Perhaps, Someday

Chapter 3-2

“Welcome to your new home,” Caiden said, setting the carrying case down in the middle of the kitchen floor. He had already put out the dishes, filled with food and water, along the wall under the window. The litter box was in the bathroom for the moment, although he intended to move it to the basement once Styge got the lay of the land.

“Why did you choose me?” he asked when he let Styge out of the carrier so he could explore.

Golden eyes gleamed from the depths of the black fur, appraising him. Then Styge rubbed against Caiden’s leg before he headed out of the kitchen. Caiden trailed behind, watching the cat go around the living room, sniffing everything. From there, the cat made his way to the bedroom, since Caiden had left the door open. Styge looked at the bed, then at Caiden. What the hell. Caiden nodded, wondering if Styge would understand. With a graceful leap, the cat was on the bed. After turning several times, he curled up and promptly fell asleep.

“Guess I’ll be sharing,” Caiden commented with a laugh.

He found out he was right when he woke the next morning to find Styge lying on the other pillow, contemplating him. After giving the cat a good petting, Caiden slid out of bed and got ready to face the day, damning the cast which kept him from doing what he wanted—working on the basement. Since he couldn’t do that, he decided to take a walk. He stepped onto the balcony after telling the cat to ‘stay’. Uh-huh. Like that worked. He shook his head when Styge slipped out before he could close the door.

“Is it going to do any good to tell you to remain close?” Caiden asked, going down on one knee to pet Styge. The cat rested his paws on Caiden’s thigh, gently head-butting him. “Okay,” Caiden said, uncertain if it was a good idea. “You can come as far as the edge of the property. If you don’t wander too far from me, then maybe we’ll go on a real hike. If you do…” He cast a stern look at Styge.

Styge stayed right beside Caiden as they walked down the stairs from the balcony and the along the path to the water’s edge, stopping at the pier. There, the cat paused. Then very tentatively put a paw into the water, pulling it back quickly, shaking it. Caiden laughed. “Yep. Wet. Not a cat’s favorite thing.”

Figuring if Styge decided to veer away and go exploring on his own, that he could catch him, Caiden moved on along the path beside the canal. The cat did explore, but always stayed within eyesight of Caiden during their two-hour walk. When they got back to the house, Styge ate and then curled up in one corner of the sofa while Caiden fixed his own lunch.

Okay, it’s been less that twenty-four hours, and things might change once he gets more comfortable, and confident, but so far I think getting Styge was the best idea I’ve had in forever.

By the second week of his enforced vacation, Caiden and Styge had definitely bonded. So Caiden wasn’t too surprised when the cat insisted on ‘helping’ as Caiden began cleaning the basement, preparatory to starting renovations. Since his arm was almost healed, he dispensed with the sling the doctor had insisted he wear. If he had his way, he’d have sawed off the cast as well, but being practical, he knew he should let the doctor do it when he went in at the end of the week.

“You’re in your second childhood,” Caiden told him when the cat chased down a balled-up piece of paper he’d found in the corner of the room. Then, as Caiden swept the floor, the cat decided to attack the broom. “You are not helping,” Caiden grumbled. Apparently the cat thought otherwise, because when Caiden got out the mop and a bucket full of water, Styge immediately pounced—and backed off in surprise when he found out the mop was wet.

The next morning, Caiden ordered drywall and paint, which were delivered that afternoon. Much to his dismay, when the men brought everything into the basement Styge hissed angrily and disappeared upstairs.

“Not friendly, huh?” one man said.

“I thought he was, but then you’re the first people he’s seen since I got him from the shelter. Well, the first ones up close. He didn’t seem to mind the ones we passed on our walks.”

“Probably because they weren’t on his territory,” the man replied, and Caiden figured he very likely had a point.

The following day, when the workmen came to put up the drywall, Caiden was certain Styge was going to try to attack them from the way the cat watched from the top of the stairs. Then, as the day progressed, the cat eased his way down, step by step, until by one in the afternoon he was sitting on the floor at the bottom, seemingly engrossed by what the men were doing. Although he quickly moved back up when any of them approached, he did pounce on a piece of sandwich one of them tossed him, dashing up to the top step to eat it.

With the basement ready to be painted, Caiden debated starting, but decided it would be wiser to wait until he had full use of his arm. This happened Friday morning. Leaving Styge free to roam the house, Caiden went into the city. His first stop was at the doctor’s. Even though the man knew what Caiden was, he was still amazed at the fact Caiden’s arm had healed perfectly in such a short time.

After that, Caiden stopped by Zander’s to let him know he was back in commission.

“I have an upcoming job,” Zander told him. “It’s a simple one. Stopping an embezzler.”

“That’s what you said the last time,” Caiden retorted, tapping his newly liberated arm. “Who do I have to seduce to get the information we need?”

“His name is Arthur, he’s gay, and you don’t have to seduce him. It’s his boyfriend doing the embezzling, from the company they both work for.”

“So I get to do pillow talk to weasel the particulars out of him. I can deal with that.”

“I know. I wouldn’t be sending you in otherwise. Arthur has no idea what’s going on, but at the behest of his boss, the man hiring us, he’s agreed to take a business trip, all expenses paid to the west coast, without telling his boyfriend about it.”

“Must not be much love there,” Caiden said sarcastically.

“I suspect it’s more s*x than anything close to love. Anyway, you get to step in and get the dirt on our target. As I said, not dangerous, just in and out. Shouldn’t take you more than a couple of days if you can get him talking.”

“I hope they’re not living together.”

“They aren’t. All the information and pictures are in here. Arthur takes off on his trip Monday morning.”

“And I’ll show up at his workplace as if he had never left. Got it.”