3. Theo

I spent far too long staring at my phone, waiting for a response. It was complete bullshit that a rescue didn't answer their messages. Their job was literally to save animals. Or maybe it was to save animals during their limited office time.

Was I being fair to them? No, I absolutely was not. Odds were the rescue was a thousand percent staffed by volunteers who were donating their time and money. They didn't owe anyone 100% round-the-clock access. That didn't stop me from freaking out over them not replying. I had no idea what to do with the kittens. Sure, they were cute, and I could talk to them in a super-sweet sing-songy voice all day long, but that didn't keep them alive. I was lost in that department and needed a solution, and fast.

"Don't worry, guys, I'll figure something out." I wasn't sure what that something would look like, but it was a promise I planned to keep.

I looked at my phone again. Still no reply. The day was ticking away, too. There had to be another rescue, or possibly a shelter. I could drive a decent distance if need be.

The next hour was spent researching with two kittens sound asleep on my lap. They had been mewing, begging to get out, and I did not have the ability to ignore them. Their little cries broke me, and if they'd asked me to take over the world next, I'd have been planning my attack. I was such a pushover.

And yeah, my youth might've been spent watching too many fantasy and sci-fi TV shows, but I was fine with that. Much more fine than I'd be if the kittens started to talk about world domination.

I found three more shelters; two were completely full, and one had a residency requirement. Zero of them were any help other than to deny the kittens a chance. I'd been so oblivious to the world of shelters and how much they struggled. It was heartbreaking.

When the rescue still hadn't called me back and I knew we were getting close to feeding time, I popped them back in the box and drove across town to the pet center that was always on the radio. It was a grand idea. Or so I thought.

The road it was on was under construction, and when I finally reached the plaza, the kittens were pleading for attention. But the parking lot was empty.

"What the?" Assuming it might've been that people were unwilling to navigate through construction chaos, I made sure the kittens were all secure in the box and carried them out of the car and to the front entrance.

The front entrance that proudly announced: Closed for renovations. Please visit one of our other locations throughout the state.

That sounded fine and dandy, until I discovered their "other locations" were exactly one location and a four-hour drive… each way.

"Okay, little ones, this is not going to cut it." And back into the car we went. "Don't worry, I'll find someplace to get what you need before we go home."

Home? Where did that come from? They weren't all coming home with me… except they were. There was no way I was going to take them to a shelter that wasn't no-kill and the rescue was a dud. The only other option was that I became the proud papa of a bunch of fur babies, super adorable ones that I wanted to snuggle and cuddle and throw toy mice for.

"Guess you're mine now." Which meant I needed to call a vet. I wasn't sure how booked up they got, but if they were anything like human doctors, it could be a while before we got in. "I'll find us a new pet store after I make a phone call."

It turned into five, but I did manage to get a vet, and they also recommended a large pet store and we were on our way, making a pit stop for some water at a drive-through. They weren't interested in it, but I'd have felt bad not offering.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I decided to offer the kittens water again, and this time not only did they not want it, but I managed to spill it on the inside of the box. Great.

"Now how am I going to carry you inside? This thing will fall apart, and if it somehow managed not to, people would think you peed on it." They were too busy curling up on the dry part of the cardboard to notice me talking.

It took a few seconds for me to come up with a plan, a brilliant one… probably. The little ones were so tiny they could fit into my coat pockets. It would be all snug and warm in there and they'd take a nap while I filled my cart and done.

"Come on, purr-ty ones, it's time to go and buy you… I don't know what. Maybe they'll have a list for new pet parents the way box stores had lists for school supplies at the beginning of term."

I had them each settled in, grateful that I had both two outside and two inside pockets for them, and headed to the entrance, when my phone began to ring.

"Hel… Hello." I was not a fan of talking on the phone, and while I planned to walk around and help the kittens sleep, they were not asleep yet, and there were cars. Multitasking was one thing. Multitasking when there were huge vehicles that could run your sweet little furballs over if you lost concentration was another.

"Hi. This is Carlton. You phoned me before lunch."

Before I could respond to him, one kitten in my inside pocket started to climb out. "No, sweetie, you can't do that."

The next aisle over, a car decided right then and there to show me how bad things could be as they backed into the cart return, three other cars slamming on their brakes to avoid hitting them.

"Where are you?" he asked.

The accident had me momentarily forgetting that he was on the line. Not that I knew who he was just yet.

"I'm outside a pet store." I looked around to make sure the coast was clear and crossed over to the walkway in front of the store. At least that would be safe-ish. "It's… it's Puppy something."

Why was I telling him that? He still hadn't mentioned who he was. I glanced at the phone, and then looked at my text messages, relief filling me as I saw they were the same. This was the cat rescue. Which also meant that maybe I wasn't taking the kittens home.

I very much didn't like the thought of that. But I did need this man's help. I read the sign above the entrance.

"Love," I said, and then, sensing a weird silence between us and overthinking my answer, quickly clarified. "Puppy Love."

He didn't wait a single beat before saying, "I'm coming. Stay there."

He didn't give me a chance to respond, hanging up as soon as he finished telling me what to do. I mean, it wasn't him being a bossy pants in the red flag kind of way, more him jumping into action to save the kittens. And that right there was a green flag—a ginormous one. It also hit weird. If he was rushing over for the kittens, that meant it wasn't for me.

And what a silly notion. I'd only spoken a few sentences to him and heard just as many back. There was no connection there—there couldn't be. Except there was.

We went inside before another car did something stupid. The place was huge, and they had everything, from a groomer to a buffet type set-up for dog treats, and that was all from my first few seconds in the space. It would be so much easier if it was Kitten Love and only sold kitten things, in kits, all boxed up.

"You little ones need to be good," I said in my firmest voice… the firmest one I could manage around the kittens, anyway.

I slid my hand into my pockets one by one to make sure they were in there and relaxed, only to have one bite my finger. I wasn't sure if they were playing or hungry, but whatever the case was, it meant I was on borrowed good-kitten time, that was for sure.

"Welcome to Puppy Love. Let me know if I can help you find anything today." The poor sales associate had no idea what they had just gotten themselves into.

"I actually need help finding a lot of things, and I'm not even sure what all they are." I took out my phone and started to tap away, showing them a picture of the kittens.

Before I could explain their story, one from my inner pockets jumped out and onto the floor. I went down to try and collect them and the second got away… then a third… It was kitten mayhem.

"You need help?" the sales associate asked.

"So very much so."