Sempre: Redemption (Forever Series #2)(95)

He disappeared back into the trailer as Haven strolled farther away, petting the kitten. It stared up at her, bright blue eyes alive with excitement, mismatched from its dull and lifeless exterior.

“Snowy,” she whispered, the word popping in her mind. “I’ll call you Snowy.”

Gavin came back out, pausing on the steps of the trailer as he hollered for someone. The firmness was back in his voice, the hard edge once again etched in his expression. The man from earlier jogged over, and Haven watched as Gavin said something to him. He spoke too quietly for her to hear but the man’s head dropped low, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He gave a slight nod before turning, and Haven tensed as he approached her.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he muttered, refusing to meet her eyes. “I hope you can accept my apology. I ain’t mean to hurt the cat or anything. I was just messing around. Send me the vet bills. Mr. Amaro can take it out of my pay.”

Haven stammered with surprise, only able to get out an “okay.”

Gavin walked over when the man scurried back to work. He handed her a scrap of paper with an address and phone number scribbled on it.

“Thanks,” she replied. “What did you say to make him apologize?”

“I just told him who you were.”

She tensed at those words. “Who am I?”

Gavin’s eyes met hers. He stared for a moment before answering, his eyebrows raised as if that question surprised him. “A friend of mine, of course.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, you want me to go with you?” he asked. “It’s not far, just about a block back the way you came. We can walk.”

She glanced at the address on the paper. “I don’t want you to have to leave work.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “I was about to leave anyway.”

* * *

A few hours later, the two of them sat in flimsy blue plastic chairs in the busy waiting room of a walk-in emergency animal clinic. Haven fidgeted anxiously, her backside starting to hurt from the hard seat.

A nurse eventually called Haven’s name and she jumped up, not bothering to wait for Gavin as she made her way to the back.

“The kitten’s going to be fine,” the lady said. “We’ve cleaned him up and dressed the wound—just a small gash that should heal right up. He had a horrible case of fleas that we’ve taken care of, but there was nothing majorly wrong. You can take him home now.”

Smiling with relief, Haven signed the heap of paperwork before taking the cat and rejoining Gavin. They left the clinic, the animal fast asleep in Haven’s arms as they headed back out into the street. The sun had started to set, most of the day having faded away.

“So what are you going to do with the cat?” Gavin asked. “Keep it?”

She frowned. “I don’t think I’m allowed to have pets.”

“You can try to find it a home,” Gavin suggested. “Put out an ad.”

“But what if someone bad responds, like that guy you work with?”

Gavin sighed. “I don’t know. I’m out of ideas short of me taking it home.”

Haven’s expression lit up. “Would you really?”

He blanched. “What?”

“Would you keep him?” she asked. “I know you’ll be nice to him.”

Gavin stammered, opening and closing his mouth a few times, before shrugging and letting out a deep sigh. “Fuck it, why not?”

Haven smiled, holding the kitten up and waving its paw at Gavin. “Snowy thanks you.”

The clinic was near her art building, the students all gone for the weekend when they strolled past. “So it’s kind of a long walk from the construction site to my school,” Haven mused. “What in the world do you do up here all the time?”

“It’s not that long of a walk,” he said. “Ten, fifteen minutes at the most. I came up here that first day to hit up a deli nearby.”

“And what about every other day?”

He shrugged. “I come for the company.”

Despite herself, Haven blushed at that.

They chatted casually as they walked—about the cat, about school, even about the weather. It took nearly a half hour for them to reach Haven’s neighborhood, although she usually made the walk in half that time.

“I’m sorry that took so long,” Haven said, stopping in front of her brownstone when they arrived.

“I didn’t mind,” he replied, shrugging. “Didn’t have much else to do.”

“What about work? Didn’t they expect you back?”

“I make my own hours, so it isn’t a big deal. I come and go as I please.”

She gazed at him curiously. He genuinely sounded like he didn’t mind. “You know, you’re really nice. Not many people would’ve done what you did.”

“Did it make you like me just a little more?”

She laughed. “Maybe.”

“I can tell,” he said, smirking. “You actually let me walk you home.”

Haven stared at him with surprise. It hadn’t struck her until that moment. As many times as she had refused, she finally let him walk her home without him even having to ask.

Before Haven could respond, the front door of the brownstone flung open and Kelsey appeared, talking loudly into her cell phone. She looked at the two of them, her expression lighting up with surprise, before her attention went back to her call. Her gaze darted past them, scanning the street, before she started frantically waving. “You see me? Yeah, there. Find a parking spot.”