Hosed (Happy Cat #1)(48)
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Cassie: Yes, it was amazing. Yes, it’s my favorite toy. And yes, I think about him all the time, but not just that part of him. All the parts of him. His big hands and his smile and the way he laughs and how sexy he looks cooking eggs in his boxer shorts and how gentle he is with George Cooney, even when he wakes up with a raccoon claw in his nose.
All of him. The whole package.
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Savannah: Oh dear… I was afraid of this. The train is passing Relaxation Station and heading straight for Put a Ring on It Crossing.
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Cassie: No! Omg, no way. A ring isn’t anywhere on my radar. That’s nuts, Savannah.
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Savannah: Is it? Because what you just described sounds an awful lot like love to me.
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Cassie: I just enjoy spending time with him. That’s all. He makes me happy. Everything’s better with him around. Me included. I’m more relaxed and productive than I’ve been in years. I’m going to have this app ready to launch in a month and then all you’ll need to do is sit back and rake in the money.
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Savannah: I wish I had even half your optimism.
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Cassie: Maybe you should go get laid. It’s pretty great. I highly recommend it.
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Savannah: Ha! Nope. No more of that for me. I’m going to become a nun. Or maybe Mary Poppins, a woman too busy magically governessing the needy children of London to mess with passing fancies like sex and romance.
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Cassie: But wasn’t Mary Poppins dating that chimney sweep guy?
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Savannah: No way! They were just friends, psycho. He may have had a crush, but Burt was not tapping the Poppins. She would have spanked him with her umbrella for trying.
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Cassie: Well, maybe he liked a little spanky with his hanky panky.
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Savannah: Who are you? And what have you done with my sister?
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Cassie: I’m the alien pod person who’s taken over her pre-frontal cortex. You may call me Gorgon Rotovirus Twelve.
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Savannah: You’re so weird. Is Ryan aware of how weird you are?
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Cassie: Yes. smiley face emoji He likes me that way. He likes me just the way I am.
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Savannah: Wow. I just teared up a little. That’s…
That’s beautiful, honey. I’m happy for you.
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Cassie: Me too. I can’t believe it, really. That this is my life. That I get to wake up to an amazing man who thinks I’m beautiful and sexy and smart and who loves being with me as much as I love being with him.
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Savannah: You just used the L word twice. You realize that, right?
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Cassie: Yeah. I do. And maybe…
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Savannah: Maybe?
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Cassie: Talk to you soon. I’ve got to go see a man about a stuffed squirrel. Gordon is making a firefighter outfit for me as a surprise for Ryan. It’s his three-year anniversary of joining the department tonight.
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Savannah: Ew. A squirrel? Seriously?
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Cassie: Not ew. All of Gordon’s squirrels are sourced from naturally deceased rodents. No animals are caged or treated cruelly in the creation of his masterpieces.
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Savannah: Roadkill, Cassie. That means they’re roadkill he picks up off the street. You are gifting your true love with roadkill. I beg you to stop and reconsider this choice.
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Cassie: Nope. I have to follow my heart. And my heart says Ryan is going to treasure this thoughtful gift.
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Savannah: All right. I guess you know best…
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Cassie: That’s the spirit. Now go find a sexy Englishman, drag him back to your bed, and don’t set him free until he’s put a smile on your face. Check in soon.
Twenty-Four
Ryan
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Sleep is impossible. I’m coming off a grueling forty-eight on duty, during which we actually saw action every few hours—summer is fire season and it’s hitting hard this year—but thirty minutes after I’ve collapsed onto my mattress I’m still lying awake staring at the ceiling.