Robert followed Summer without another word, though a smile emerged on his face at the snippet about his body guards. Thankfully, they didn’t follow him around all the time. Especially when he asked for a privacy day to himself. Her next comment about the condition of her apartment, after they had parked and locked the bikes, really didn’t phase him. If it weren’t for the fact he was out all the time, he probably would have one hell of a mess in his own house.
Upon peering inside the now open apartment, it didn’t take Robert long to locate two cats. And they caused the smile in his face to widen. “Are these the only two, or are there more hiding to make my day? Also, I’m not the least bit nuts. Well… Okay, maybe a little.”
“No, there’s two more. Kronos may refuse to put in an appearance; he and Doc are less social than Phoebe and Helios.” Summer crouched down and and snapped her fingers for Doc, who stopped in the doorway, sat down tidily, and began to wash a paw. “See? Bein’ a little shit, yes you are,” she cooed.
“I’ll cast summon cat and see if that works.” She picked up a crinkly bag and opened it, gaining the immediate attention of both cats in the room and the appearance of two more: a sleek grey and a brown tabby with mismatched green eyes. The seal-point cat slid off the loveseat with a thump, padding over on big fluffy paws and starting to investigate the floor by her feet.
She ruffled his fur and put a treat down in front of his nose. “This is Helios. He’s a ragdoll throwback. I showed you a picture of him on my phone, remember?” Another treat a foot away drew the grey kitty in closer. “This is Phoebe. She’s the oldest, and can be a bit cranky.” Summer pointed to the tortie, still shying away. “That’s Doc, whose full name is Doctor Isadora Turbokitten. She and Kronos are littermates.”
At hearing there were two more, Robert’s interest seemed to pique a bit. Hey, he did love cats. He watched as Summer lured them all out—or well most of them—and was impressed at the variety of breeds and colors. “So just four then? See, if this were me, I’d have more than four. But I try to keep a good limit. Though the temptation is unbelievable.” Robert continued to watch Summer, wanting to interact with the cats himself, but seeming to keep his distance, more to give the cats the chance to get used to him first before he even tried to pet them, at the very least.
“This is a limited space,” she pointed out. “A two bedroom apartment is already an extravagance for New York City without overcrowding what are essentially solitary animals.” Another few treats scattered about brought all the cats to her feet, and she pushed Helios back a little, then bodily picked him up just before he stole a treat right from under the tabby’s nose.
“Now Helios, you had your share, you fat greedy furball. Come say hi to Robert.” She half-held the limp heap of fur out to the actor. Helios fixed his blue eyes on Robert’s dark ones and stuck out a paw, just as Phoebe came up from behind and began to inspect his shoes.
Summer laughed. “You must be made of catnip. Here.” Without waiting for an answer, she unloaded Helios into his arms. “I’m going to go wash these scrapes. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared through a doorway half down the hall.