Curse of the Second Date by J.A. Marlow Page A

growing up seemed to all
come from a different end of the 'weird' and 'strange'
spectrum.
    "No, he's always been an indoor cat. He just
thinks he's an outdoor cat," Millie said with a laugh.
    Jack smiled. "Ah. Now that I
understand."
    "You have cats?"
    "Not right now. Apartment won't allow it,
but I grew up with one in the house all the time."
    *Let me out, dimwit.*
    Jack stared down at the cat, not believing
his ears. So much so, that he almost missed Millie saying with more
interest in her voice than he'd heard in a while, "I didn't know
that. A cat person?"
    Jack cleared his throat. "Yep, a cat
person."
    He kept his feet together as he shuffled
into the house. The cat backed up, and then dodged to the right.
Jack was ready for him and moved in the same direction.
    *Out of my way.*
    The surprise of the clear words almost made
him freeze. Almost. But, not enough to lose this opportunity to use
this small new-found thing in common to keep this relationship
going. He dodged every direction as the cat.
    He heard Millie come in, felt her lovely
body slide by his back so she could close the door.
    With the door safely closed the cat sat
down, staring at him. No, glaring at him with an intensity that
should set him ablaze and render him to ashes.
    "Welcome to my home," Millie said as she set
her purse on a small antique table in the foyer. She resettled the
icepack on her fingers and nodded forward. "Come in and sit
down."
    His hopes rose at the simple words. She was
still being hospitable, friendly, and had invited him to sit down.
This was a good step!
    Jake didn't hesitate a moment. Soon he was
in a small and cozy living room with a river-stone fireplace as a
focal point. The room wasn't big enough for a couch, but just right
for the recliner and loveseat. The inside reflected the small charm
he'd noticed from the outside of the house. Something Millie
reflected, as well.
    "I'll get us some water. Need a new ice pack
anyway," Millie said. She gestured to the room with her uninjured
hand. "Make yourself comfortable."
    The stupid car door. Never again would he
close it without ensuring no appendages were in the way. "Thank
you. And again, I am so sorry."
    "Accidents happen," Millie called out behind
her as she headed into the kitchen-dining room through a wide arch.
"What types of cats did you have?"
    "The first I remember was our siamese,
Bernie. He couldn't stand being on the lowest level of any room. He
climbed everything," Jake said. He paused as the orange and black
cat slinked into the room, rubbing against the back of the
recliner.
    *Stupid creature. Too much work.*
    Jake swallowed hard. The cursed second date
was continuing with him losing his mind.
    "What about your second?" Millie asked. He
heard the sound of a freezer door. Then the clink of glasses.
    In his minds-eye, he could picture her
getting the glasses out of the cupboard, dropping in a few cubes of
ice, and then pouring water into them. Each of the movements
performed with her natural grace. The way her hands moved and
wrists angled as she worked fascinated him. So natural, so
unconscious. So a part of her. It made him wish he was in the
dining room so he could watch.
    *She asked you a question, dimwit.*
    The cat now sat in the middle of the
recliner, as if a king on his throne. Head high, back straight. The
end of the tail leisurely moved back and forth.
    "Our second was a bit of a mix of
everything, but it had a nice calico pattern of orange, browns, and
whites," Jake said. He forced himself to look away from the
unblinking stare of the cat. Instead, he focused on the pictures on
the mantle. Photographs full of family portraits, as well as
children he assumed must belong to the brother she spoke so warmly
about.
    "And what quirk did your calico have?"
    *Boring, Romeo. You expect
her to be impressed with this conversation?* The sound of a cat yawn did not move his attention to the
cat. Jake refused.
    "Heather preferred people food to cat food,
and yet she was