5. Theo

I had no idea how expensive pets were. I'd heard people at work saying their dog cost more than a child and assumed they were exaggerating or possibly over-the-top spoiling them. With Peter, one of the people in HR, he took his dogs to daycare every day, so for him, it probably was true. I had no idea such a thing existed before he mentioned needing to find a new one one day as we waited for our coffee to brew.

But kittens? I guess I expected they would need less. A bowl, some litter, and food, right? Wrong. So very wrong. Carlton helped me pick out some of the things, and the salespeople were very helpful in assisting me with getting rid of any extra cash I had lying around. When I had everything rung up and paid for, we had two full carts and a receipt that was longer than I was tall. It was all worth it though, knowing the little ones would be safe and no longer treated like somebody's refuse.

"I'll help you get it in the car." Carlton was nice.

It was more than nice. He had an empathy for these little ones. It made sense given he worked for a rescue. Still, it had me really liking the guy. Which was another whole issue.

I really, really liked Carlton. There were a couple of times I became so distracted by his lips that I nearly leaned in—just for a taste. Never mind the thoughts running through my mind as I watched him bend over to grab the bag of cat litter or reach up high to snag the catnip mice. Yeah, it was safe to say that I was obsessed with him, and that wasn't good. He was a guy here to do a job, not get hit on by the person he was helping.

"Thanks, I could use it." Managing two carts was going to be nearly impossible, even if one of them was mostly kitten transportation. "It's not the best parking lot."

"I heard." He flinched slightly, and I guessed he was talking about the fender bender that happened while we were on the phone.

We walked out to my car, Carlton pushing the cart with the kittens in it and talking to them the entire way. He was so good with them. And yes, it was his job, but also, it was innate. You could learn how to work with animals, but some people were great with them naturally, and I would put money on Carlton being one of those.

He was probably a kitten in another lifetime. Or a bear. Maybe he was a big old cuddly bear.

"This is me." I clicked the fob, and the trunk unlocked. "We can probably get the litter, the litter box, the cat condo, and the feeding system in here pretty easily. The rest we can put in the back seat. I'll keep the kittens up front with me."

I started the car with the remote so the temperature would be good for them and got them settled in, taking the box out of the car to put in the garbage can that was near the cart returns.

Carlton had everything already in the trunk when I finished up.

"I have something to tell you." That never sounded good… ever.

"Okay?" If he said something like he was married, I was going to cry. But then again, why would that be something he had to tell me? It wasn't like he knew about my one-sided crush. To him I was just a guy who found a box of kittens he needed to help, right?"

"When you sent me those messages and pictures, I couldn't not help you. I know a lot about cats, and I don't know… but in any case, I'm not the rescue."

"Then why did you get my messages?"

"Because you dialed wrong." He shoved his hands in his front pockets. "Everything else is accurate. But I don't work there. I work in an office building, and my phone was going off during a presentation."

"Sorry." I wasn't even mad at him. Should I be? Probably. But it wasn't as if he told me he was from the rescue, he simply hadn't told me he wasn't until now. "I was in panic mode."

"Understandably. It had to be heartbreaking to see them at the dumpster like that and having all the what-ifs run through your head."

"It sucked. But you know what else sucks…?" Besides me, if you ask nicely. "Not knowing what to do, and I don't. Not really. I bought that book, but…"

"Would you like some help? I can come set everything up with you."

I had to stop myself from hugging him.

"That would be everything." I took out my phone and sent him my address.

Was this the way most serial killer specials start—a "nice guy" offers to help, and suddenly he's dinner? Yeah, pretty much. But Carlton was a nice guy, and I had zero warning bells going off. Unless my stirring cock was a new warning system. In that case, I had a really big one.

I drove to my place and got the kittens inside, and was starting to unload the trunk when Carlton pulled up. But he was the passenger and he thanked the driver.

"Was that a friend or a rideshare?" I asked.

"The latter. I don't have my car today and it felt awkward jumping into yours." He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"You could have." I wished he had.

"I'm here now." He grinned and my heart fluttered.

The two of us worked together to get everything inside.

"Good, you have wood floors. We don't need to worry about keeping the kittens locked up too much." He went on to explain about training them to use the box since their mom wasn't around. He said it was pretty instinctual and that one of the litters we bought attracted them to it and a bunch of other things I wasn't hearing. My eyes were glued to his lips, and my mind was playing out daydreams that were less than appropriate for the situation.

Once the feeding station, the litter, and their "cat" bed which was really a dog bed were all worked out, we dove into the fun stuff. Carlton set up a couple of window seats I'd picked up, while I made some cardboard houses that were designed to give them a place to scratch and explore. I thought it was silly, but not only did the salesperson say all cats adored them, but so did more than a couple of random people buying things for their own pets.

I didn't even have them set up, and the kittens were already exploring them. They were a win for sure.

"You do know that your beautiful basket with cat-ear handles is only going to be filled with toys briefly, right? Those little mice and plastic rings are going to be under every piece of furniture you have once they discover them." His rich laugh filled me with warmth.

"But cat ears." It was adorable and one of many frivolous things I'd purchased. "I think the only thing I have left is the cat condo. If you need to leave, I'll understand." I'd hate it, but I'd get it.

"I have nowhere I'd rather be." He bent down and picked up the furball on his foot. "Where else can I get this kind of cuteness begging for me to snuggle them?"

"Nowhere. They are by far the cutest fluff balls I have ever seen. And thanks. I really appreciate all the help."

The condo was by far the biggest of the projects. There had been a ton of cat condos at the place. They had short ones that were more a box with a cushion on them than anything else. They had tall ones that had display units that were toppling over with every person that walked by. They had some mid-sized ones that included scratching posts and hanging things for cats to bat around. They were by far the wisest choice of them all. Did I pick the wisest though? Of course I didn't.

I had to go and find the one that was designed to be a tree house, complete with flowers and mushrooms as the first level. Was it tiny? Nope. It was going to eat up a huge chunk of my living room.

It was perfection. Or it would be after it was put together. Right now it was all flat packed, and my guess was that it was at least a bazillion pieces. Possibly more.

"I can't wait to see this all assembled," he said.

Unlike the other pieces, this one didn't have a store sample, only a display.

"Me too."

We worked in tandem and managed to get it put together pretty quickly, given how many steps there were. The directions were remarkably good, and I had the best assistant on the planet.

I remembered seeing a sitcom joking about how the true test of a relationship was building IKEA furniture together. This wasn't IKEA, and we weren't in a relationship. Nevertheless, it was nice to see we managed to get it done without being grumpy with each other.

Only now I was about to get grumpy because there was no longer a reason for Carlton to stick around. He had far surpassed knight on a white horse duty. It was time for him to go.

And I didn't like it.