The Empire State Cat's Christmas Gift

by Nic Tatano

  “Let me think about it. But perhaps we’re approaching this the wrong way.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Maybe I’m the one who needs to meet her first.”

  “Huh?”

  *

  Socks, like every cat, had a world-class nose. Able to smell something good to eat from a hundred yards.

  And something smelled really good coming through that vent. It reminded her of her days as a kitten, when the woman who’d saved her and her siblings shared dinner with friends, and the one with the dark hair brought food that smelled like this. And tasted really good.

  All was quiet, even though it was the middle of the day. Her person was not around and neither was the other woman who shared the place.

  Her dish was filled with treats, but something else smelled a lot better. Besides, the treats would still be there when she got back. There were no other cats around to eat them.

  Socks jumped off the desk, headed into the vent, followed the scent and emerged in the other place, not finding the nice man there either.

  But that wonderful smell was stronger.

  She followed it, finding the source in a plastic container next to a trash can.

  A few scraps were left. She took a little taste. Mmmm. Chicken and cheese and a lot of delicious red sauce.

  She licked the container clean, then headed back home through the vent.

  *

  Tish walked back to her office from the conference room with Shelley close behind. The meeting had gone well, the prospective new client with deep pockets seemed impressed. Though he did say he was talking to two other firms. So while nothing was definite at least she was finding some prospects.

  Tish found Socks at her usual spot on her desk, busy washing her face. She scratched the cat’s head as she plopped down behind her desk while Shelley took the chair on the other side. “So, waddaya think?”

  Shelley nodded. “I think we’ve got a good shot. And he’s our kind of client. Seems like a decent human being and he’s got a good argument.”

  “Yeah, I like the case. Sure hope we get it. Meanwhile—” She stopped and sniffed the air. “Did you have Italian for lunch?”

  “No, why?”

  “Because I’d swear you had something from my friend A.J.’s deli.”

  “I had a roast beef sandwich. And I do actually use mouthwash.”

  “Hmmm.” She leaned toward the cat and sniffed. “Why does Socks smell like an Italian restaurant?”

  “Beats the hell out of me. You feeding her ravioli from a can or something?”

  “No, just cat food.” She picked up Socks and held her close. “It’s definitely her. They must put something in the food to make it smell attractive to the cat. Who knew?”

  “Like I said before, cats have it better than us.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  This time, Tish was determined to be early.

  She strutted, and I do mean strutted, across the street in her new business suit, which happened to be the same shade of blue as her eyes. She’d never strayed from the traditional New York City black, grays, and earth tones that seemed appropriate for the courtroom, but Madison had told her that her clothes were boring and it was time to spruce up her wardrobe a bit. Well, more than a bit. She’d taken Tish shopping and forced her to buy stuff she never would have considered. Despite the primary color of her outfit, it was still very conservative while making a bold statement. And she noticed she had already turned a few heads in the hotel lobby.

  She hopped the curb and arrived at Benny’s cart just as he turned toward her and gave her the once-over. “Good morning, young lady. What can I get you?”

  She noted that he didn’t recognize her. “Benny, it’s me.”

  “Me who?”

  “Tish from the hotel.”

  He slid his glasses down on his nose and studied her face. His eyes widened. “Damn, woman, look at you. You sure clean up good. When I told you to get all dolled up I didn’t expect this.”

  “Is it too much?”

  He cocked his head toward the street. “You see cars slowing down to take a look?”

  “I’m not remotely a traffic stopper, Benny.”

  “You’re definitely getting guys below the speed limit. Anyway, you’ll turn Spence’s head.”

  “I assume that means I’m not too late this time?”

  “Nope.” Benny looked at his watch, then handed her a container of orange juice. “So hang with me awhile and I’m sure he’ll show up.” He flashed a smile. “This is exciting for me.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Beautiful woman taking time to talk with an old guy like me. And I’m not even rich.”

  “Very funny.”

  “Seriously, I’m excited to get you two together and see if there are sparks. Like I told you, I’m a hopeless romantic.”

  “No such thing, Benny. The term is backwards. You’re a hopeful romantic. And so am I.”

  Ten minutes later Benny looked over her shoulder. “Hey, here he comes.” Tish started to turn but he took her shoulders. “Don’t look! It’ll be too obvious. Let me handle the introductions.”

  For the first time since she was in high school her pulse spiked in anticipation of meeting a guy. I’m not sixteen. What the hell is happening to me?

  Tish saw him in her peripheral vision as he arrived at the cart. “Morning, Benny,” he said, then turned to face her. His jaw slightly dropped as his eyes widened a bit. “Uh…hello.” He flashed a warm smile.

  Her heart fluttered a bit as she locked eyes with him. “Hi.”

  “Well, how about that,” said Benny. “Two of my favorite regulars here at the same time. Spence from the block, meet Tish from the hotel.”

  He extended his hand, still staring at her. “My pleasure, Tish.”

  “Nice to meet you, Spence.”

  Benny fixed a cup of coffee and held it out to Spence.

  But he was still staring at Tish. Her face flushed a bit and she was powerless to stop it.

  Benny tapped him on the arm. “Yo, Spence, your coffee’s gettin’ cold.”

  “Huh?” He turned to Benny and saw the cup. “Oh, yeah. Thanks.” He paid him with a five dollar bill, then turned back to Tish. “So, you’re one of his regulars, huh?”

  “Yeah. And actually, I’m really glad to finally run into you because I owe you a dollar.” She pulled a bill from her pocket and held it out. “Now I can sleep at night with my tab paid in full.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “We’ve actually met before, but were not formally introduced.”

  “I, uh, think I would remember meeting someone like you.”

  “Well, at the time I was the sweaty jogger who forgot to bring cash and you bought me a cold drink.”

  His smile went wide as he raised his eyebrows. “That was you?”

  “Yep. So now you’ve already seen me at my worst.”

  Benny laughed. “Don’t feel bad, Spence, I didn’t recognize her in the business outfit either. Though she’s still cute in her workout clothes.”

  She was still holding out the dollar bill but he put up his hand. “You don’t have to pay me back. It was my pleasure.”

  She took a deep breath, and then for the first time in her life she took the plunge. “Then…how about I buy you breakfast? Otherwise we can’t call it even. And I do hate owing someone.”

  He looked at his watch. “I’d love to, but not enough time.”

  Aw, hell, that old excuse. He’s not interested, despite the look he’s giving me. “That’s okay—”

  “But I’m free for lunch if that works for you.”

  And we’re…back in the game! “I can do lunch. My afternoon is pretty clear.”

  He pointed at the corner restaurant. “How about you meet me there at noon? They have good food.”

  “Sure, I’ve eaten there before. Sounds like a plan.”

  He reached in his pocket, pulled out a business card and handed it to her. “In case you
get tied up or have to cancel, just give me a call.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  “Uh…can I have one of your cards just in case?”

  “Men don’t cancel on me, Spence from the block. So you’d better show up.” She cocked her head at Benny. “Or I know where to find you.”

  *

  Spencer beamed as he entered his office. “Ariel, you’re not going to believe this. I met her.”

  His partner looked up from her desk. “Met who?”

  “Duh-uh. The woman I’ve been obsessing about. Tish McKenna. Mrs. Spock from law school. Jaws from the courtroom.”

  She leaned back and smiled. “Ah, so you finally worked up the nerve and stopped by her office.”

  “Nope. Ran into her at the little drink cart where I get my coffee every morning.”

  “Huh. Well, the stars must be aligning. So, tell me more. What’s her story?”

  “Don’t know yet, but get this. We had met recently at the same place. She was out jogging and stopped to get something to drink. She had no money so I paid for her soda.”

  “And you didn’t recognize her?”

  “I was in the middle of a phone call and she was in workout clothes. I wasn’t really paying attention.”

  “In other words, you were being a typical man not noticing when a woman who’s your type is right under your nose.”

  “Stop it. So anyway, Benny the drink cart guy introduced us since we’re both regular customers. Then she tried to pay me back for the soda and I told her it wasn’t necessary, so she asked me to breakfast and I told her I didn’t have enough time so I asked her to lunch and then we agreed to meet at the restaurant near the cart and I gave her my business card but she wouldn’t give me one saying I’d better not stand her up—”

  “Slow down, Spence, you’ve gone into run-on sentence mode like you always do when you’re excited. Need a little punctuation here and there. Quietly beautiful woman alert. Now sit down and breathe. Tell me again what happened because I lost you after she asked you to breakfast.”

  He took a deep breath and sat. “Sorry. Anyway, like I said I’m meeting her for lunch. So I gave her a card and told her to call me if she’s late or has to cancel. Then I asked her for a card in case I have to cancel and she wouldn’t give me one. Said I’d better not stand her up or she knows where to find me.”

  Ariel folded her arms and nodded. “I like this woman already. Though you realize she already has the upper hand with you.”

  “Hell, who cares?”

  “So, did you have any chance to talk at all?”

  “Not really. I had to go. But we can do that at lunch.”

  “So, did she seem interested in you?”

  “She asked me, remember?”

  “Oh, right. Quite different than the woman in college, huh?”

  “I’d say so. And she looks damn good up close.”

  “Ah, the eyes have it.”

  “She had her glasses on, and they’re pretty thick so I didn’t get a good look. Funny, she’s the girl that blew me off when I tried to bring her a cup of coffee in college and now she’s inviting me out to eat.”

  “Just proves that people change, Spence. Well, you may as well give me all the work you had planned for this morning.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I know how you are when you’re smitten, and you won’t be able to concentrate worth a damn.”

  He waved his hand like he was shooing a fly. “Pffft. I don’t get smitten.”

  “Oh, what a load of crap. Go look in the mirror. You may as well have the word written on your forehead.”

  “Fine, you win. I’ll admit I’m smitten. It’s been a long time since I dated anyone interesting. Even if this is just lunch.”

  “Well, bring your A-game and there will be a dinner in the future.”

  “Enlighten me, counselor. What do you consider my A-game?”

  “That boy-next-door thing you do with a judge. Trust me, it’ll work.”

  *

  Tish stood up from her seat in the TV network lobby as Madison quickly approached her. “Everything okay, Tish?”

  “Yeah, very.”

  “When they said you were in the lobby I thought there was an emergency. By the way, you look great. That suit really brings out your eyes.”

  “Thank you. I can’t argue with your good taste. I really love this outfit.”

  “So what brings you by?”

  “I met the white knight this morning.”

  “No kidding. Where, at the courthouse?”

  “No, at that soda cart I’ve been stalking. Anyway, I invited him out to eat.”

  Madison took her arms. “Hang on, I gotta call my producer. This is major breaking news.”

  “Oh, stop it.”

  “You asked a man out? This really is like seeing a unicorn.”

  “I tried to pay him back for the soda he bought me, and he wouldn’t take the dollar, so I asked him to join me for breakfast. He didn’t have time, but he said he’d meet me for lunch.”

  “Well, look at Tish McKenna. High powered lawyer who’s fearless in the courtroom finally takes the initiative with men.”

  “May I remind you of a certain redheaded kick-ass reporter who was equally as frightened of the male species until recently?”

  “Fine, I used to see her in my mirror, and thank God she’s gone or I wouldn’t have Nick. But I’m really proud of you taking the big leap. So, what’s he like?”

  “We only had a minute to chat. But we had serious eye contact. And he said something that makes me think he finds me attractive. I think I’d remember meeting someone like you.”

  “Oooh, that’s a good sign. You definitely made an impression.”

  “Anyway, he gave me his card so I can call in case I’m late or have to cancel, but I didn’t give him one. I told him he’d better show up.”

  “Oh. My. God. What has gotten into you?”

  “I don’t know.” Tish put her hand over her chest. “My heart was pounding and it just came out.” She flashed a big smile. “But it felt really good.”

  “Well, I’m happy for you. So what does he do for a living?”

  “Don’t know.”

  “Well, you shouldn’t need an investigative reporter to find out. He gave you his business card, let’s take a look.” Tish pulled the card from her pocket and handed it to Madison. “Spencer Capshaw. Uh-oh. He’s a lawyer. Well, given enough ointment, there’s always a fly.”

  “What’s the fly?”

  “You do remember the last time you dated a lawyer.”

  “You would bring that up.”

  “Sorry. But that’s why I never dated another person in the news business. Too much in common is often not good.”

  “Look, we’ve seen the guy do a really nice thing. Maybe he’s different. Hell, he has to be.” Tish took the card and looked at it. “Spencer Capshaw. Damn, that name sounds familiar.”

  “Maybe you had a case against him or saw him in court.”

  She shook her head. “Nah. I’d remember a guy who looked like that.”

  Madison started to laugh. “Funny. Didn’t he just say something similar about you? You two are already on the same page.”

  *

  It was clear his lunch date wasn’t kidding about not showing up, and there was no way he was going to miss an opportunity with a woman like Tish, so Spencer arrived at the busy restaurant twenty minutes early. Fortunately he was a regular so they let him camp out at a corner table. He tried working on some research but couldn’t concentrate. Being smitten trumped all. He pulled out a newspaper and started to read the sports page.

  There was something about the look they’d shared at the drinks cart. Even though it was through her thick glasses.

  She had obviously changed, personality-wise. The woman who’d blown him off in law school had asked him out to eat. And she actually smiled, unlike the valedictorian who was a sphinx in a previous life. But it was obvious she liked to be in charge
, not giving him a business card or the chance to stand her up. Which he had no intention of doing. It was clear she had no tolerance for men who played games. Which was fine since he didn’t do that anyway. So if he told her he’d call, he’d better not fail to do so.

  He looked up each time the little bell above the restaurant door rang to announce a customer, his pulse spiking in anticipation each time. When it wasn’t her he relaxed and tried to go back to the newspaper. Of course Ariel was right, he really couldn’t concentrate, even on something mindless like the sports page. Was Tish one of those women who would be fashionably late, making him wait to show the upper hand?

  His question was answered as he heard the bell ring, then looked up to see her enter the restaurant at exactly noon.

  Spencer waved, caught her eye and stood up to greet her.

  She wore a big smile as she power-walked in his direction, her shoulder length hair bouncing with every step. One of those women who moved with a purpose, like she had the world by the tail.

  Damn, she’s come a long way since law school.

  She’s quietly beautiful, all right.

  She shook his hand as she arrived at the table. “See, I’m a good judge of character. I knew you didn’t need a business card.”

  “Hey, when a woman like you asks me out to eat, I’m not missing that opportunity.” He pulled out a chair for her.

  “Why thank you, kind sir.” She sat and adjusted her seat a bit as he sat opposite her. “And what do you mean, a woman like me?”

  “Aw, hell, I’ve tipped my hand already. I meant to say I don’t turn down a free lunch.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Can we look at the menu?”

  “I’ll let this one slide, Mister. But your comment is already on the record and I can have the court reporter read it back if you’d like.”

  “Damn, you’re good. I concede round one to the young lady.”

  “Fine. So, is this gonna be a quick lunch or do you have to get back to work?”

  “I’m good till two-thirty, so no hurry. How about you?”

  “My calendar’s pretty light for this afternoon. And as it turns out, I’m in the same line of work as you.” She reached into her purse and handed him a card.