Page 151 of Tangled Like Us

He lets out a drier laugh. “Glad to see you haven’t changed.” He flashes a smile to Jane. “Nice to finally meet the one and only Jane Cobalt. I’ll be seeing you around.”

“I suppose so,” she says cautiously.

We watch him leave the gym, and then Jane spins to me, her head tipped in deeper thought. “You two have greater history, don’t you?”

She suspects something.

I’m just going to say it. “Tony slept with my high school girlfriend.”

Her lips part. “You said she cheated on you with a guy you can’t stand.”

Yeah. “That’s the guy I can’t stand.”

Her face falls. “Merde.”

And now he’s on the security team. Being trusted to keep a secret from the world.Oursecret. That I’m fake-dating Jane.

31

JANE COBALT

“Someone’s coming for you,I’m sure of it.” I scratch underneath a short-haired brown tabby’s chin. She purrs and turns her head into my knuckles.

Pumpkin is the only cat remaining in the local shelter, and my heart aches thinking she won’t be adopted today.

I’ve spent the last four hours here, trying my best to promote the shelter on social media. And since I’m still going dark on my socials, Maximoff let me log into his Instagram and do live stories on his account. I was able to find homes for the cats. Even some of the dogs were adopted too.

I’d like to think it’s a success.

But Pumpkin curls up on my lap, kneads my leg for a second and then closes her eyes.

Merde.

I sit on the floor in the front room, the owner and manager doing a stack of paperwork at their desks. Far enough away that the only real company I have right now is the handsome man leaning against a shelf of cat food.

Thatcher meets my eyes and then looks to the cat. He doesn’t say anything, but I’m sure he’s thinkingJane Cobalt, you have six cats already—seven is going over the edge.

In actuality, I have zero clue what he’s thinking.

But I’m having a hard time imagining leaving this tabby in the shelter. I’m not sure I physically can.

“How many cats is too many cats?” I ask Thatcher.

His brows knot the longer he looks at Pumpkin. “Before I met you,” he says. “I’d have said three.”

“And now?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t really know.” He looks me up and down and shifts his arms off the shelf and crosses them over his chest. “Are you thinking of bringing her home?”

“I don’t know,” I mutter. “I promised myself I’d stop at six because I live with Moffy and now LunaandSulli. It feels selfish to bring another animal in the house, but it feels heartless leaving her here.” Conflicted, I take a tighter breath and glance to the clock.

I’ve already been at the sheltermuchlonger than I previously planned.

I was supposed to be home and working on readingWildfire Hearttwo hours ago. I have zero experience narrating audiobooks, and so I have to research and do more vocal work before I even start recording. I’ve failed at so many things already, I don’t want to add this on to the list.

But it’s just so easy to toss aside my obligations for other things. My family. Cats.

I do love cats.