Page 18 of The Great Maple Mistake (Love in Maplewood #8)

“You should enter the cook-off. There’s still time.”

She waves the suggestion away. “I just enjoy dabbling.”

“Really, Aunt Viv. You should enter. Everything you make is delicious.” Cody grins at me and takes another bite of his food.

“Well.” Beaming from his praise, she takes a sip of her wine. “I’m going to have to cook for you both more often if you’re going to compliment me so shamelessly.”

I nod vigorously. “Yes, please.”

“Done.” She squeezes my arm for emphasis.

“But seriously, please consider entering the cook-off. The deadline for entries is tomorrow, but I could probably give you an extra day or two, so maybe think about it over the next few days?”

Her cheeks get even pinker, but she nods. “Okay. I will.” She turns to Cody. “When do the kittens need to eat?”

I perk up, glancing between Viv and Cody. “Kittens?”

“Yeah, I found them this morning in a dumpster.” Before I get any more details, he answers Viv’s question.

“They ate at the vet’s this morning, and then you said you fed them around two-ish.

Right?” Viv nods. “So the instructions say they eat two or three times a day at this age, and I’m leaning toward giving them more than less since we don’t know how long they were in the dumpster.

Maybe tomorrow we’ll try for two times. But I guess we should try to feed them again after our dinner.

” Viv seems satisfied with the answer, so I don’t feel badly interrupting.

“What dumpster? And why were you near a dumpster to find kittens?”

Cody takes the last bite of his shell and loads his plate again as he chews. “Did you hear about the huge warehouse fire in Milton?”

“Is that what all the sirens were about yesterday? They kept going off for hours.” Shit. It never even occurred to me that Maplewood’s fire department would be called for a Milton fire. Though now that I think about it, it’s obvious that would happen for really bad fires.

Cody nods. “Five different firehouses reported. It was one of those fulfillment warehouses, so there were a ton of boxes and flammable products. It took almost twenty-four hours to put it out. Thankfully, there weren’t many chemicals in the place.

Just a few drums of cleaning solution. But everything else burned or melted. ”

Images of buildings engulfed in flames and firefighters rushing in and out flood my mind uninvited. “Shit!” I grab Cody’s hand and squeeze. “Obviously you’re alright because I can’t see any injuries on you, but, are you alright?”

He lifts my hand and kisses my palm, making little jolts of electricity zing up my arm. “I’m absolutely fine. Tired but fine.” His reassurance calms me, and I take a breath, relaxing muscles I hadn’t realized I’d tensed.

“I still don’t think you should have been driving, even if it was to make sure the kittens were okay.” Viv frowns at Cody. “Driving while sleepy is just as bad as driving drunk. You should have called me, and I’d have come to get you.”

“I told you, Aunt Viv, I was fine. The adrenaline was still pumping through me at that point.”

I squeeze Cody’s hand to get his attention. “Kittens? Where do they come into the story?”

Cody chuckles and rubs the heel of his hand against his eye.

Now that I really look, he does seem incredibly tired.

“We’d put the fire out and had started cleanup when John Alenko called me over because he heard something.

” Cody shakes his head. “That’s something you don’t want to hear at a fire.

I was imagining someone trapped inside the warehouse, and we’d missed them.

So I ran over, and we started actively listening.

At first, I didn’t hear anything, but then there was a little squeak.

And then another, and it was coming from the dumpster.

John and I flipped the lid back and started sifting through the trash. And I found them.”

“Oh my god! And they were in the dumpster?”

He nods, and I watch as his expression gets all soft and dreamy.

I’m not going to lie, I’m a little jealous of the kittens.

“There were five of them, all bedraggled, and only one of them was moving at all. I was so scared the others were dead.” Cody almost whispers the last word, and my heart breaks thinking how he must have felt.

“I dove in and got them out, ASAP. We rushed them to the EMTs, who gave them oxygen and checked them for injuries. They were shivering from being wet and exposed, so we rode back to the firehouse with them tucked inside our shirts, next to our skin to try to warm them up. And it must have worked because they were starting to move around a bit more by the time we made it to the station. I shucked out of my gear, set the kittens in a bin lined with sweatshirts, and drove them to Finn’s clinic. ”

And Finn hadn’t mentioned a thing about it! I have a few choice things to say to my best friend during tomorrow morning’s run. “They’re all okay?” I realize I’m gripping my wine glass a little too tightly and relax my fingers so I don’t break it.

“Yeah, all but one that Finn took home to monitor. He says she’ll most likely be fine and not to worry.

” He gives my hand a little squeeze, and it ridiculously makes me feel better.

“I’m still a little worried, though.” God, he’s absolutely the sweetest person I think I’ve ever met.

And so handsome. And kind, and thoughtful.

Damn. I’m falling for him. Hard. That’s scary enough, but I’m not even trying to put on the brakes.

And I’m all too familiar with how that turns out.

I squeeze back, hopefully returning some of the comfort he was trying to offer me not a minute ago.

“If Finn says the kitten should be fine, it’s almost a guarantee that she will.

He doesn’t like to get people’s hopes up, just in case.

But that’s positive language, so he’s probably more confident than he led you to believe. ”

“I hope you’re right.” While Cody told us the story, Viv and I finished eating, and he made it through his second helping. Now he pushes his plate away, sighing happily. “Absolutely fantastic, Aunt Viv.”

“Thanks.” Looking pleased by the compliment, she stands up and collects the plates. I push my chair back to help, but she waves me off. “I have them. Sit for a minute. Do you want dessert and coffee?”

Before I can answer, Cody groans, giving me the good kind of goosebumps. “Yes please!” He leans closer. “Aunt Viv made brownies, and we have vanilla ice cream.”

Dear god, that sounds amazing. “Oh, yes please. Can I help you?”

“Not yet.” Viv gives me a teasing wink. “I’ll let you and Cody do the dishes after we’re finished. For now, just relax.”

So I sit back and listen to Cody tell me all about the kittens and how he’s always wanted a cat. When Viv comes back to the table with mugs and the coffee pot, Cody catches his lower lip between his teeth and looks up at her. “Aunt Viv, would you maybe be okay keeping one?”

She pauses, considering, and then shrugs.

“I’d be open to discussing it.” She grabs the brownies and ice cream and sets them on the table, gesturing for us to help ourselves.

As Cody loads our plates with dessert, he launches into earnest negotiations.

It’s like watching a nine-year-old try to convince his parents that he’s responsible enough to have a pet, and I’m sure it’s exactly what Luke and I looked like each time we tried to get my parents to buy us a dog or cat.

Mom always vetoed it because she said Dad, Luke, and I were more than enough to take care of, and she didn’t need a pet on top of it. In hindsight, she wasn’t wrong.

“You wouldn’t really have to do anything, Aunt Viv. I’d be responsible for him.” He hands her a plate of brownie and ice cream and then sits, turning soft, hopeful puppy eyes on her. It’s potent, and if he ever gives me that look there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll give him whatever he wants.

Aunt Viv seems immune. Smirking she scoops up a bit of the ice cream. “So you already have your eye on one of the males?”

He blushes and nods. “The one that looks like he’s wearing a little tux. I don’t know, there’s just something about him.” Cody describes him to me, and my heart melts.

She pins him with a stern look. “And you’ll take care of him? Be solely responsible?” Cody nods, eyes wide with hope. Oh my god, this man needs to stop, because my heart is a puddle of goo in my chest. “And what about when you’re on shift?”

Cody hesitates for a second, and then it’s like someone lets all the air out of him. His shoulders slump, and he sighs. “I forgot about that. Yeah, you’re right. I won’t be able to take care of him while I’m at work.”

I glance at her, and she winks, only I don’t think Cody sees because he’s staring dejectedly at his half-eaten brownie. “It’s okay, Cody. I love cats. I’m happy to help you take care of him, if you want to keep one.”

Cody’s head shoots up, and goddamn, he looks so excited that I just want to wrap him up in a hug and kiss him. “Really?”

“Yes, really. But ultimately, he’ll be yours.”

Cody jumps up and rushes around the table, pulling Viv up out of her chair and hugging her. She all but disappears in his embrace, and when he finally lets her go, they both have tears in their eyes. “Thanks, Aunt Viv. I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetie.” She looks at me and chuckles a little wetly. “Don’t mind us. We’re an affectionate family.”

The rest of dessert goes by quickly as Cody chatters on about “Tux” which is the name he’s decided to give the little guy.

After we’ve cleaned our plates of any remnants of brownie or ice cream, Viv excuses herself to watch TV in the living room, leaving us alone in the kitchen.

We clear the table, and because Viv is one of those wonderful cooks who cleans up as she goes, we’re able to make quick work of the dishes.

Most of what’s left goes into the dishwasher, and the rest we take care of in a few minutes.