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She rubbed his head as she circled the counter and flung open a cupboard. She grabbed a faded-green plate from the meager stack of three before balancing on her tiptoes to fish a glass from the shelf above.

“Why did I put the glasses this high, Dicky? They’re almost impossible to reach!” She set the cat on the dull linoleum and pulled a napkin from the holder on the counter.

With the glass and serviette stacked on her plate, she delivered them to the coffee table before scurrying back from the living room for the pizza and a soda.

After settling herself cross-legged on the couch, she flung the box open and inhaled the cheesy aroma.

“Mmm,” she murmured, lifting a slice from the small pie.

Strings of cheese stretched as she pulled it onto her plate. She broke them with a finger, licking the grease off and wiping her hands before freeing a slice of pepperoni.

Dickens slinked into the room, arching his back and rubbing his side against the table leg.

Paige flicked her gaze to the tiny tabby, cocking an eyebrow at him. “Yes, I will share.”

She offered him the pepperoni slice and, after a cursory sniff, the cat snagged it from her grasp and crawled under the safety of the coffee table to consume his prize.

“We’re celebrating,” Paige announced as she cracked open her can of root beer.

Before she could take a sip, the cat returned, meowing at her for another slice of pepperoni.

“I haven’t even taken a bite yet.” She slumped her shoulders and freed another piece from the gooey cheese. “Good thing I got extra.”

After a few bites, she wiped her hands on her napkin and patted the cushion next to her. Dickens leapt up and curled into a ball, purring with a full belly.

“You’re not going to believe the salary I’m getting, Dicky,” Paige said, dipping her crust into garlic butter.

The cat side-eyed her with half-closed eyes.

“Two hundred and fifty thousand!” She flashed him a wide grin as he offered a purr-filled mewl. “Yep. And full health benefits. A retirement package, too. We hit the big leagues this time, boy-o!”

She slid another slice of the pie onto her plate and bit into it. As she chewed, she knit her brows. “I’m really starting to suspect that salary is a mistake.”

The cat stretched before curling into another ball next to her, his eyes sliding shut.

“I guess you’re right. Nothing to worry about. The pay’s got to be better than the Shop N’ Go. And we don’t need much.”

A thud sounded above them. The cat’s eyes shot open, and he twisted onto his belly. She let her gaze float upward as another crash sounded. Dickens’s ears flattened against his head, and he hissed.

“I swear, Dicky, they must have installed bowling lanes up there.” After a few more thuds, Paige shook her head and shouted at the ceiling, “Give it a rest already!”

A few more loud percussion booms resounded while Paige polished off her third slice of pizza. She settled back on the couch after flicking the pizza box closed. A few minutes of digging in the cushions produced the television remote.

She clicked on the device across the room and scanned through the offerings on her streaming service, selecting a movie about a woman who inherited a Scottish castle with a unique secret. With her plaid blanket snugged over her, she curled closer to the fur ball next to her.

A small black and white dog bounded around on the screen as the movie opened. When the woman spoke her first words to the pup, a bang from above drowned them out.

Paige clicked pause, squashing her features. “Ugh, again? Will they ever quit? If we miss her opening statement, we’ll have no idea about her character!”

She backed up several seconds and replayed the scene. Halfway through the woman’s line, a loud scraping resounded from above.

“Oh, come on!” Paige shouted, emphatically pressing the pause button again.

She waited a few more moments, but the noise didn’t subside.

With a sigh, she swiped her phone from the coffee table and tapped around. “Oh, this movie was based on a novel, Dicky. While I’m certain the book is better, I would very much like to watch this movie and relax before I start my new job tomorrow.”

She shot a glare at the ceiling, her features pinching in annoyance. She drummed her fingers against her thigh while she waited for the noise to stop.