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“Perfect.”
Emma thought they were done, but Dr. Saha continued asking dozens of questions, noting down the answers on her tablet.
Finally, the visit wrapped up. Despite her lingering headache, Emma walked the doctor to the door, eager to speak with Pedro.
Her cousin wasn’t there. The kitten was gone too.
Emma gingerly lowered herself onto the couch, trying not to worry. Garrett had promised to fix the Hannah situation and he would do it. If he tried to wash his hands of it, she would force him to keep his word.
Feeling better, she tried to be productive. Emma hated when her headaches kept her in bed, preventing her from accomplishing all but the simplest tasks. Setting her sights lower, she did some light cleaning in the kitchen, waiting impatiently until Pedro finally returned.
She was all over him the moment he walked in the door.
“Thank God you’re back.”
Pedro took off his windbreaker and gave her a weak smile. “Is the doctor gone?”
“Yes.” She bit her lip. “I’m so sorry about Garrett coming here and telling Hannah about the cat. I had no idea he even knew where I lived. Someone atDe Ollamust have told him.”
Pedro sat on the couch. “Yeah, he explainedwhat happened, confusing you for some sort of corporate Mata Hari. But he is determined to make up for it.”
To anyone else, that wouldn’t sound ominous. “It was nice of him to arrange for the doctor,” she acknowledged.
Dr. Saha was a specialist with a long list of credentials she was pretty sure her regular HMO doctor had never even heard of. Getting her down here for a house call was on par with the odds of winning the lottery.
“He has a gorgeous penthouse. It’s bigger than any house I’ve ever been in.”
Emma’s lips parted. She sat next to him. “You went to his place?”
“Yeah.” Pedro lifted a shoulder. “That’s where I was. I went to get the cat settled. He said it was half his anyway.”
Unbelievable. “We’re not sharing Meowmus Maximus.”
Her cousin’s brows rose. “I thought his name was Prince.”
“I changed it because he ismycat whom I do not share with anyone.”
“Except he lives in a penthouse with someone else now…” Pedro sighed, looking down. “Look, about what Hannah said…”
“Again, I’m sorry about that. I knew she wasn’t a fan, but I had no idea the Chos were looking for an excuse to get rid of you. Hannah seemed so happy when I moved in.”
Pedro looked down at his hands. “I guess the cat was a bridge too far.”
Emma felt terrible. She reached out to touch his arm. “I can talk to her. I’ll tell her the cat’s gone. It will be all right.”
He shook his head. “I think it’s too late for that.”
“No, it’s not. I know Hannah was upset, but the Chos can’t kick you out because of the kitten. Not when they allow other tenants to have pets. Especially since Meowmus won’t be living here anymore,” she added, unable to keep the sadness from her voice.
“They are the landlords. They make the rules.”
She held up her hands. “Renters have a lot of rights in California. If Hannah and her parents try and make an issue of this, we can get help from one of those tenant rights groups.”
It wasn’t as if the apartment posed a hazard to the other residents. There was no food waste. No chance of vermin beyond silverfish.
Not yet anyway.
“Em.” Pedro rubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t think this is working out.”