Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

BARRETT

As promised, Kim arrived at the lodge bright and early with my spare keys. Since she was there, we made a made quick inventory of rooms and the potential trouble spots and took a metric crap ton of photos.

After our early morning rendezvous, Owen worked hard to ignore me. Every once in a while, I felt his eyes land on me, but if I looked his way, he averted his eyes quickly. He kept our interactions professional but distant.

Kim gave us a few speculative looks at our formal interactions. She was used to us teasing each other and Owen pretending to be mad when I called him babe. She wasn't used to him actively leaving any room I was in. Truthfully, I wasn't accustomed to it either, and I didn't like it one damn bit. Neither of us knew how to deal with each other in the daylight or out of bed, but it couldn't be avoided and ignored. I'd never survive that.

"Barrett, do you think you'll make an offer?" Kim asked.

"I'm leaning toward yes, but I want to see the designs Owen comes up with first. If we can get the price down, then it will be a definite yes."

As I spoke, Owen came into the reception area and headed in our direction.

"Kim, I'm glad you're still here," Owen said in greeting.

"Hey, Owen, then I'm glad you're glad I still am," Kim answered with a smile.

"I was wondering," Owen said with hesitation, "would you be able to give me a ride home?"

My head shot up at his words. No way in hell would I let that happen. My eyes narrowed, but I quickly turned so he wouldn't see me. Nope, nope, nopety, nope. There was no way in hell I'd let Owen run and hide. Not this time. I had no clue what his hesitation was, but it sure as fuck wasn't that he didn't want me. If I'd learned nothing else in the last twelve hours, it was that Owen wanted me just as much as I wanted him. Whatever reluctance he had about me or being little around me or whatever the hell else bothered him, desire wasn't part of it.

"I don't think she can. Kim, isn't your grandson allergic to kittens? I know how involved you are, and it would be terrible if his allergies flared up when you drove him around. Owen, I know I'm a pain in the ass about my car, but Lucifer will always be an exception."

Kim glanced between us with a perplexed frown. When she looked at me, my narrowed eyes and subtle shake of my head told her all she needed to know.

With a resigned sigh, she crossed the room to grab her bag and jacket, adding, "Sorry, Owen, that kiddo is allergic to everything. The doctor says there's a decent chance he'll outgrow it, but right now, almost everything gives him the sniffles."

Owen's bright smile was brittle. Fuck.

"Oh no. Yeah, of course. Barrett will just have to chance that we can keep Lucifer under control in his car," Owen responded.

"Putting Lucifer in my car will be fine. He's a hero, babe," I interjected.

Owen's eyes weren't nearly as bright as they had been this morning before we left the bed. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought he'd been on the verge of tears since we'd left the room. After our mutual blowjobs, we'd had less than five minutes to scramble into our clothes, pass a brush across our teeth, and get downstairs to pretend everything was the same as when we left town yesterday.

Owen complained all the time that his eyes gave him away. He'd told me that when he was a kid, he couldn't get away with anything because his mom would take one look and know it was a lie. Today, he'd worked hard to keep his eyes away from me.

Truthfully, I knew when he was lying to me, too, because he'd been doing it for years.

Whenever Jakob asked Owen if he wanted to have a playdate, he'd lie and say no. When I invited him to join in the festivities at Wilde Dandies, he'd say no. When I asked to meet the guys he was supposedly dating, he'd say no.

With the exception of a few double dates back in college, I'd never met anyone Owen had dated. He always said they were too busy to join us for dinner or that they were Canadian. He was lying. I'd met Canadians. I'd been to Canada. Dinner worked the same there as it did here.

I couldn't figure out why he insisted on lying about it. I knew he loved me and trusted me to talk about his fears when he worked on designs for private clients. He'd confided in me his worries about how to finish paying for college. He'd cried on my shoulder when his mom got sick and he was worried about it .

He lied about the little stuff too. Owen said he didn't like or want to play around with others, but I'd seen how he looked at the Rumpus Room. He wanted in that room. I knew down to my soul that he longed to join the other boys there. He always found a reason not to though—early meeting, too tired, or just social anxiety. It had always bothered me that he couldn't trust me in these corners of his life. After yesterday and this morning, now it was likely to kill me.

"Are you ready to pack him up?" I asked Owen after Kim had made her final goodbyes with promises to see us later.

Owen had hurried out of the room to get Lucifer, so I was left in the empty room, talking to myself. I followed him up the stairs and found him, as I suspected, in the bathroom with his baby. Owen had wrapped the cat in a fluffy towel borrowed from the bathroom to make carrying Lucifer easier if he got spooked.

Owen murmured something in the cat's ear as he stood by the window. As best I could tell, he was telling Lucifer about the new life he was about to start and how much he was already loved. I was loath to interrupt, but even I knew our time away had come to an end.

"Babe, are you ready to go?" I asked quietly.

I'd already gathered our meager belongings and cleaned the room. I'd stowed our trash in my trunk. Hopefully, more bears wouldn't be attracted to the lodge. "I'm hoping we can avoid as much traffic as possible so Lucifer won't have to spend extra time in the car."

"Oh, yeah, that's a good point. I guess it's time," Owen answered with a melancholy tone.

He cast his eyes around the room. I supposed he could be making sure we hadn't forgotten anything, but his eyes lingered on the bed and the bathroom door. "I need to find a veterinarian when we get back. Even if Levi says no, Lucifer will need one."

"Oh, I can help with that. Do you remember my cousin Ryan? I think you met him a few Christmas parties ago. Anyway, he graduated from vet school and joined a practice in town. I'll call him from the car and see if he can get us in quickly. Plus, we need to figure out if Levi will let you keep your little guy."

With a hand on Owen's lower back, just like I'd always done, I ushered him out the door and into the car. Under my other arm, I carried the closed box with the cushion inside. Once I got them situated in the car, I ran back inside to dump out the old sand from the container lid, replace it with new, and put the makeshift litter box on the floor in the backseat.

"Okay, let's get going," I said when I slid into the driver's seat and pushed the start button.

Owen kept Lucifer in his lap with nonstop petting. I was a little worried he'd try to escape, but that cat hadn't budged. It was sweet. Hopefully, Levi saw it the same way and allowed the stray to stay.

I refused to regret what we'd done. This awkward, stilted thing was fucking torture, though, so it wouldn't work either. Owen was my fucking guy. The idea that last night's and this morning's events might be the end of us made me sick.

"Hey, Barrett, how's it going?" said the crackly voice on the other end of the line.

"It's good. Thanks for taking my call. It sounds like you're busy," I answered.

When the receptionist picked up, she'd sounded harried and short-tempered. But given that there was a cacophony of screeches and barks before she could even get out the business's name, I gave her plenty of grace. Even from this end, it gave me a headache.

"Yeah, it's ummm, yeah, it's a lot. But what can I do for you?" Ryan sounded frazzled and rushed, which meant I also felt bad for calling in a family favor.

"My friend, Owen, found himself a kitten in the woods without its mama. I hoped you'd be able to give him a check-up. He seems healthy enough."

"He definitely needs one," Ryan said through static. "Can you get here by noon? If you can, I'll tell the front to expect you. If not, just text me and come in at the end of the day."

"Shit, really? Thank you so much. We are about ninety minutes out from town, so unless traffic is worse than usual, we should be able to make it," I said while simultaneously sending a silent plea to the universe for the miracle of no accidents on the interstate on the way back.

After exchanging a few more rounds of thank yous and you're welcomes with Ryan, I hazarded a glance at Owen. He rested against the headrest with his eyes closed. Lucifer snored in his lap with the towel still wrapped around him. Owen's body was stiff, and that bothered me so damn much.

"Babe, you doing okay? Not too sore?"

"I'm asleep."

"How are you answering if you're asleep?"

"I'm talking in my sleep. It's a thing I do."

"When did that start? I've never noticed it before."

"Uh, how would you notice it?"

"We've shared a tent camping. We've traveled together. That time we passed out at Gabriel's apartment because we got shit-faced drunk with him. It would have come up."

"It's a new thing," Owen quipped back .

This time, the smile in his voice was obvious, which settled something inside me.

"Babe, I think you might be full of shit," I scoffed.

"Legit, I'm going to pause what I know you want to talk about…" Owen trailed off for a minute before he finished. "But I'm glad you still call me babe."

That confession was enough for me.

We sat in companionable silence for the remainder of the trip. The only break in the quiet was the radio and the soft sounds of Lucifer's snorts and purrs. I didn't know what the cat chased in his dreams, but I hoped the purrs meant he'd caught it.

Every once in a while, I'd reach over to scratch Lucifer behind the ears and brush my fingers across Owen's hand. Each brush sent a wave of want through my body, but Owen's expression remained frustratingly unreadable in his now-real slumber. If nothing else, it gave me a chance to just be in his company again without all the angst we'd created for each other.

When the start-and-stop traffic began as I approached the city, Owen roused himself from his nap. He seemed a little confused, like he always did when he napped during the day. However, he wasn't too confused that he forgot about his new baby. He immediately brought him up for a cuddle. I was jealous.

"Bear! Why did you let me sleep the whole way?"

"What did you want me to do? If I wake you up, then you yawn the whole way. Are you trying to make me crash? I'm too young to die."

"Well, that escalated quickly."

"It would, and that's why I left you alone, babe."

Owen rolled his eyes at me, but that silly, cheeky version of him was my favorite. I cleared my throat and continued, "Did you want to call Levi or wait until after the vet?"

"I hate what I'm about to say, but I'll wait. If there's something wrong, then I don't want to ask for no reason."

"Yeah, I can understand that, but I've got a good feeling on both counts. I think Lucifer will get a perfect bill of health and Levi will say yes."

"But what if he doesn't?" Owen asked in a hesitant voice.

"He will, but if he doesn't, I'll love having a new roommate."

"You've never once mentioned wanting to get a cat."

"You've never once found a cat in the woods in the middle of a bear attack."

"Oh, well, hold on. It wasn't an attack. It was an…encounter."

I internally rolled my eyes. Leave it to Owen to make sure the bear didn't get unfairly blamed for something he wasn't willing to label an attack.

"All right. I stand corrected. He and you are the heroes of a bear encounter ."

Owen had always been a sucker for the underdog.

"Hero," Owen scoffed. "I didn't do anything but scream."

"It must've worked because he didn't hurt you."

"He didn't run off until you came."

"Nah, he was already set to run."

"We all three can be heroes, and two of us can celebrate that with some beer at Stone and Vine tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow?"

"Because today I need to ditch work, hide from my boss, and buy all the kitty essentials I can. That's going to take some time. Plus, I want to bring my files with me to do a site check. That beer garden you're adding in the alley will be fantastic next summer, but we need to get the drainage issues resolved for it to work."

Owen launched into a discussion about water mitigation and his intended design for the secret garden feel behind the little bistro. The design he'd created in the café was one of his best. The mural that dominated the main dining room was perfect, with its vignettes of mythical woodland creatures. The enormous stone fireplace was perfect for our dreary winters, and the food was second to none.

We'd get more of a summer crowd with a new outdoor seating area. The space was in an alley surrounded by brick walls, so Owen had been working hard on a design with enough green to provide the feel that you'd stepped into a real garden. It would be spectacular if we could get the hardscaping sorted out. By the time he wound down, we were pulling into the vet's parking lot.

Once inside the office, we went directly to the receptionist and waited until she was off the phone.

"Name?" she asked.

"Hi, we talked to Ryan about coming in with a cat. He said he'd let you know to expect us," I answered.

"Okay. Name?"

"Er, it would be under Barrett Strega or Owen Howe. The cat is Lucifer."

She turned away to type something before waving her hand in the general direction of the crowded waiting room. We found a few plastic chairs near the window to wait for our name to be called. After about twenty minutes, Ryan emerged from the back of the office while shrugging on a light jacket. When he saw me, he looked confused and strode over.

"Barrett, you made it," Ryan said in a perplexed tone.

"Uh, yeah, about twenty minutes ago."

"Oh shoot, I'm sorry I kept you waiting." He sighed. The woman at the front desk gave him a dirty look. "Come on back, and I'll check out your kitty."

He took off the jacket he had just put on, and we followed him into the back. After passing through the interior door and entering an exam room, he turned and said, "I'm really sorry to keep you waiting. I didn't know you were here."

"We just appreciate you finding the time to squeeze us in," I said as I drew Owen forward with a hand on his back. "This is Lucifer."

Ryan took the wrapped-up bundle out of Owen's arms and put the cat on the metal table. He held him up by the scruff, then looked at us with a raised brow. "Lucifer may need a new name. He's a she."

"He's not a boy?" Owen asked.

"Nope, but at this age, it's hard to tell," Ryan responded.

"She's older than she looks by size," he said after checking her teeth.

"Well, uh, maybe I didn't? I don't remember looking specifically," he answered Ryan and then turned to scratch the cat behind his ears. "Sorry, Not-Lucifer, I didn't mean to get it wrong. How old is she?"

"She is teeny tiny for her age, but I'd guess closer to at least twelve weeks."

"Oh! You're almost a grown girl. You're too pretty to be named after a demon now," Owen murmured in her ear as he smoothed his hand down her back. "Is she old enough to be fixed?"

"Cats can be fixed at any age, but we usually do it around four months, give or take. Going into heat is hard on them, so there's no need to wait until they're older. We'll need to set up an appointment for it though. I'll do it myself on the computer and skip the headache of the front desk. "

With that, Ryan walked over to the laptop on the counter and started clicking on the keys.

Owen and I exchanged a glance at his words. Owen broke the awkward silence. "I really appreciate you getting us in. I hope we didn't take your entire lunch."

"No worries," Ryan said with a tired smile. "I was just going to sneak out for a sandwich and a break, but it's fine. I have plenty of snacks here. Does the surgery date matter?"

Owen and I both shook our heads. Ryan nodded and typed more. When finished, he turned from the computer to the cupboard and started prepping syringes to give Not-Lucifer her shots.

"Do you like the practice here?" I asked to fill the silence. Owen was completely occupied with cooing to the cat.

"Well, it's a job, but I don't get much time to develop relationships with the clients or their pets. I became a vet because I love animals and want to care for them. It's more like an assembly line here. It's better than nothing, and the pay is okay, but I don't think it will work for me long-term," Ryan answered with a shrug.

"Any prospects elsewhere?" Owen asked when he looked up from his kitty.

I heard him whispering reassurances the shots wouldn't hurt. The cat responded with quick meows. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought they were having a real conversation.

"I interviewed with a vet out on Almstead Island. It's always been a small practice, but they are growing so fast that the vet wants to take on someone so their wait times can be reduced. Hopefully, I'll hear something soon." Ryan paused before adding, "Do you remember that water hole when we were kids? I thought Grandma would murder us on the spot when we decided to be swamp monsters."

"What happened?" Owen asked with wide eyes .

"Bigfoot and swamp monsters in the lake were battling, and since we were monsters, we needed to protect our turf. We covered every inch of ourselves, clothes, and shoes in lake mud and then patrolled the lake. And by lake, I mean the boathouse, the pier, and all their patio furniture," I answered as best I could between wheezing laughs. I hadn't thought about that summer in years.

"She was so mad that we got hosed off outside buck-ass naked except for our underwear because she didn't care. Then, she wouldn't let us back in the house until everything was cleaned up. It took all weekend, and we got to sleep outside. Best. Summer. Ever," Ryan added through his own laughter.

"How old were you guys?" Owen's giggles made it hard for him to force out the question.

"I was like eight, I think? So Barrett would have been twelve or thirteen, so Trav was like sixteen? I remember her yelling at you that you two should have told me no and you telling her it was my idea," Ryan answered with a grin. "Good times. Do you go out to cabin much?"

"I haven't been out there in forever. Dad goes when he's in the mood for fishing. You?"

"Not really. If I got the position out there, I'd need to find somewhere to live though."

"When do you find out about it?" I asked Ryan.

"The vet said he needed some time to make a final decision. I think he's struggling with the idea that he can't keep up anymore and needs help. He warned me it could be weeks or months until I heard anything. In the meantime, I have my job here. On the plus side, it's fast-paced, so it keeps me occupied," Ryan added as he finished with Not-Lucifer's shots. Other than a squeak, she hadn't seemed bothered.

Ryan carefully handed the kitten back to Owen. He filled out the county paperwork, and after his eyes landed on the box, went to the small closet at the back of the room and pulled out a cardboard box that turned into a carrier.

"I know you like cuddling her close," Ryan said when Owen looked like he would protest, "and she seems pretty okay with it all, but if she gets spooked, it would be hard to hold on to her."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Owen agreed. "I just don't want her to be scared."

"You can put the towel in there with her, and it's not like you're putting her in the trunk," Ryan said with a chuckle that turned into a belly laugh at the look of rage on Owen's face. "Just hold the box on your lap, and she'll be fine."

With the kitten secured, it was time to head to the pet store. Owen could call Levi from the car, and fingers crossed, his new baby would be moved in today. I pulled my wallet out, but both Owen and Ryan protested.

"Barrett, put your wallet away. It's fine," Ryan grumbled.

"Barrett, I can pay for my cat's exam," Owen objected.

"Ryan, I fully expect to pay for the exam. I don't want you to get in trouble. Owen, it's my welcome-home gift to Not-Lucifer."

"Nah, I can give a freebie once in a while."

"I can support my own cat."

I didn't bother to respond since neither had any interest in listening to me. I'd donate to a cat charity in Ryan's name and claim uncle, sadly not dad, status for the cat. I intended to go with Owen to the pet store, which would be my homecoming present. That cat was indirectly responsible for the best damn night of my life, so she had queen status for life as far as I was concerned.