Page 21

Maybe they’re flirting

Sophie

I enjoyed the monthly get-together with fellow luthiers.

The attendees were mostly women, and Diane had been the one to start our tradition.

We had a Facebook group where we shared questions, info about suppliers, and news, but the monthly dinners were our chance to exchange stories, welcome newcomers, and celebrate victories.

There was a newbie this month who, immediately after I was introduced, asked about my dad.

Diane distracted her, but it would be nice if someone’s first question was about me, not my family.

Like Remy , my helpful brain piped up.

Since I was driving, I’d stopped after one drink, and my head was clear.

I’d made it through the gate and was close to the house when a small creature streaked across the driveway in front of my car.

I braked hard then put the car in park, because I recognized that particular furball.

Turning the car off, I stepped out to see if Beast was still around. I heard Remy calling Beast’s name.

“He was over here,” I yelled.

“Damn.” A moment later Remy showed in the headlights of my car. Messy hair, mouth curling downward, and as he spoke, just a hint of slurring, like he’d been drinking.

“Where’d he go?”

I pointed left, where Beast had vanished into the bushes. “He ran across the drive in front of me.”

“Fuck. Slipped out the door before I got a hold of the leash when I was taking him out to pee.”

“That’s why his leash was dragging behind him?”

Remy rubbed a hand across his face. “I stuck to beer so I wouldn’t get drunk. I’m responsible if he gets hurt.”

“He looked fine when he ran out in front of me… Is anything wrong?” Remy didn’t drink very often, from what I’d seen.

“No, no. Was out with the team, and…”

“I can help you look.”

He shook his head. “Not your problem.”

I shrugged. “If he didn’t have the leash, you could just wait for him to show up when he was hungry, but I wouldn’t want him to get stuck on a bush or something.”

A long, shuddering breath. “Right. Yeah. Beast!” he yelled suddenly, making me jump.

No response. I turned on my phone flashlight and headed in the direction I’d seen the dog go. Remy followed me, a little unsteady on his feet.

We searched for fifteen minutes, Remy hollering “Beast” until his voice got hoarse.

“Come on up to the house. You need some water,” I told him.

“I need to find Beast.”

I was familiar with this kind of stubbornness.

“If your voice gives out, you won’t be able to do much.

” I was pretty sure we’d have found him if he was actually caught by his leash, so when the dog got hungry or thirsty enough, he’d show up at Remy’s door.

But if Remy was going to insist on hunting further, he needed water.

We weren’t far from the house, so he followed me, occasionally calling hoarsely for his dog.

We went in through the garage, past the laundry room, and arrived in the kitchen.

As I flicked on the light, I heard a scratching sound and turned to the patio doors.

There was Beast, staring inside. And on the counter, staring back, was Goober.

For Pete’s sake. What was with these two?

“There’s your dog.” I pointed to the doors.

Remy rushed to open the patio door, forgetting that Goober was right there. I had no idea how she’d respond to some other animal in her space.

“Wait!”

But it was too late. Remy slid the doors open and Beast rushed in. Past Remy, whose reflexes were a little compromised, and stopped just below Goober.

Goober had a smug look on her face. She sat like an Egyptian goddess, tail wrapped around her front paws, and stared down at Beast. For once, Beast wasn’t growling. His tongue hung out the side of his mouth while he panted, watching the cat.

“What are they doing?” Remy asked, blinking in confusion.

Like I had any idea. “Whatever they were doing at your place.”

“Is the cat going to hurt him?”

“It doesn’t look like it. She could have jumped down already if she wanted. Why don’t I get you some water while you’re figuring it out.”

He nodded, but I wasn’t sure he was listening. There was a groove between his eyebrows as he watched the two animals.

I pulled out a glass and filled it with cool water from the fridge door. I set it on the counter by Remy and nudged him. “You should drink. If they start something, you grab your dog’s leash and I’ll tackle Goober.”

He turned to me and smiled. Damn, that was a good smile. The left side tipped up a little more than the right, giving him a charming lopsided appearance. His eyes creased at the outside corners. “I’m not sure which of us would be in more danger in that situation.”

I was smiling back at him before I’d even thought about it. “I’ll use oven mitts.”

He picked up the glass and swallowed. I turned away to get myself some water.

Remy set down the empty glass and checked on the animals. “Thanks, Sophie. I needed that.” His face hardened. “We’re heading out to Finland tomorrow, so we were at a thing. I had a little too much to drink.”

“Finland?” He nodded. “Why?”

“Oh. Global series. We play Florida there for a couple of games.”

That sounded odd, but I could check it out later. “You didn’t drive, did you?”

“Uber.”

“Good.” For a few moments, we just watched the animals. “I’m surprised Beast hasn’t escaped before.”

“I’ll be more careful.”

“It’s not a big deal. I don’t think he can get out of the fence, so he should be safe. Since Goober doesn’t seem to be threatened by him.”

“I’d rather not take the chance. My luck, Beast would find a hole and head right out onto a road.”

It didn’t seem, by the way Beast had run in front of me, that he had a lot of car sense, so the fear was reasonable. I looked at the animals again. “How long do you think they’ll keep it up this time?”

He shook his head. “No idea.”

I took his glass, filled it up with water again and set it down near him.

“So what do you think they’re doing?” I asked.

“It’s not dominance, I don’t think. Your cat has the high ground, but they’re not showing any aggression. And I don’t think it’s territorial, since the behavior has been the same at my place as here.”

He’d been thinking about this. “Maybe they’re flirting,” I suggested.

He turned to look at me again. “Flirting?”

I shrugged. “They’re simple animals, right? They have their physical needs met, so they’re not hungry or thirsty. We’ve ruled out dominance and territory. What’s left?”

“Loneliness?”

Something in his expression… Remy understood loneliness. Maybe not being alone—he played on a team—but being lonely. That hooked something inside me. I knew that feeling too.

I turned away. “Cats are supposed to like being on their own.”

“Not dogs. They’re pack animals.”

And humans? Most of us didn’t like to be alone. “How long are we going to wait on them?”

Remy looked my way. “Sorry, we’re keeping you up?”

“That’s fine. Just wondered if I should plan breakfast for them.”

Another held-back smile. “I can take Romeo home with me. We all need some sleep.”

“And I need to get my car into the garage.”

“Come on, Beast.” Remy picked up the end of the leash and tugged. Predictably, Beast growled. He was reluctant to go, but Remy was a lot bigger and stronger, and he couldn’t dig his feet in well enough on the tiled floor to prevent being dragged away from the cat.

Goober rose to her feet delicately and hopped down, heading farther into the house, out of sight. Beast gave in and followed Remy as he walked down the long hallway back to the garage entrance. I trailed along behind them.

Once we were outside, the night air cool on my skin, Remy walked beside me. Beast was on his other side, occasionally lifting a leg. It took only a couple of minutes to get to my car, when we weren’t zigzagging through the grounds looking for Beast.

“Thanks for helping me track him down.”

I turned to him. “In future, we should look for Goober if Beast is missing.”

“And vice versa?”

The moon was almost full. How had we gotten so close?

Remy looked different in the stark light.

A stranger. A very appealing one. I stared into his eyes, mesmerized.

They were pale in the moonlight, staring back at me with the same intensity.

My breathing grew shallow and I shivered in the night air.

Beast circled me and his leash tightened on my calves, disrupting my balance, and I fell forward onto Remy’s chest. His arm tightened around me as Beast pulled. I gasped, and then…we were kissing.

His lips were warm, firm, less tentative than I’d have expected.

He tasted like beer and something new to me—something just him.

A shudder moved through me, or him or us both.

I could have pulled away, or he could have, but instead he drew me closer to him and I pressed tightly against his solid body.

Suddenly we tilted, Beast pulling on the leash again, and Remy braced himself before Beast knocked us both to the ground.

“Sorry.” He balanced me on my feet then unwound the leather and stepped back. I was disoriented. From the kiss, from tripping, from the whole weird night.

“It’s okay,” I said, reaching my hand into my pocket to grab my keys.

“I shouldn’t have?—”

“Stop! Don’t blame yourself. It was a two-way street. Kiss. Whatever.”

He took another step back. “You’re good to get to the house?”

He couldn’t see my eyes rolling. “Yes, I can finish driving back to the house in my car inside this secure property.”

“We’ll just…and thanks for helping me with Beast.”

“You’re welcome. And it’s fine. I kissed you too, so?—”

But he had already turned and was walking quickly back to the carriage house. The beer he’d had must have worn off, since he had no hesitation in fleeing.

I sighed. Whether it was the Ollie thing, or being his kind of landlord or whatever, he was obviously not fine about the kiss. Which was a shame. He was a damned good kisser.

I got back in my car. It had been a weird night.