Jo put the carrier down on the kitchen floor and opened the door. Jake cautiously stepped out, sniffing as he went.
“The house is really big,” Jo explained. “That could scare him. Once he gets to know the place, he’ll be fine.”
“He must have loved my apartment,” Pia murmured, thinking of how small it was.
“I’m sure he did. Cats like upstairs windows. They can see the world.”
Pia set the tote on the counter. “You know a lot about cats.”
“I grew up with them,” Jo said wistfully, then leaned down and petted Jake’s back.
Pia half expected the cat to take off one of Jo’s fingers with his claws. Instead Jake paused to sniff her fingers, then rubbed his head against them.
He’d never done that to her, she thought, trying not to be offended. Apparently being a cat person helped.
Jo set out dry food and water on a place mat in the corner of the kitchen. Jake disappeared into the laundry room. A minute or so later, there was the distinctive scratching sound of litter being moved.
“He found his bathroom,” Jo said happily. “He’s all set. He’ll figure out the rest of it. Come on. Let’s go sit in the living room while he explores. I’ve been working on a new peppermint martini recipe. I’d like it ready for Christmas. You can tell me what you think.”
A martini sounded like an excellent plan, Pia thought, trailing after her friend.
They sat on a comfortable sofa, across from the huge fireplace. Jo poured liquid from a pitcher into a shaker, shook it, then tipped the startlingly pink liquid into two martini glasses.
“Be honest. Is it too sweet?”
Pia took a sip. The liquid was icy cold and tasted of peppermint. It was more refreshing than sweet, with a hint of something she couldn’t place. Honey? Almond?
“Dangerously good,” she admitted. “And I’m driving.”
“You can walk home and get your car in the morning,” Jo told her. Her gaze sharpened. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Pia took another taste of her drink. “Just feeling kind of strange. Giving up Jake and all.”
“I’m sorry,” Jo said. “I didn’t mean to steal your cat.”
“You didn’t. He’s not my cat. I thought we were getting along great, but you’ve had more contact with him in the past five minutes than I’ve had in the last month. I don’t think he likes me.”
“Cats can be funny.”
As if to prove Jo’s point, Jake jumped up on the back of the sofa. He stared at Pia for a moment, then turned his back on her. He dropped gracefully to the seat cushion, stepped onto Jo’s lap, curled up and closed his eyes. As he lay there, he began to purr.
Pia found herself feeling snubbed, which hurt a whole lot more than she would have guessed.
“He never purred for me.”
Jo had begun stroking the cat. Her hand froze. “Did you want to keep him?”
“No. I would say he hates me, but I don’t think he put that much energy into it. I just never thought of myself as giving off the anti-cat vibration.”
“You weren’t raised with pets.”
“I guess.”
Apparently Crystal had made the right choice in leaving her cat with Jo. The only question was why her friend hadn’t given Jo the cat from the start. No, she reminded herself. That wasn’t the only question.
She felt a slight burning in her eyes. Before she could figure out what was going on, tears blurred her vision. She set down her drink and looked away.
“Pia?”
“It’s nothing.”
“You’re crying.”
Pia fought for control, then sniffed and wiped her cheeks. “Sorry. I don’t mean to. I’m feeling all twisted inside.”
“You really can have Jake back. I’m sorry to have upset you.”
Jo sounded earnest and caring, which Pia appreciated. She gulped in a breath. “It’s not the cat. Okay, yes, part of it is he obviously thinks I’m an idiot. It’s just…”
The embryos. She knew that’s what it was. That if she couldn’t get Crystal’s cat to like her, what hope did she have with actual children? Every time she thought of giving birth to her friend’s babies, she started to freak.
She was totally the wrong person. She had no experience, no support system, no nurturing abilities. She couldn’t even bond with a cat.
But she wasn’t ready to talk about that. Not until she’d made up her mind about what to do.
“I miss her,” she said instead, mostly because it was true. “I miss Crystal.”
“Me, too,” Jo said, sliding toward her.
They hugged.
Pia gave in to her tears. Jo held on, patting her back, not saying anything—just being a friend. Oddly enough, Jake stayed where he was, as well. His warm body and the vibration of his purring offered their own kind of comfort.
Pia allowed the caring to heal her, just a little. But even as she started to feel better, somewhere deep inside, she heard the call of three yet-to-be-born children.
CHAPTER THREE