by Melanie Ting
“That looks good, Devo. Can I have half?”
Marty passed him the plate. “You can have the whole thing. I’m not hungry anymore.”
He went to his room and lay down on the bed. What was the point of getting on Jonesy’s ass? It wasn’t like he had the courage to ask Elaine out anyway. But thinking about him getting with her was so frustrating. This was the kind of rage that coaches always wanted him to show on the ice. Good thing there wasn’t a practice today, since he felt like putting his roommate and good buddy right through the boards.
He fell asleep but woke up when Jonesy rapped on the door.
“I’m out, Devo. See you later.”
Marty sat up and rubbed his forehead. He was calmed down now, but something still felt wrong. He grabbed his phone. It was just before 5:00. Jonesy was on his way to see Elaine. He knew if he didn’t do something, he’d go nuts.
Marty pulled up to the shelter and rang the buzzer. An older woman with blonde hair and glasses peeked out. She was wearing a white t-shirt that said, “Ask me about my fur babies.” Her eyes widened when she saw Marty and she took a step back.
“Yes? What do you want? We actually closed at 5:00.”
“Oh hey, I’m Marty Devonshire. My roommate, Nate, is here. You know, about adopting a cat?”
She finally opened the door. “Oh, you’re one of those hockey players. No wonder you’re so big. Yes, come in. Your friend is in the cat room with Elaine.”
They walked through the front office together. “I’m Jill, by the way. You boys are so kind to help V.I.C.E. I can hardly wait to see the calendar.”
He smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Jill.”
She opened the door to the cat room and Marty walked in. Elaine stood in the middle of the room. Today she was dressed up in a tight black skirt, a black and white top, and high heels. She must have come straight from work. Now she looked classy-beautiful, and Marty felt that thump inside again.
Jonesy was totally stunned. “Devo, what are you doing here?”
“Well, I thought if we were getting a cat, I should be here too. To help decide which cat and hear about how to take care of him.”
Elaine nodded. “That’s a wonderful idea, Marty. Even if Nate is the big cat lover, the cat will be spending time with both of you. It’s like adopting a baby, you become a family together.”
Marty tried not to roll his eyes at the news that Jonesy was a big cat lover.
“I had a great cat when I was growing up,” Marty explained. “She kept me company all the time.”
“That’s so sweet.” Elaine beamed at him, which made him feel tingly inside. Oh man, he had it bad.
“When I was a kid, we had six cats,” Jonesy declared. “Fluffy was my favourite.” Clearly there was no limit to what he’d say to get a date.
“Awww. I can’t believe two big guys like you are such cat lovers. Can you, Jill?”
“Everyone likes cats,” the other woman declared. She was topping up the cat kibble in preparation for closing.
Then Marty felt a poke in the back of his head. When he turned around, Knightley was draped on the top shelf of a tall cat condo, looking down at him.
“Hey, little buddy.” He patted the head of the little black cat. Knightley began to purr and then leaned his head back to hint about chin rubs.
“You’re the only one who can reach him when he’s way up there,” Elaine said.
“Do you want me to take him down?”
“No, he likes to be king of the castle. He’ll come down later.” She looked up at Marty with her beautiful brown eyes. “Are you reconsidering adopting Knightley?”
“I, er—”
His roommate interrupted. “I was thinking about a kitten.”
Elaine looked concerned. “Kittens are adorable, but they are a lot of work. They need a lot of attention and socializing, otherwise they can get into trouble.”
Jonesy grinned and his voice was flirty. “Troublemakers? Just like me. Do you like trouble, Elaine?”
She frowned. “Of course not. I’m too busy to have to deal with a bunch of problems.”
Marty burst out in a laugh but changed that into a cough when both Elaine and Jonesy stared. Was it his imagination or was Knightley smirking too? The little cat seemed smarter every time he saw him.
“Do you have your days off when you don’t have games?” Elaine asked.
Jonesy shook his head. “Lots of people think we just slack off when we’re not playing. But we’ve got practices, dry-land training, and of course, we do lots of community charity events.”
She nodded. “Oh, of course. Like the calendar. I had no idea that hockey players did things like that all the time.”
“We like to pitch in whenever we can. What’s the point of fame if you can’t use it to help others?”
Marty rolled his eyes, but Jonesy seemed to be impressing Elaine. Of course the truth was that only a few AHL superstars ever got recognized outside of fan events.
Elaine watched Knightley pretending to attack Marty’s hand. “But the real point is that if you’re not home a lot, it may be better to take home an adult cat.”
Marty nodded. “This little guy is a great candidate. Can you tell us more about Knightley?”
“Well, I told you before that he’s a real survivor, and he’s my favourite cat here. A cat with this much personality would normally be adopted in no time. But Knightley has two strikes against him. First of all, many people don’t want a black cat, because they think they’re bad luck. Can you believe that?”
“Ridiculous,” scoffed Jonesy. “Superstition is soooo dumb.” This from a guy who had to eat the exact same meal before each game and wore lucky underwear so old it had no elastic and holes in very strategic spots.
“I know, right? But the second thing is more serious. Knightley is a special needs cat.”
Jonesy squinted at the black cat. “How can you even tell? Is there some kind of IQ test?”
Marty shook his head; Jonesy could be such an idiot at times.
Elaine looked puzzled, but kept going. “Er, he’s diabetic, so he needs a daily pill. I won’t lie to you, he doesn’t hate taking his medicine, but he doesn’t love it either. Also, if cost is a problem, we will cover the medication for one year.”
Marty frowned. “That’s really too bad. We go on a lot of road trips, and I was hoping that our landlady would take care of the cat while we’re away. She loves cats too. But we couldn’t ask her to medicate a cat every day; she works as a sales rep, so she has brutal hours.”
Elaine’s eyes widened, and she looked so sad that Marty had an urge to say he’d quit hockey and take care of Knightley 24/7. She tried to be positive though. “Oh, that’s too bad. I can see that you and Knightley have such a bond already.”
Jonesy shook his head. “It is a shame. Well, we’ll have to keep looking, I guess. Say, is it dinnertime already? Are you busy now, Elaine?”
She pulled out her phone and checked the time. “Yes. I have class tonight. I better get going.” She shook hands with both men. “I’m sorry we couldn’t find a cat for you today. But we’re open daily from ten to five, so feel free to drop by and visit with the cats. Maybe you’ll find another cat you like as well as Knightley.” She still looked sad though, and Marty felt terrible. It was wrong to come here and get her hopes up—all she wanted was to get these cats adopted out.
“When are you here?” Jonesy asked.
“I’m in and out. I mainly do the books and go to board meetings. I used to do regular volunteer shifts like Jill, but this semester, I don’t have enough time. But there are always volunteers here, you don’t need to see me every time.”
Jonesy scowled. He wasn’t into asking ladies like Jill about their fur babies.
Then she brightened up. “Where do you guys live?”
“We’re in North Burnaby,” Marty told her.
“That’s where I live too! You know, I could look after Knightley while you’re on your road trips.”
“Are you sure?” Marty asked. “You just said that you don’t have much time.”
“Well, that’s in the daytime. I could stop by your place in the evening to look after Knightley. I could even do homework there and spend time with my little buddy. He’s my favourite, and I’ll really miss him once he goes.” Knightley had jumped down and was now snaking himself through her legs, which only drew attention to her sexy high heels.
Jonesy squatted down and patted the black cat on the head. “You’ve got yourself a deal then. We’ll take Knightley.”
Okay, that was a shocker. But having this spunky little character living with the two of them would be great. And of course, they’d be seeing a lot more of Elaine.
Elaine clapped her hands together delightedly. “Oh, that’s wonderful news! Knightley is such a character, you’re going to enjoy him so much.” She picked up the cat and kissed the top of his head. “And you’re going to have a real home, mister.”
Watching her kiss Knightley made Marty wish he were a little black cat.
“Great. Do you have enough time for a celebratory drink?” Jonesy asked Elaine.
“I’m so sorry, I have to fly. Jill, do you have time to process their adoption or should I send the papers home with them?”
The older lady nodded. “I always have time for something this important.”
“Okay, well, I’m taking off now too,” Jonesy said. “Marty’ll do all that stuff.” Now that Elaine was leaving, he wasn’t interested anymore. That was fine with Marty though, he was the right person to bring Knightley home. Elaine and Jonesy both left, and Marty followed Jill to the office.
She gave him a form to fill out which decreed regular vet visits, keeping the cat indoors, and recommended cat food brands. It also asked for his history of cat ownership. Marty wrote in all the answers he knew, and they seemed to be enough.
“Knightley’s already been neutered,” Jill pointed out. “So, I’ll cross out that section.”
Marty winced, and she laughed. “Men always look pained when we mention getting fixed. But if everyone got their pets fixed in a timely manner, shelters like ours could go out of business. Or we could focus on feral cats and re-adoptions anyway.”
What he really wanted to do was ask questions about Elaine, but he didn’t know how to bring up the subject. “Have you worked here a long time?” he finally asked.
“I’ve been volunteering here for over ten years,” Jill replied. She looked over the tops of her gold-rimmed glasses at him. “May I ask why you are adopting this cat?”
Marty hesitated. He wasn’t adopting the cat just so he could see Elaine, but it was a factor. Not one that no-nonsense Jill would like though. He settled for the truth. “I really like cats. I had one when I was growing up. Her name was Cleo, and she was great company.”
“But young men like you, athletes, aren’t you out all the time? And on road trips?”
He shook his head. “We’re home early a lot more nights than you’d think. Well, I am anyway. And I’ll take Knightley home with me for the summer; I think my mom would enjoy that. Anyway, Elaine offered to look after him when we’re travelling.”
Something about the way he said Elaine’s name made Jill squint harder at him. But then she smiled. “Yes, it was a blessing the day that Elaine began volunteering here. We needed some young blood and energy.”
“When was that?” Marty asked. If Jill brought up the subject of Elaine, it must be okay for him to ask.
“Oh, a couple of years ago, I think. She needed work experience for a school course, so she helped out with our bookkeeping. But then she stayed and got on the board. She’s smart and so good with numbers. Many of us can barely balance a chequebook.”
Marty didn’t even have a chequebook, so that didn’t seem like a big deal to him. But he nodded, hoping that Jill would go on.
“Did you see all the colourful pillows out in the main room?” she asked. “That was Elaine too. She noticed that all the couches were worn out and dingy, so she organized her church group to make some slipcovers and cushions. They donated a table too. She’s such a wonderful girl.”
Something about Jill’s voice suggested that there would be big trouble for anyone who messed with this wonderful girl.
But Marty only nodded in agreement. “She is.”
Maybe he had been attracted to Elaine’s looks, but she was so much more than that. Smart, good hearted, and when was the last time he’d met someone who went to church regularly? Of course, a woman you met at a volunteer event was going to be higher quality than someone from a bar. But still, Elaine seemed like the perfect woman. Burner was right. Intuition was the bomb.
7
Caught in a Web
Elaine was excited as she drove over to Nate and Marty’s place. Although their road trip didn’t begin until next week, she asked to come over early so that she could see how Knightley was doing in his new home. It wasn’t the same going to the shelter without him being there.
She was a little worried that her enthusiasm for matching people and shelter kitties had made her push them into adopting Knightley. But it was so clear that Knightley had a bond with big Marty. Elaine herself wasn’t sure how she felt about Marty. On one hand, she felt a shiver of attraction to him—he had this physical presence. But on the other hand, he was shy and it was a little awkward talking to him. Unlike Nate, who yakked all the time and came on way too strong.
After Jill Eisen met both men at the shelter, she decreed that Nate was “on the skeezy side,” and Marty was a total sweetie. But Elaine wasn’t convinced. What if she had sent Knightley out to live with a couple of weirdoes? Well, the fact that she was going to cat sit while they were away meant she could assess how he was living.
The guys lived on the top floor of an older two-storey home. As she walked up the stairs to the door, it opened, and Nate greeted her.
“Hey, Elaine.” He was smiling, and he had Knightley tucked under one arm—like a football. Knightley wasn’t enjoying this at all. His ears were back, and he began to struggle. To her horror, the cat launched himself away from Nate and down the stairs and into the yard. But luckily, instead of darting onto the street, he slipped through the lattice underneath the porch.
“Oh, no!” Elaine followed Knightley down the stairs, but she couldn’t get through the wood slats. She peered through the latticework, but it was extremely dark inside there.
“Shit. Is he okay?” Nate asked. While she wanted to lecture him on how to carry cats, first they needed to get Knightley out.
“Is there a door on the other side?” she asked. Most of these crawlspaces had one. When she stood up, Marty was outside too. He looked on the other side and then gave her the bad news.
“There’s no door. Maybe if we got his food?”
“That’s a good idea.”
Marty disappeared into the house and then returned with his large hands full. “I brought his kibble, his canned food, and these fishy things I got at the Chinese market. He loves the fishy things.”
Elaine couldn’t help but smile at this variety. At least the guys were feeding the cat well. She took a sniff of the baggie full of fishy things.
“This will be best because it smells the strongest.”
“Knightley?” she cooed. “Here, sweetie.” She held out a handful of the dried fishies.
But after ten minutes of cajoling, it was clear that Knightley wasn’t coming out. Elaine thought that she could see the shadow of him in the semi-darkness. He wasn’t prowling around though, so clearly he was spooked.
“Why don’t we leave the food out? We can go inside and hang, then nab him when he comes out,” Nate suggested.
What a stupid idea. Then Knightley might take off, and they wouldn’t even know where he was. This was all Nate’s fault too. But before she could tell him off, Marty reappeared with a toolbox. Elaine gave a sigh of relief; finally, some real action. Her mother always joked that there was nothing sexier than a man who was handy around t
he house.
Elaine stood up to give Marty access to the thin slats of wood. He looked over the woodwork and pointed. “You can see there’s a missing piece here, that’s how Knightley got inside in the first place. If I take off a few more slats, then we can get at him. Or maybe he’ll come out on his own.”
“I’ll go to the other side, just in case he tries to get out there,” Elaine offered. Unfortunately, Nate followed her and wouldn’t shut up.
“Nate,” she interrupted. “I think we should be quiet and see if we can hear Knightley. At least we’ll know exactly where he is.” Then she crouched down and looked inside. All she could see was a variety of lumpy shadows and Marty working on the other side. Nate crouched right beside her. They could both hear Marty softly talking, “Don’t worry, buddy. We’re gonna get you out.”
“I think you need to speak cat, Devo,” Nate said with a laugh. Then there was silence on the other side of the porch, other than crowbar noises. Five minutes later, Marty called out, “Elaine, can you come here for sec?”
She stood up. “I guess we don’t need to watch this side anyway. There isn’t a space big enough for Knightley to escape.”
On the other side, Marty had made a lot of progress. There was a good-sized gap now.
“I’m sorry to ask you this, but it’s going to take a lot longer to make a big enough hole for me or Nate to get through. And our landlady, Olga, is not going to be too impressed that we’re demolishing her porch.”
Elaine took a deep breath. It wasn’t the first time she’d ventured someplace disgusting to rescue a cat, but the crawlspace looked particularly creepy. Cats came first though.
“Oh, of course. I’ll go in and get him.” She put her purse on the steps, and then got down on her hands and knees to get inside.
Under the porch, it was damp, dark, and horrible. There were only a million cobwebs here, and she hated spiders. Then her hand landed on something soft and squishy. She really didn’t want to know what that was. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and she could finally see Knightley. He was huddled in the far corner, trembling. Poor baby, he was scared at being outside and in this whole new place.
