But then Meredith got sick and Howard amped up his visits, causing Kaylee to be jealous of the time he spent with her mother. Whenever Kaylee complained, Meredith would say, “Go easy on Howard. He is your father.”
And to be fair, Howard had paid child support and helped with her college expenses. He’d done well for himself in the real estate business, which was lucky since he had to pay a lot of support. He’d had a total of four children.
She decided to get it over with and called him back. “Hi, Howie,” she said in greeting because she knew he hated it. He always instructed her to call him Dad. But for some reason she kept forgetting… “No need to panic. I wanted a change of scenery for a few months so I could finish a book.”
“Where exactly are you?” he demanded. “And why didn’t you tell me you’d be out of town?”
“I’m in Humboldt County, and I didn’t mention it to you because I’m thirty-five years old, we’re not close, you don’t tell me where you’re going all the time. In fact, I don’t expect you to.”
He sighed. “Okay, I deserved that,” he said. “I wasn’t there for you when I should have been and there seems to be no way to make up for it now. But with your mom gone, I wish we could spend a little time together. I was going to invite you out to dinner. I think we’re both missing her.”
The last thing she needed was an evening of reminiscing with Howie. “Sorry, but I came here to work and that’s what I’m doing. Maybe when I get back to Newport.”
“Are you getting a lot of work done?”
“I’m trying,” she said. “I…I still find it hard to focus, hard to concentrate. But I’m giving it everything I’ve got.”
“Maybe I’ll come up in a few weeks,” he said. “You can show me around and we’ll have dinner.”
“I don’t have a guest room, Howie.”
“I can make arrangements,” he said. “Think about it and we’ll talk about it later. I’ll give you a call next week.”
“All right. Take care.”
“You, too. Love you.”
“Goodbye.”
She never said she loved him. She wasn’t sure she did. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.
* * *
Kaylee took Kitty to the vet that Jack recommended—Dr. Lynne Murphy. “Well, Kitty turns out to be a boy,” the vet said. “And I’d guess about eight weeks old. He’d have to be that old to eat solid food and use the litter box. Let’s give him a couple of weeks of growth and then start his shots. Meanwhile, would you like me to chip him?”
“Chip him?”
“A microchip that ID’s his name, owner, vital information so if he’s ever lost he can be returned to you.”
“Oh yes, please.”
“Is he going to get another name besides Kitty?”
“Oh man. This is actually my first pet. My mother was allergic and I know nothing. I guess that’s obvious.”
“Not to worry. This cat will probably raise you. So, he should be neutered because if he’s not he will not only make more cats, and he’ll make a mess, spraying his scent around your house. We’ll give him shots, make sure he’s in good health and check his weight. After about four months of inoculations and after he’s been neutered, if you keep him as an indoor cat you’ll be on your own unless you need us. He’s a pretty little guy.”
She had them put Tux on his chart as his name because of his black-and-white markings. She pretended not to hear when the doctor said, “Original.”
* * *
The next afternoon when Kaylee was at Jack’s having lunch, Jillian Matlock came in carrying a large cardboard box filled with vegetables. “It’s your lucky day, Jack. Is Preacher around?”
“Yep. Stand by.” He turned and banged on the wall that separated the bar from the kitchen. “Brought him some goodies, did you?”
“The harvest is winding down and these are good but not pretty enough to send out.” Preacher came through the swinging door, drying his hands on a dish towel.
“Hey,” he said. When he saw Jillian, he smiled. “Goodies?”
“For my special friend. The last of the Russian Rose and purple calabash, some artichokes, onions, turnips… Late stuff.”
Kaylee got off her stool and slowly gravitated toward Jillian and the box of veggies. There were peppers, cucumbers, a bunch of green and purple leaf lettuce and a few other things she couldn’t name.