Part 26 (2/2)
”I'm sorry. This is Jasper Danes. Jasper, this is my neighbor Edna Shoumatoff.”
”Jasper?” Shoumatoff narrowed her eyes. ”Wasn't that the name of your cat?”
”One of life's little coincidences,” Jasper said. ”Nice meeting you, Miss Shoumatoff.”
”Something fishy's going on. I can smell it. I suppose you've heard the rumor that there's a witch living in the building.”
”That's ridiculous.” Anica took hold of Jasper's arm. ”We'd better get going, Jasper. The cab just pulled up outside.”
”You're right. Let's go.” Jasper was more than happy to get away from Shoumatoff, but when he stepped out onto the sidewalk he had the strangest thought. How many stray cats are out here, afraid and alone?
He'd expected to be worried about himself and his reactions as he moved back into the stream of humanity bustling along the sidewalk outside Anica's apartment. Instead he was worried about cats. He glanced around, as if expecting them to run out from their hiding places.
None did, and he wasn't sure what he would do if that ever happened. He held the cab door for Anica and climbed in after her with a sense of relief. No doubt about it. He might regain his human form, but he would never again be the same person.
Chapter 24.
Anica held Jasper's hand through the silent cab ride to Rush Street. She could feel the tension running through him, and he spent most of his time looking out the window as if seeing Chicago for the first time.
When they were almost at the bar, he turned to her. ”It's like waking up from a dream.”
”I'll bet.” At least he hadn't said waking up from a nightmare. She hoped that some of his experiences had been good ones. Some of hers certainly had been. ”Are you doing okay?”
”Yeah, but it's very weird.” He returned his attention to the view out the window. ”Before I used to notice the buildings. Now I notice the alleys and the s.p.a.ces between the buildings, places a cat might hide.”
”I know. I found Orion just wandering around one night. If you can believe it, he was skinny then. I'm sure I overfed him because I felt so sorry for him.”
Jasper glanced at her and smiled. ”Me, too. I'm a bad influence. Listen, I've been thinking he needs another cat around.”
”You mean later, after you-”
”Right. Obviously not now. Later. Orion could use the exercise. He loves it when I play chase with him.”
”I'm sure he does. I'll definitely think about getting another cat. You're probably right that it would be a good thing.” The cab pulled up to the curb and Anica glanced out her window at the bar with the large neon cauldron over the door. She started to get money out of her wallet.
Jasper put a hand over hers. ”Nope. My treat. I'm the one who wanted the cab instead of the bus.” He handed money through the window separating the backseat and the front. ”Keep the change.”
”Appreciate it,” the driver said. ”You folks have a nice night.”
Anica hoped it would be. She could still feel a certain amount of tension in Jasper as they left the relative intimacy of the cab and stood on the sidewalk outside the bar.
She turned to him. ”You're sure you're okay?”
”I'm fine.”
She didn't think he was completely fine, but who would be if he'd spent most of the past few days as a cat? ”I've never mentioned this,” she said, ”but I like the fact that you're a generous tipper.”
”I remember what it's like to depend on those tips. Now it's even more important that I tip big. I'm on a mission to do a bunch of good deeds.”
”That's true.” Anica had a thought and it might make Jasper less nervous if he had a goal in mind. ”I might have a good deed you could do.”
”Yeah?”
”Lily's developed a crush on one of her customers, a guy named Griffin Taylor. But he doesn't seem to notice her. I don't know if he'll be there or not, but he might be.”
”I'm not sure how I could help that situation along.”
”I'm not sure, either. I wanted you to be aware of it, though, in case something occurs to you.”
”Like what?”
”I don't know. If the opportunity presents itself, say something nice about Lily, see what sort of reaction you get.” She could tell he wasn't keen on this. ”Or not. We'll see how it goes.”
”If I screw it up, that would make me pretty unpopular with your sister. I don't want to be unpopular with your sister. I already have to worry about being unpopular with your parents.”
She was encouraged by the fact he was worried about his standing with her family. That boded well for the future. ”You know, we probably shouldn't meddle in this deal with Griffin.” She started toward the door. ”If it's meant to be it'll happen organically.”
”Unless she casts a spell on him.”
Anica whipped around to face him, her whole body quivering with anxiety. ”She wouldn't do that, not after seeing-”
”Just kidding.”
He didn't look as if he'd been kidding. She'd bet he still wasn't totally at ease with the magic issue. And she wasn't totally convinced her sister wouldn't consider trying out her magic on Griffin, either.
”Come on,” Jasper said. ”Let's go see how your sister handles a martini shaker.”
”Okay.”
”And thanks.”
”For what?”
”Taking my mind off the possibility that I might suddenly turn into a cat again.”
The inside of the Bubbling Cauldron was dark and filled with noise and laughter. What light there was had a red tinge to it. Jasper could see how a witch, especially one with Lily's personality, would be happy working here.
He missed his cat vision, which would have made the search for a vacant table a hundred times easier. As he scanned the room, he noted where the bathrooms were. If his calculations were wrong and he felt the change coming, he'd head for the john. He hoped to h.e.l.l his calculations weren't wrong.
”I see a table.” Anica tugged him toward a far corner where a round table with two chairs sat empty.
”Perfect.” Jasper had hoped for a spot out of the main flow of traffic. The noise seemed deafening after the relative quiet of Anica's apartment. Had bars always been this loud?
They'd barely had time to sit down before Lily came rus.h.i.+ng over. ”Hey!”
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