The Family You Make (Sunrise Cove #1)(48)

He had a lot to say about this, but she carried him into the shelter anyway, still yowling his displeasure.

The woman at the front desk looked up and smiled. “Oh my,” she said. “He’s got quite a voice.”

“Sorry, and yes, he does. My name’s Jane, and I have an appointment.”

The woman’s smile widened, her eyes friendly behind a pair of bright blue glasses. “Hello, Jane, how lovely to meet you. I’m Shirl. We didn’t actually get the name of your lovely cat.”

“It’s Cat. Short for Alley Cat.”

If Shirl thought this was odd, she didn’t show it as she had Jane fill out a form and then took her and Cat to a patient room.

“Oh, look at you,” Shirl said softly to Cat, who’d stalked out of the crate when Jane opened it, looking royally pissed off. “What do we know about this beauty?”

“Not much. He’s a stray, but I don’t think anyone lets him inside their house or has gotten him checked out.”

“Aw.” Shirl bravely scooped Cat up from the floor and set him on the examination table. “Don’t you have a sweet cat mommy?”

“I’m not,” Jane said. “He just lives in the alley behind the house I’m staying in, and I wanted to make sure he’s taken care of.”

“So a good cat mommy with a big heart.” Shirl continued to love up on Cat, who’d lost his defensive stance and seemed to be enjoying the attention.

“This precious boy needs a real name,” Shirl said. “That’s the first step in making him yours.”

“But he’s not mine.” Just saying it gave Jane’s heart a squeeze. “I’m a nurse. I work twelve-hours shifts that always turn into more, so I’d be a terrible cat mom. Plus, I’m here only until the end of ski season, and then I’ll be gone.”

This seemed to startle Shirl. “Where to?”

“I think it’s Haiti next.”

Shirl paused. “Putting yourself on the front lines to take care of other people. I don’t know if there’s a more respectable job than that. Your mom must be so proud.”

Jane’s mom was something all right, but proud probably wasn’t it. But then again, if she’d had a mom like Shirl, Jane probably wouldn’t be running all over the world. Instead, she’d want a relationship with her family. She’d want to put down roots and live close.

You’re living close to your grandpa . . .

At the thought of him, she was hit by the usual colliding mix of emotions. Some she knew—regret, resentment. More regret . . . The other emotions she couldn’t name. She reminded herself that she didn’t have a relationship with him because his health had been frail and she hadn’t wanted to cause any more problems. How many times had her aunt Viv told her that? Too many to count. Jane wouldn’t be the one to bring him any more stress, like reminding him of happier times, when his wife had still been alive.

And what about the fact that he hadn’t fought to keep her? He’d let other relatives take her, pass her around like last week’s leftovers, only a day from going bad.

Oh, wait. Seemed she could name the other emotions after all. Shame. Embarrassment. Fear of further rejection . . . “I’m not close to my family.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Shirl clearly felt bad for asking in the first place, which didn’t stop her from asking another question. “Well then, certainly the man in your life is proud.”

“Um—”

“Oh, dear,” Shirl said suddenly while still checking out Cat. “Interesting.”

Jane’s heart leapt into her throat. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Well, that’s just it. He’s not a he, he’s a she.” Shirl beamed. “Isn’t that something?”

Jane nearly collapsed in relief and put a hand to her heart. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Shirl took in the look on Jane’s face and her own creased in regret as she reached for the hand Jane had clasped to her chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just that it’s clear she’s already had a litter. You might want to get her spayed before she has another.”

Jane scooped Cat up and hugged her close. “You’re a mama?”

Cat gently bumped her face to Jane’s and her heart nearly exploded. “You have babies?” And she probably didn’t even know where they were, how they were doing, if they were okay. If they had homes . . . Jane’s throat tightened so that it hurt to even speak.

Shirl leaned across the examination table and patted her hand. “You don’t need to worry. Our vet here is one of the very best.”

Jane hugged the cat tighter. “Thank you. Yes, I’ll think about getting her spayed, as soon as possible.”

Shirl smiled. “You’re a good person, Jane. If you’re worried about her, we’ve got personalized collars and tags out front. You can put your phone number on the tag. In fact, you can put multiple numbers on the tag. A lot of people put down their significant other’s number too, so if their pet ever gets lost, you can both be contacted. Would you like that? Would your significant other want to be put on the name tag?”

A tag that would claim Cat as her own. That seemed like both a horrible idea and the best idea on the planet. “I’ll think about that too,” she said softly.