Chapter 101

Chapter 101
I took the little orange kitten from Liam before I could think better of it. He was warm against my palms, all soft fur and frantic squirming, with a white spot beneath his chin and a purr already rumbling like a tiny engine. He hooked one paw into the sleeve of my sweater, blinked up at me, and began rubbing his face against my wrist.“Oh,” I said.Then he climbed halfway up my chest and licked my thumb.I laughed. The sound burst out of me—bright, startled, almost unfamiliar. For a second, it seemed impossible that it had come from my own throat. After a year of careful voices, closed doors, and grief that had settled into every room, laughter felt like finding a window I hadn’t known was there.The kitten purred harder.Liam’s mouth lifted at one corner. “I’ll take that as a good sign.”“Come inside,” I said, shifting the kitten into one arm. “Before he decides the porch is his permanent home.”Liam stepped forward, then bent to pick up a small cardboard box beside his boots. I hadn’t noticed it when I opened the door. A red-and-white dish towel was tucked beneath the lid, and something inside gave a soft plastic rattle.“Maisie sent this,” he said.He followed me into the house and closed the door behind him. The click of the latch sounded strangely gentle, as if the house had been waiting for company.

“She sent a kitten?” I asked.“Technically, she sent me with a kitten. The kitten was her idea.” Liam set the box on the entry bench. “The supplies were also her idea. Small litter box, food and water bowls, kitten food, and toys. She said I shouldn’t show up empty-handed.”He opened the box, revealing a little blue litter tray, two cream-colored bowls with painted green leaves, a bag of food, and a knitted mouse with one crooked ear. Beneath them sat a yellow ball and a feather toy that immediately caught the kitten’s attention.I laughed again. “Maisie planned this entire visit.”“That has occurred to me.”“She probably sent you to deliver him because she knew I’d say no if she asked me directly.”“She did say something about you being difficult to persuade.”“I am not difficult.”Liam glanced at the kitten, who was now batting the knitted mouse across the floor. “You adopted a cat without adopting a cat.”“That proves nothing.”He smiled, and the familiar flutter started beneath my ribs. It was only a smile. Still, my body noticed it before my mind could object.His gaze moved around the room. The walls were a soft, mossy green, and the curtains were white cotton printed with flowers. A woven basket held kindling beside the little iron stove. On the mantel, I’d arranged dried lavender, a blue glass vase, and three chipped ceramic birds I couldn’t bring myself to throw away.“It’s beautiful,” Liam said. “Feels warm.”I looked at the room as if seeing it through him. “I finally finished putting it back together. I was living around renovation chaos for weeks—drop cloths, dust, half-painted shelves. I thought I’d never see the floor again.”“You did a good job.”“Thank you.” I glanced down at the kitten. “Maisie may have done the rest.”“She’ll want credit for the mouse.”“She can have it.”

I carried the kitten toward the kitchen, but he wriggled free and landed on the braided rug with a determined little thump.“I was making lunch,” I said. “There’s a sandwich if you want one. And chips.”“I’d like that.”The kitchen was brighter than the entryway, sunlight spilling across the wood table and catching on the green glass pitcher by the window. I finished the sandwiches while Liam sat down across from me. The bread was still soft from the loaf I’d bought that morning, and the mustard smelled sharp when I spread it over the turkey. I wiped a yellow smear from my thumb with a paper towel, then caught Liam watching the kitten chase the feather toy.“He needs a temporary name,” I said.“Pumpkin.”“Absolutely not.”“He’s orange.”“That is not enough of a personality.”The kitten pounced on the feather and rolled onto his back, kicking at it with all four paws.“Trouble,” Liam suggested.I set the plates down. “That one may be accurate.”We ate with the kitten skittering around our feet. The chips cracked loudly in the quiet house. Outside, a breeze moved through the grass, but inside there was only the faint hum of the refrigerator, the scrape of a chair, and Liam’s occasional low laugh when Trouble attacked the yellow ball.For a while, conversation came in small pieces.“Where did you move from?” I asked.“A town two counties over,” he said. “Not far, really. I grew up there, left for a few years, then came back. The ranch job opened up, and I wanted something steady.”He turned his glass between his hands. “I’d been doing construction work. Good work, but wherever the projects went, I followed. I got tired of living out of a duffel bag.”“So the ranch feels steady?”“Most days. The hours are long, but the work makes sense. Feed the horses, mend what’s broken, do it again tomorrow.” He looked toward the window. “I like knowing what a day is for.”I understood that more than I wanted to admit.“How are you liking the town?” I asked.“It’s quiet. People notice everything, but they also show up when you need them.” He nodded at the house. “Maisie’s proof of that.”“She has opinions about everyone’s needs.”

He asked about the house, the renovation, and which parts of town I liked best. I told him about the bakery near the square, the walking path along the creek, and the farmer’s market that appeared every Saturday whether the weather cooperated or not. I told him I’d grown up across the state and moved here a couple years ago.“And you?” he asked. “What do you want now?”The question settled between us.“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I’m still figuring out how to make a life that doesn’t feel like an apology.”His expression softened, but he didn’t rush to fill the silence.That kindness made my chest ache.When he smiled again, the butterflies returned—light, nervous wings beating beneath my heart. I felt guilty for noticing them. Eli was still part of me, still woven through the places I loved and the future I had once imagined. Liam was not replacing him. I wasn’t suddenly ready for a relationship, or even sure I wanted one.But Liam’s smile reached a quiet part of me that had been silent for a long time.

When the plates were empty, Liam stood and carried them to the sink before I could protest. Trouble followed him, pouncing on the feather toy between his boots.“He likes you,” I said.“He has questionable judgment.”“He chose me.”“Exactly.”At the doorway, Liam slipped his jacket on while the kitten curled around my ankles. The late sunlight had turned the green walls honey-colored. I realized I hadn’t once checked the clock or listened for the house to settle. With Liam in it, the house had not felt empty.Then he opened the door, and the quiet began returning at once.“Thank you for lunch,” he said.“Thank you for the unexpected cat.”“Maisie says I should come by tomorrow to see how he’s doing.”I looked at him. “Does she?”His smile was small and careful. “She may have said I should make sure you have everything you need.”The butterflies stirred again.“Tomorrow, then,” I said.He stepped onto the porch. “Tomorrow.”The door closed between us, leaving the kitten’s purr and the faint scent of mustard behind. I rested my hand on the knob, listening to Liam’s footsteps fade down the path.For the first time in a year, I found myself hoping the next day would arrive quickly.