“No, it’s okay, you should ride it to my place.” Summer brushed her fingertips over the heel of one hand, dislodging some grit and wincing. “Does the fact that I have cats to adore you make up for my stupidity?” Once again she swung her leg over the bike, balancing on one foot while she waited for Robert to mount up.
“I never said what you did was stupid. But, you mentioned cats and now you’ve captured my attention.” Robert mounted his bike, pedaling a bit to arrive beside her. “Lead the way then, so I can meet these feline friends of yours, before my curiosity and need drives me nuts.”
“You’re already nuts,” she shot back, starting to grin. She led him to the southern edge of the park, and then another five blocks farther on, until they reached her apartment building. “Hope your bodyguards don’t come looking for you,” Summer teased, parking her bike and locking it up with swift efficiency.
She led the way upstairs, too, flicking through her keys one-handed and unlocking the door. “I wasn’t planning to have visitors, you know, so — please forgive the mess.” She pushed open the door.
One solid wall of the living room thus revealed was covered with shelves, which were, in turn, packed with books of all types and sizes. One case was all dvds and video games. A loveseat and a papasan chair took up another wall, and a complex entertainment system the third. Stacks of unshelved books littered the floor, among cables.
Down the short hallway could be seen the edge of a bed and an open, half-packed suitcase on the floor. A pair of dark ears emerged from the suitcase, followed by the rest of the small tortoiseshell cat, bounding down the hall. On the loveseat, a pale ball revealed itself to be another cat, fluffy and seal-pointed.
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.”