Fortunately, it had stopped raining and his pain had mercifully gone away.
* * *
“I can’t believe a dog guy is scooping out litter boxes.” Jenna planted her hands on her hips and grinned.
He scrunched his nose as the stench of cat pee and baking soda assaulted his nostrils. “And I can’t believe I got suckered into doing this.”
She laughed. “I didn’t even ask you. You grabbed the pooper scooper all on your own.”
“I couldn’t just stand by and watch as you did it.” He disposed the contents and washed his hands with extra soap.
Keeping his hands busy was beneficial; it would keep him from touching her too much like last night. Somehow he’d made it out of the club without turning caveman, either by making a move on her or hunting down her ex after he slithered away. After being apart from her for a few heart-pounding minutes while he searched outside for the prick, Matty insisted that he and Jenna share their locations on their phones. Not knowing where she was while her ex was out there ramped up his drive to protect her.
Matty dried off his hands and returned to the large enclosed room that housed most of the cats. An orange tabby sauntered over to him and rubbed against his leg, leaving a trail of orange and white fur on his black jeans.
“I needed a splash of color to accessorize, don’t you think?” He grinned at Jenna.
“That’s Frankie. She’s marking you as hers. Don’t worry, I have a lint roller in my bag.”
He then bent down to pet Frankie. As he rubbed her chin, she purred, and he felt the vibrations under the soft fur. “What a purr machine you are.”
A couple of minutes later, Frankie had enough and wandered to a cat tree. She climbed up and watched Matty with wide green eyes.
After they finished dealing with litter boxes and refilling water in the main area in between showering the willing cats with affection, Jenna led him outside. They entered a fenced-in area. Approximately a dozen sets of cat eyes stared out from beneath bushes, behind tree trunks, or other areas near the white wooden fence as far back as they could be.
“We have to give these ones plenty of space,” Jenna noted. “They’re wary of people.”
“Got it. I’ll follow your lead.” Matty remained where Jenna stood on the pebbled path on Sunday morning.
Jenna crouched and reached out with a mouse toy at the end of a pole, encouraging a calico to come over. “Ozzie is one of the more inquisitive ones. Playing with him is hit or miss, depending on his mood, I guess.”
The calico stared.
“What do we do?” Matty asked.
“Just be patient and wait.”
After another minute or so of Jenna encouraging Ozzie to play, he swatted the mouse and then sauntered away. He climbed onto a wooden bench and stared out at them both.
Matty kneeled beside her. “Should I do anything?”
“Yes. Let’s give him a reward.” She pointed behind them to an area full of cat toys and a small dorm-sized fridge. “Grab that stick and put a bit of cat food on it. There should be an open container in the fridge.”
Matty followed instructions, dabbing some wet food at the tip of what looked like was a giant chopstick. He turned back and headed over. Ozzy had returned to take another swipe at the mouse.
When she noticed Matty with his treat, he stopped and stared.
“That’s probably enough for him today.” Jenna turned to Matty. “Do you want to offer him the treat?”
“Sure.” He crouched down and reached out with the stick.
Ozzie continued to appraise him with wariness, but then jumped off the bench and strolled over. He licked the food off the stick and then strutted away.
Matty turned to Jenna. “Do you do this with all the cats here?”
She pursed her lips and stood. “Some are very shy so they still have a while to go. We work through stages to get them more comfortable with us, hopefully progressing to being able to contact without frightening them.”
Matty followed Jenna’s lead as they navigated through the cat shelter. She told him tidbits about the cats, their origin stories or personalities as she checked on water and scooped poop from litter boxes. He did what he could to help. She was a natural here with the cats, and she looked happy. He loved seeing that smile on her face.
By the time they were ready to leave, they were both covered in fur.
Jenna pulled a lint roller out of her bag and handed it to him. He rubbed it down the front of his body, mostly his legs.
“You have some on your back,” she noted. “Can I get it for you?”
“Sure.” He removed the sticky sheet, discarded it, and gave the roller back to her.
As she rolled it over his back, he grew acutely aware of her touch.
She ran it down lower. “Is it okay if I tackle the stray ones on your butt?”
He bit his tongue before he said something sarcastic, which would most definitely come out as an innuendo around Jenna. “Sure.”
She continued over his butt and down the backs of his legs, crouching lower. All sorts of sordid thoughts ran through his mind, none of which where appropriate.
“Done.” She rose and then peeled off a new layer and rolled it over the front of her body.
“May I return the favor?” he offered.
After she passed it to him and turned around, he gently moved the lint roller from her shoulders down. She wore a soft pink shirt that clung to her body as he rolled the lint brush down and then reached her ass. What a fine one it was.
“Butt okay?” Somehow he kept his tone detached and not lecherous, which was how he felt staring at it.
“Please.”
As he rolled it over the curves, he stiffened.
What a sick puppy you are to get turned on by this.
He tried not to linger or drool and continued down, removing as much fur as he could from her jeans.
“Finito,” he declared and peeled off the sheet with a whoosh.
As they walked outside, she said, “Thanks for coming. Hope it wasn’t too boring?”
“I enjoyed it.” It was the truth. He’d lost track of the time.
Once they climbed in the car, she said, “You know, that canine organization I told you about isn’t that far from Providence. Maybe we can set up an appointment and go by there one day?”
A sudden intrusion of an image of Gunther made Matty’s ribs clench around his lungs. The last memory he had was of Gunther heading toward the building. Fearless and alert and loyal the way he always was.
No, Matty didn’t have the emotional capacity to care for another dog. He might never.
His jaw clenched. “That’s not a good idea. I don’t even have a place to live right now.”
“I just thought… With your background…” She stammered.
He took long measured breaths and started the car. “That part of my life is over.”
She adjusted in the seat beside him. “You were so good with the cats. So patient. And I thought… Never mind.”
His heart continued to beat harder as he shifted into drive. He clenched the steering wheel, but then exhaled, forcing himself to relax.
He hadn’t meant to shut her down like that, but he hated even thinking of it. Losing Gunther was the worst day of his life. A day he’d lost his partner.
Gunther was irreplaceable. Ir-re-fucking-placeable.
Jenna meant well. She was thinking of him, but she couldn’t see how screwed up he was now.
Neither of them spoke for what seemed like a week. He rolled his tense shoulders back. Why had he suggested they do this, drive all the way up to damn Providence and spend the day together? With his sullen reaction to her suggestion, they could spend the entire drive stuck in suffocating discomfort.
“Let’s put on some music.” He turned the radio up and flipped through the stations, stopping when he found Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
After tapping along for a minute, he began to sing, attempting to lighten the mood. He en
couraged her to join in. “You can’t leave me hanging.”
He sang Galileo at a high pitch and motioned for her with a fake microphone.
She grinned and echoed him with a deeper voice. He exhaled. His mood swings hadn’t yet driven her off. Then again, one of the things he loved about her was her patience. Her ex was a fool. Any guy would be damn lucky to have a woman like Jenna.
When the song ended, she laughed. “I never would have thought you could get your deep voice that high!”
“Better by singing than being kicked in the ‘nads.”
She laughed again. That made him happy. That’s what he wanted to see—her smile.
He attempted to keep the conversation going, rather than letting any dark memories return.
Find something to talk about.
“Have you done one of these escape rooms before?” He asked.
“I have. They’re fun. You?”
“Not this kind. We’ve had plenty of situations in which we had to escape, but it wasn’t for fun.” At the stoplight, he gave her a playful smile to soften his earlier gruffness.
She eyed him with speculation before returning the smile. “You’ll probably be a natural and outwit us all.”
He laughed and returned his attention to the road, continuing on the route to Providence. “I wouldn’t count on that. With Angelo and Catherine’s brainpower, they probably have some super symbiotic teamwork and will leave us all in the dust.”
“Not necessarily. Sometimes people overthink and get stuck.”
“That’s good. The last thing any guy needs is to be shown up by his big brother. Sibling rivalry, it’s real.”
“Hmm.” She exhaled audibly. “It was never that bad with Derek and me. Maybe because we’re not the same sex. I’m guessing if I had a sister, we’d fight over stupid stuff like clothes and makeup.”
He laughed. “I’m enjoying picturing it. A young Jenna getting all feisty over a sweater.”
“Ha ha. Funny. I’m guessing you and your brothers have more of a competitive streak.”
He nodded. “Three teenage boys meant a lot of testosterone in one house. I’m surprised my mom didn’t banish us.”
“Too many fights?”
“More than a few.”
“All sibling rivalry related?”
“Some. But then again, I followed my big brother’s footsteps into the SEALs, so I have to admit there’s something there. Whether I wanted to be like him or compete, who knows? I’m not sure if I believe in all the birth order stuff, but some of it rings true.”
“Is it the same with him?”
“Angelo? No.” Matty leaned back in the seat, finally relaxing. “He takes the big brother role seriously. Not only did he always look out for Vince and me, he chose to take care of others as well as a corpsman in the Navy. He’s still doing that now in the hospital. It’s part of his nature.”
“What about Vince?”
Matty drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “He’s always been trickier to read.”
“How so?”
“He keeps to himself.” He motioned by turning his hand palm up. “You know the quiet ones—you never know what they’re thinking.”
“They’re always the ones who surprise you,” she agreed.
“Yeah. Vince craves his privacy. I don’t know what to say about the rivalry aspect. He enlisted in the military, but chose a different route with the Marines. And his personality fits his MOS.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s an EOD tech. Does crazy shit like neutralizing explosives.”
“Whoa. That sounds dangerous.”
“It’s one of the riskiest jobs he could have picked. I wonder if he’ll do the full twenty, like he wants. That is if his wife doesn’t go crazy first.” He laughed.
“Vince got married?”
“Shocking, isn’t it?”
“That’s not what I meant.” After a pause, she asked, “Why do you say it’s shocking?”
“He never really had girlfriends in high school. Always more interested in his geeky obsessions, like video games and electronics and sci/fi.”
Jenna murmured a sound of acknowledgment. “I guess he found the right one.”
“Guess so.” He glanced over at her. “Is that what you thought when you got married.”
“I did at the time.” She frowned and fixed her gaze ahead. “But I was young and maybe more infatuated than in actual love. Know what I mean?”
Matty shook his head. “Not really.”
“Have you been in any long-term relationships?”
“No. Nothing serious.”
“Why’s that?”
He opened his mouth for his usual sarcastic reply about a ball and chain when it came to marriage, but snapped his jaw shut and opted for truth instead. “It didn’t mesh with the lifestyle. I was training to be a SEAL. I couldn’t commit to anything else at the time.” He shrugged. “Funny how life has sent me an unexpected twist. I’m back here in Newport and need to start over.”
In the brief silence that followed, he paid attention to the song playing—Whitesnake’s Is this Love? Angelo was into rock classics like this. Matty had loved to put on a show during love ballads. He remembered being an annoying thirteen-year-old, busting into Angelo’s room, and then belting out the lyrics with overzealous renditions. He grinned to himself at the memory.
“I understand what starting over is like, although my situation is different than yours,” Jenna said. “The divorce was rough, and I still don’t have my life all figured out. But if there’s anything I can do to help you with it, I’m happy to do so.”
“Appreciate it.” He waggled his brows. “Maybe we can figure out our murky futures together?”
She nodded. “We’re friends, right?”
“Yup.”
David Coverdale continued finishing out the song. Friends, definitely. Could it lead to anything more?
Nope.
“Do you think you’ll ever get married again?” he asked her.
She exhaled with a weighted sigh. “Probably not.”
“Why’s that?”
“I can’t deal with someone trying to control me like that again. It’s suffocating.”
“Not every guy is a control freak. You might have better luck the second time around.”
She groaned. “I can’t even put my first marriage behind me to think about going that road again.”
He nodded. That fucker needed to get the hell out of her life. Whatever Matty could do to quicken that exit, he’d take on.
After they’d arrived at Angelo’s and Catherine’s townhouse, Matty couldn’t shake what Jenna had said out of his head. That damn ex of hers wouldn’t let her go. No wonder Derek didn’t want anyone messing with her.
Angelo opened the door.
“Hey, brother,” Matty greeted Angelo in his often used imitation of Buster from Arrested Development. “This is Jenna. Jenna, Angelo.”
“Hey, Jenna. I think you were a kid when I left for the Navy,” Angelo noted.
“That’s right,” Jenna replied. “You were gone before I even made it to high school.”
He covered his chest and grinned. “Oh, I feel ancient.” He welcomed them inside. “Come meet Cate.”
Angelo led them into their townhouse and introduced Jenna to Catherine.
Dinner went by quickly. Angelo and Cate had made chicken marsala with a garden salad. Matty and Jenna had brought a couple of bottles of wine. She was friendly and easy to talk to during dinner, even though she’d never met Cate before and barely remembered Angelo. None of the awkwardness they’d had during those few minutes in the car when Matty had shut her down.
“We have a reservation at the escape room at eight,” Angelo said. “I picked the option with being locked with a mad scientist in a lab.”
Catherine swatted his arm. “Angelo thinks it’s funny because he’s been teasing me that it could be my future.”
Jenna asked, “Do you work at a lab?
”
“Yes, at a university.”
“Interesting. Matty mentioned you’re a neuroscientist.”
“Right. I teach and run projects on brain research with my students.”
“Sounds like that would keep anyone busy,” Jenna replied.
Catherine nodded. “Yes. What do you do?”
“I’m a veterinary assistant in Newport,” Jenna replied. “And I’m studying to be a technician.”
“It’s the perfect fit,” Matty added. “Jenna has always loved animals.”
“Like you,” Angelo pointed out.
It was true. Their love of animals had brought them together in the past. He’d never forget how devastated Jenna was when she was twelve and her cat had died. Even though he was a knucklehead fifteen-year-old, he’d tried to be nicer and convince Derek to let her hang out more often. At least for a few weeks.
He glanced at the time. “We better get moving if we want to get there in time. Maybe we’ll even have time to squeeze in ice cream.”
Angelo laughed. “You never lost your sweet tooth.”
“Sweet things taste good.” He fought to keep from glancing at Jenna when he said that, wary that could come out as suggestive. Just about anything that came out of his mouth around her seemed to have an innuendo.
Or maybe it was all in his head.
After they entered the locked escape room with microscopes and test tubes amid the clues they had to solve, they had to work to escape the room before the mad scientist broke free and unleashed chaos on the world.
Catherine read one of the clues that mentioned a string of numbers. She ran over to a wall-mounted clock. “Maybe the numbers have something to do with time.”
That pulled Angelo in. “Right. It might be a code. Or a puzzle.”
While they fixated on the clock, Matty and Jenna moved on to find other possible solutions, working their way around the room.
Matty stared at a map mounted on the opposite wall. “I think I’ve got it. The numbers are coordinates.”
Jenna nodded. “Yes.” She dragged her index finger across the map and figured out the rest of the clue.
Matty: A Navy SEAL Romance Page 11
