Meant to Be Yours

by Susan Mallery

  He was a big guy, with dark green eyes and serious attitude. There was something about him, Renee thought. Something she couldn’t explain.

  A volunteer walked past.

  “Excuse me,” Renee said. “Who is that cat?”

  The volunteer—a teenager, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail—glanced at the kennel in question. “Oh, that’s Fred. He was surrendered when his owners had to move and couldn’t take him with them. They weren’t very nice about it and didn’t tell us anything about the cats. It was kind of a dump and run. He’s been here about three weeks and isn’t exactly friendly. We’re thinking he needs to go into foster care so he can mellow out.” She smiled. “Have you looked at those calico sisters over there? They’re very affectionate.”

  Renee dutifully glanced at the pretty calico cats, then returned her attention to Fred. He made no attempt to hide his disdain for her or his circumstances. She didn’t need her mother’s gift to know he was desperately unhappy, but whether or not that was because he was in a shelter or missed his family or some other reason, she had no idea.

  She stayed by Fred’s kennel until Brenda returned.

  “What did you decide?”

  Renee pointed to Fred. “Tell me about him. Another volunteer said he was surrendered because his family had to move.”

  Brenda looked confused, but nodded. “Fred is about eight years old. He’s not really a lap cat. He’s not a bad cat, just not very interested in people and he seems upset all the time. I’m not sure he would be a good match for a first-time cat owner. A kitten is going to bond with you more quickly.”

  Renee looked at Fred. There was something about him. Something she couldn’t explain. She pointed to the sign on the wall offering a thirty-day trial on cats over five years old.

  “I want to try with him,” she said. “I want to see if we can be a family.”

  “Okay. I’ll put him in a room so you two can meet. I wouldn’t try to pet him or anything.”

  Renee and Jasper spent an hour with Fred in the meet and greet room. He stayed in the corner, hissed when either of them approached and refused to play with the feather on a stick toy. When Brenda returned, she smiled at them.

  “So, a kitten?”

  “I’ll take him,” Renee said firmly.

  “You sure?” Jasper asked, sounding surprised.

  “He needs me.”

  “He needs something, but this is a lot to take on. Don’t you want a pet who likes you?”

  “He will. Eventually.”

  Jasper looked doubtful as he said, “It’s whatever you want.”

  It took two volunteers to stuff Fred into a carrier. Renee paid the fees and then shopped at the on-site store where she bought kitty litter, a litter box, food and dishes. She decided toys could wait until Fred was more at home in her apartment.

  Jasper helped her carry everything inside.

  “Want me to stay for a while?” he asked.

  She smiled. “I’m good. Fred and I need to get to know each other. Thank you for coming with me today.”

  “You’re welcome.” He kissed her, then glanced at the growling, hissing cat in the carrier. “I guess I don’t have to worry about him if he ever meets Koda. He’ll send that dog whimpering into the corner.”

  She grinned and walked him to the door. Once Jasper was gone, she opened the cat carrier. Fred shot out like a bullet, raced twice around her apartment then dove under the bed. She put the litter box in place and added the litter. After setting up a feeding station in a corner of the kitchen, she put out food for him, then prepared her own dinner.

  Around ten, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Fred had appeared. He investigated the room, careful to keep his distance. She smiled at him and he hissed back.

  Right before bed, she checked and saw he’d eaten most of his food and used the litter box. She wished him good-night and got into bed. Sometime after midnight, she woke up to find him sleeping on the far corner of her bed.

  “Hey, Fred.”

  He hissed at her, then deliberately turned his back on her. Slowly, carefully, she reached across the bed and lightly stroked his fur. He growled and promptly jumped off the bed. Renee smiled as she rolled over to her other side. She finally had a pet and while she could guess what was going on with him, she really had no idea what he was thinking. And it was wonderful.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  RENEE DIDN’T EVER want to not like one of her brides, but Asia was really pushing her buttons. The tall, willowy blonde had been difficult from their very first meeting. Not mean so much as demanding in unexpected ways. She would want to start a meeting at 10:22 in the morning and she meant 10:22 a.m. Not 10:15 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. Nope, she would walk in precisely at 10:22 a.m. and things got going.

  From Renee’s perspective, she overmonitored her fiancé, bossed around her parents and acted like the princess she wasn’t. But, Renee reminded herself as she tried to get everyone in place for the rehearsal the Thursday before their wedding, weddings were stressful and maybe Asia was a lovely person in her regular life.

  “Jack is late,” Asia said, glaring at her parents, the Thursday evening before the Saturday wedding. “I told you he was too irresponsible to put in the wedding, but you said I had to.”

  “He’s your brother, Asia.” Her mother’s voice was pleading.

  “Come on, pumpkin,” her father added.

  “Don’t call me that.” She glared at both of them before turning to Andrew, her fiancé. “Do something.”

  “I’m going to take Buster for a walk.”

  Buster was the gorgeous golden retriever who would be acting as best man. The dog belonged to Asia, but Andrew wanted him to participate in the wedding, so the dog wouldn’t feel he was replaced. From what Renee had been able to observe, Andrew and Buster were great friends and the new man of the house would be accepted with a wagging tail.

  But instead of going with Andrew when called, Buster whined and retreated to a stack of folding chairs and huddled next to them.

  “That’s the second time he’s done that,” Andrew said. “Is he feeling all right?”

  “How would I know?” Asia snapped.

  “He’s your dog. Did he eat his breakfast?”

  Asia rubbed her temples. “I’m sure he did.”

  “You can’t remember?”

  She glared at him. “It was hours ago. Look, you just have to show up and put on a tux. I’m the one handling all the details for our three-hundred-person wedding. It’s been a lot, so forgive me if I can’t remember how much the dog ate for breakfast.”

  Her voice rose with each word until she was shouting. Both sets of parents flinched. Out of the corner of her eye, Renee saw Jack, Asia’s younger brother, walk into the room, take one look at his sister, then turn on his heel and quickly escape before anyone saw him.

  At times like this, Renee really wanted to take the groom aside so he could explain what it was he saw in his bride-to-be. What was she like when they were alone, because out in public, she was a bitch. But she’d never asked the question before and she wasn’t going to start now. To almost quote Shakespeare, that way lay madness.

  “Why don’t we start without Jack?” Renee said, keeping her voice as soothing as possible. “All he has to do is seat the mothers, then take his place next to Andrew. I’ll go over everything with him later.”

  “No matter how many times you tell him what to do, he’ll screw it up,” Asia grumbled.

  “Asia!”

  “You know I’m right, Mom.” Asia looked at Renee. “Fine. Let’s get going. Come on, Buster. Time to stand with Andrew.”

  Buster whined, but didn’t budge from his place by the chairs.

  “He’s been upset for a while now,” Andrew said.

  Asia rolled her eyes. “How would you know? You see him for like five secon
ds when you come over.”

  “That’s not true. I hang out with him while I’m waiting for you. I take him for walks every night I’m there. When you went away for your bachelorette party, I kept him for three days. I’m the one who took him to the vet for his last checkup.”

  “Whatever.”

  Renee realized that both sets of parents had followed Jack’s lead and darted out of the room. Great. Twenty minutes into the rehearsal and nearly everyone had disappeared.

  “Did you want to take a break?” Renee asked quietly. “I could—”

  “Take a break? We just got here. It’s a rehearsal. Let’s rehearse and be done with it.” Asia marched over to her dog. “Dammit, Buster, act right. Go with Andrew.”

  The dog whimpered, crouching down. Andrew knelt next to him.

  “Something’s wrong.”

  “Do you want me to find a local vet?” Renee asked. She knew of a nice woman with a practice nearby. Renee had taken Fred in to make sure he was all right, but except for the spitting and hissing, he seemed to be in excellent health.

  “I don’t think he’s sick,” Andrew said, stroking Buster’s head. “But he’s sure upset about something.”

  Renee thought about how they still had the rehearsal to get through, not to mention an entire wedding, and at the rate they were going, nothing was going to happen. She might not be able to fix Asia’s attitude but she could help them learn what was wrong with the dog.

  “Give me two minutes,” she said and hurried out of the room.

  “Great,” Asia yelled after her. “Now you’re leaving, too? What am I paying you for?”

  Renee ignored her and quickly texted her mother. Verity replied immediately, saying she would be right over. Renee returned to the main room where Asia stood by herself while Andrew was still huddled by the dog.

  “My mom’s going to stop by,” she began.

  “Oh, really? Your mother?” Asia’s tone was sarcastic. “Did you forget your lunch or your schoolbooks?”

  “Asia, stop it.”

  Asia turned on him. “This is my wedding,” she screamed. “No one is taking it seriously.”

  “Your wedding? Not our wedding?”

  “Don’t you dare start your damn semantic games with me, Andrew. This is not the time.” She spun to face Renee. “What?”

  Renee forced herself to relax. She might not be able to change Asia’s energy, but she didn’t have to feed it.

  “My mom is something of an animal expert. I’m hoping she can tell us what’s wrong with Buster.”

  “An expert? Do tell.”

  Renee smiled. “She has a show on Animal Planet.”

  “Oh.” Asia looked impressed. “Okay, that would be great. Once we get the damn dog fixed, we can move on to where everyone went to.”

  The last few words were delivered at a shout.

  Andrew shifted so he was sitting on the floor. Buster stretched across his lap and closed his eyes.

  “We should never have had a dog in the wedding,” Asia muttered. “Not that my stupid brother is any better.”

  Verity walked in. “I came as quickly as I could.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Renee made introductions, saving the golden retriever for last. “This handsome guy doesn’t want to cooperate. I thought maybe you could help us figure out why.”

  “Of course.” Verity started toward Buster. Her warm smile quickly faded as she stumbled to stop. The color drained from her face and she immediately turned and ran from the room.

  “This is ridiculous,” Asia snapped. “What is wrong with everyone tonight?”

  Renee didn’t answer. Instead she said, “I’ll be right back,” and went after her mother.

  While she didn’t know the details, she could guess the problem. Buster had told Verity something her mother didn’t want to hear or share.

  She found Verity in the hallway, leaning against the wall. Her mother was still pale and her breathing was shallow.

  “I won’t,” her mother said, closing her eyes. “I won’t ruin your life again. I love you and I want you to be happy.”

  “Mom, what are you talking about?”

  “Those people. The wedding. I can’t say it. Don’t make me say it.”

  “Since when do you have a choice?”

  Renee kept her tone gentle, but her words were true regardless. Eventually Verity would have to blurt out whatever she’d sensed. It was just a matter of time.

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Renee hugged her mother. “Mom, you won’t. Nothing you’re going to say affects me. Even if it does, I love you.”

  “What’s going on?” Andrew asked, hurrying up to them, Buster at his side. Asia trailed behind them.

  “This is insane,” she said. “You’re ruining my wedding.”

  Renee looked into her mother’s eyes. “It’s okay,” she said. “Just tell us what Buster told you.”

  Verity looked at the dog. “He’s upset. He loves Andrew and knows how hurt he’s going to be. He wants to tell him, but he can’t, so he’s trying to deal with it as best he can.” She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay, Mom.”

  Verity looked at Asia. “He knows about your affair. I don’t know who the man is, but it’s not your fiancé. Buster doesn’t want to live with you anymore. He wants to live with Andrew.”

  “What are you doing?” Asia screamed, rushing toward Verity. “You bitch! How could you do this? I’ll sue you. I swear to God, I’ll destroy you.”

  Jack stepped into the hallway and grabbed his sister.

  “Jesus, sis. An affair? I thought something was up but you told me I wrong. Is there anyone you won’t lie to?” He held on to her as she clawed at Verity. “Stop it. Act like a human for a change. It will be good for you.”

  Andrew seemed more sad than stunned. He sank to the floor and held out his arms to Buster. The dog threw himself into the embrace.

  “I guess I suspected,” Andrew said, his voice thick with emotion. “I didn’t want to believe it.” He looked at Renee. “Not her first time. It’s kind of her thing. I guess I was the idiot who thought he could change her.”

  All Renee could think was to ask why on earth he’d proposed if his girlfriend was a chronic cheater, but that wouldn’t help anyone. Instead she offered a sympathetic, “I’m sorry,” grabbed her mother and headed out of the hallway.

  She found both sets of parents huddled in the parking lot. “You need to go inside,” she told them. “There’s been a development.” When they’d disappeared into the building, she looked at her mother.

  “Thank you.”

  Verity’s eyes widened. “I ruined everything.”

  “You’re not the bitch who cheated, Mom. You just told the truth.”

  “You’re not upset?”

  “No. I like Andrew. Hopefully he’ll grow a pair and dump Asia. I figure the odds of there being a wedding on Saturday are slim to none, so I get a day off.” She hugged her mom. “I swear, it’s totally fine.”

  “I’m glad. I was afraid you were upset.”

  “Not even a little. But I do have a favor.”

  “Anything.”

  “I need you to come by my apartment. I adopted a cat and there’s something going on with him. I’d like you to tell me what.”

  Her mother looked at her. “You’re not cheating on Jasper, are you?”

  Renee laughed. “I’m not. I promise.”

  “All right then. How about after you get this mess cleared up?”

  “Perfect.”

  * * *

  “OPEN, OPEN, OPEN,” Renee chanted the next morning as she waited outside the animal shelter. She was on a mission to heal Fred’s kitty heart and she didn’t know if she was too late.

  A volunteer unlocked the front door and smil
ed at her. “You’re eager. How can we help?”

  “I need to adopt a cat.”

  “Excellent. We have lots of cats.”

  “No. A specific cat. Her name is Lucille.” Renee held in a groan. “Not that you’ll know that’s her name. She’s gray and white and she came in with Fred nearly four weeks ago. She was surrendered by her owner. She was really sick. Skinny and throwing up.”

  The woman stared at her. “Was she your cat?”

  “No.” Renee had no idea how to explain what was going on without sounding insane. “Look, my mom has the ability to know what animals are thinking. It sounds crazy, but it’s true. She has a show on Animal Planet.” Credentials she was tossing around these days. Thank goodness for the network and its shows!

  “I adopted Fred earlier this week. He’s obviously upset about something, so I asked my mom to talk to him.”

  “Because she can talk to cats?” the volunteer sounded doubtful.

  “Yes. Look, just hear me out. Fred and Lucille were brought in together. They’re a bonded pair and he misses her and he’s worried about her. She was really sick. I need to know if she’s okay and if she’s been adopted or not. If she’s still here, I’d like to adopt her for Fred.”

  Another volunteer, an older woman, walked over. “I know who you’re talking about. She’s a sweet little thing. We’re calling her Misty.” The woman smiled sadly. “She had a hernia in her diaphragm. It was keeping her from eating. She had surgery and now she’s healing nicely. We were going to release her to be adopted in a day or so. Would you like to see her?”

  Renee nodded. She was led back into the cat area, then through doors marked Staff and Volunteers Only where there were a dozen or so cats in various stages of recovery. Misty—aka Lucille, or so Renee hoped—was a pretty gray-and-white cat with an inquisitive expression and a soft meow.

  “Hey, pretty girl,” the volunteer said. “You have a visitor.” She pointed to Misty. “Is this her?”

  “I don’t know. I think so.”

  Misty rolled onto her back, exposing her shaved belly and a long scar.