down wouldn’t make up for that.

But I wasn’t so far gone that I couldn’t be grateful for what he’d done. “Thank you for saving him,” I said, looking into his eyes. It hurt to see the concern written there and to wonder if he actually meant it.

Was Rex the good guy I’d thought? Or was he just another flake? Another person who’d always let me down?