Like Cats and Dogs, Kate McMurray [miss read books .TXT] 📗

try to attend meetings of this pet owners group in Park Slope, and I’ve met my share of cat people. And I’ve learned a ton about feline behavior since I’ve worked here.” She smiled. It was a lot of work and it could be stressful, but this was a dream job in a way. Not the sort of thing she ever saw herself doing, but running a business that made people happy was something she enjoyed daily.

“You think it’s silly,” she said.

“Did I say that? If it makes people happy, who cares what I think?”

Lauren tried and failed to read his tone. “You’re not…the warmest person.”

He rolled his eyes, which got Lauren’s hackles up. He said, “You’re hardly the first to say so.”

“I don’t mean to offend you. I’m just making an observation.”

“I’ve gotten used to putting some professional distance between me and my patients.”

“Am I one of your patients?”

He frowned. “No.”

“I’m not asking you to be anyone but yourself, but this professional distance thing you have can be… I don’t know how to describe it. I just wish you could figure out how to turn it off. See the world a little differently.”

“Oh, here we go.”

“Don’t roll your eyes at me. I don’t know if this is, like, a divorce thing or if you’ve always been like this, but if you’re really this jaded, why even bother? Do you not care about your patients?”

“Of course I care about my patients!” Caleb’s tone was sharp. “I love animals. That’s why I got into veterinary medicine to begin with.” He rubbed his forehead. “I even like cats sometimes. Do I want one as a pet? No, not especially. But that doesn’t mean I’m not a good doctor.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t!”

“You kind of implied it.”

Lauren groaned. “Look, cards on the table? I find it frustrating that you maintain this distance, or whatever it is. I get that you don’t want any romance, I probably wouldn’t either if I’d just gotten divorced, but you could try to not be a jackass all the time.”

“Who’s being a jackass? I was trying to make conversation. Then you started down this road, talking about what a cold bastard I am. That’s not a news flash, by the way. And cards on the table? Yeah, I think this place is a little silly. I appreciate the work you do for pet adoptions, but if I wanted cat hair in my coffee, I’d drink the stuff Rachel makes at the clinic every morning.”

Lauren let out a frustrated grunt. “I keep forgetting we can’t stand each other. Us getting along for a few minutes there distracted me.”

“Here’s your reminder, I guess.”

“Why did I ever sleep with you?”

“Interesting question. Neither of us was in our right minds, I guess.”

“Shit.” Lauren rubbed her forehead. She still didn’t regret sleeping with him as such, because it had been good, but this conversation was a good reminder of how incompatible they were. “If that’s how you feel…”

He grunted. “I’m not trying to be a dick. I guess we just rub each other the wrong way…when we’re not rubbing each other the right way.”

Lauren laughed despite herself. “That was bad.”

“I know. It just sort of popped into my head. But otherwise, I don’t know what to tell you. You don’t care for my personality. It’s not like I can easily change it. You knew what you were getting into when you slept with me.”

“Yeah, I did. Maybe you should just go home, Caleb.”

“Fine.”

Without any further word, he grabbed his bag and left the café.

Chapter 11

“Well, I hate him again.”

Evan and Paige glanced at each other. They were the only ones at a table in the back of the cat area of the café, during the slow period just after lunch.

“Dr. Fitch?” Paige asked.

Lauren dropped into a chair. “He came by the café last night and we had a fight. I don’t know why I thought we could even be friends. Clearly the other morning was just a weird fluke because we were tired and stressed and relieved the cats were okay. So that’s over.”

Evan shook his head. “Nope.”

“No?”

“I don’t think it’s over. I think it’s just the beginning. I think you guys are so bent out of shape over each other that all that passion bubbles up as arguments. If you just fucked instead, you wouldn’t fight.”

“That’s garbage, Ev.”

“Is it? That morning you banged each other, did you fight?”

Lauren thought back on it. She guessed they hadn’t argued at all. “No.”

Evan crossed his arms. “I rest my case.”

“One cannot build a relationship on just fucking,” Lauren pointed out.

“I dunno. I spent several very promising months with that guy Brent.” Evan turned toward Paige and said in a loud whisper, “Dick like a porn star. We spent basically the entire first month of our relationship exploring what he could do with it.”

Paige giggled.

Lauren rolled her eyes. “Did you marry that guy? No.”

“Anyway, despite the fact that you are definitely going to fall in love and marry that guy and pay me ten bucks, you said you didn’t want a relationship anyway, so what’s the problem? Screw his brains out, then go back to hating each other if you like.”

“You don’t make any sense,” said Lauren.

“Well, you can be angry but getting laid or angry but not getting laid, and I know which of those I’d choose.”

“He kind of has a point,” said Paige.

“Ugh, don’t encourage him.”

“Is he coming to the adoption night?” asked Evan. “I can talk to him if you want. Get the real scoop. Ask if he likes you.”

“I am an adult woman, thank you very much, not a seventh grader. And I already know he’s attracted to me. He just doesn’t like me very much. And speaking of the adoption event, that’s what we’re here to discuss, not my love life.”

“You brought it up,” Evan pointed out.

Lauren opened her notebook to a clean page and clicked her pen a couple of times. “Look, is there anything remaining on the to-do