When Love's at Work (6 page)

“
Kitty, kitty,” Purity
called into the night. “Here, kitty, kitty. Come on sweetie. Kitty,
kitty.”

Crap! She’d have to traipse through the low
brush and trees and she hadn’t put on any slippers. Pure headed
into the quasi-jungle, still trying to coerce the kitty out into
the open.

The dog turned to face her, snapping and
snarling. Pure didn’t want to take her eyes off the dog, but she
wondered where the kitten was. She scanned the ground, but didn’t
see it anywhere.

“
You better not have hurt
that kitten or you will have me to answer to, buster!” Purity
yelled loudly, shaking her finger at the dog menacingly.

If a dog could laugh, then this one did.
There was not one ounce of fear in the canine’s eyes.

In her peripheral vision, Purity saw
something move and realized it must be the kitten. All right, she
thought, this calls for drastic measures.

Waving her hands around wildly and jumping
up and down, Pure yelled, “Get! Get out of here! Go! You mangy
mutt! Go on!” Purity ran toward the dog, stomping0 her feet and
trying to appear much larger than her 5’ 4” frame. Then Pure
screamed. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

The dog either thought she was crazy or just
got tired of the game, but it ran off, barking as it went.

Purity quickly came forward and scooped the
kitten up in her arms. It looked to be about three months old and
was shivering.

“
Poor little thing. Were
you scared?” Pure soothed, “It’s okay now. Everything is going to
be just fine. That big, bad dog is gone and he’s not coming back.
You’re safe with me.” Purity took the kitty inside and wrapped it
in a small blanket. She got a bowl out of the cupboard and put some
water in it. The kitten drank thirstily. She found a can of tuna,
opened it and used a fork to mash it up until it was almost smooth
like a paste. The kitten had ate feverishly.

She’d need to get some kitten food tomorrow.
And a litter box, and some toys and… Pure sighed. “I guess I’ve got
a cat. What should we name you little one?”

You’re getting ahead of yourself, her brain
kicked in. This kitten could belong to someone. Remember the kitten
you saw the kids playing with the other day? The markings were
almost a spot on match. You need to post signs and check with the
apartment manager to see if anyone has lost a cat.

Dang if that sweet little thing hadn’t
already nestled itself right into her heart.

Mark Watterson was determined to beat Alex
McCallister at this week’s competition, ahem, game of tennis. The
two men gathered once a week for a game of something-or-other ever
since Alex agreed to be a board member at The Kids’ Place. It was
one of those overcast days when the skies were filled with grey
clouds and the temperature just a bit too warm. Perfect for outdoor
tennis.

“
You’re going down this
time, McCallister.” Mark threatened his friend while he bounced a
tennis ball on the court a couple of times.

“
Are you suffering from
daydreams again, Watterson?” Alex countered.

“
The only dreams I’m
having are ones involving you knee-deep in soapy water washing my
dirt-encrusted pick-up truck when you lose today.”

“
You should spend more
time thinking about that toothbrush you’re gonna be using to clean
my Harley.”

“
Are you tough guys going
to play or yack all day?” Purity interrupted their
banter.

Alex had been avoiding Purity Zyetta. He
didn’t like the way his heart raced when she was around and that
light lavender perfume she wore seemed to follow him around. It was
damn disconcerting.

“
Purity,” Mark Watterson
addressed his newest employee. “Good to see you. Do you play
tennis?”

“
I haven’t for quite some
time, but I used to hold my own on the court.”

“
We’ll have to play a few
rounds,” Mark stated. “Is there something I can do for
you?”

“
Yes,” Purity said,
crossing over to the other side of the court in her bare feet so
her high heels wouldn’t damage the court. “I need your signature on
this voucher, since it’s over two thousand dollars.”

“
What’s it for?” Alex
suddenly became interested.

“
It’s for the Garden Party
food,” Purity explained, a bit annoyed that Alex was putting his
nose in her business. After all, she wasn’t seeking his signature
or approval. “Everyone loved Marsha Persimmony’s catering so well
we’re going to use her services again.” Purity handed the voucher
and a pen to the president. He reviewed the voucher, signed his
name and handed the paperwork and pen back to Pure.

“
The food at the last
event was terrific,” Alex said a bit begrudgingly.

Did her lips have to look so inviting? And,
her feet, for crying out loud, she had the prettiest feet he’d ever
seen. Her toenails were painted a light pink and her skin was
smooth.

“
I’m looking forward to
the event,” Alex said, then promptly turned and headed back to the
other side of the net. He needed to clear his head and put thoughts
of Purity Zyetta out of his brain.

“
He’s got a lot on his
mind,” Mark said. “I’m about to beat the daylights out of him and
he’s going to spend hours washing my truck.”

“
I also wanted to thank
you,” Purity said, knowing the men were anxious to begin their
game, but not wanting to miss the opportunity to express her
gratitude. “Judd told me that Sheila Martin’s raise was approved
and that several employees received significant increases after you
encouraged him to do some research and then bring a proposal before
the board. I know it will make a big difference in Sheila’s life,
and I’m sure in other people’s lives, as well.”

“
I was glad to do it. I’ve
always thought hard work should be acknowledged and rewarded. The
board feels the same way.”

“
Well, it does my heart
good to know I’m working for an agency that respects and honors its
workers. Thanks, again, for the signature on the voucher. I’ll
leave you two to your match.”

“
No more delays,
Watterson,” Alex resumed his good-natured ribbing. “A pretty woman
isn’t going to divert my attention from the game.”

Pretty woman? Was he referring to her? A
thrill shot up Purity’s spine. Could it be possible that Alex
McCallister was interested in her as much as she was interested in
him? As she sat on the bench near the chain link fenced entry to
the court, she watched Alex’s muscles flex and relax as he bounced
on the balls of his feet and reached for a perfectly executed
slice.

She took her time putting her shoes back on.
In 15-20 minutes Mr. McCallister would have a nice little sheen of
sweat covering his toned body. Pure reluctantly headed back to her
office. She would much rather have a cold drink in her hand and
offer to be scorekeeper for the competitive event. Maybe another
day.

Thank God she was finally out of eyesight.
Alex could feel Pure watching him and it was all he could do to
pretend she didn’t exist.

In the old days it would have been easy. He
had hardly ever been in The Kids’ Place office. Nowadays, he seemed
to be involved in many of the organizations activities. It was the
way he wanted it. Not a week went by that he wasn’t in the office
or offering his services in the sports or computer areas.

Having money was something Alex didn’t talk
about much. When you inherited your money, everyone seemed to think
you weren’t capable of earning it. He’d always worked and his
father had instilled a blue collar work ethic in him. A hard day’s
work equaled a hard day’s pay. Just because he got lucky and didn’t
have to be employed, didn’t mean he was going to sit on his ass and
do nothing all day.

A college educated man, Alex knew that there
were things schooling could not teach you: integrity, honesty,
loyalty, self-worth, and pride in a job well done. He never made a
commitment he didn’t keep and that earned him a handful of devoted
friends, one of whom was Mark Watterson.

After the best two out of three games were
played, Alex and Mark shook hands. Mark had conveniently placed a
key in his palm and transferred it to Alex’s hand during the
handshake.

“
You can come by any time
and wash her up.” Mark’s eyes were shining with glee at being this
weeks’ winner.

“
I’ll come by this
evening,” Alex said. “Basketball next week?”

“
You’re on.”

Purity spent the better half of her morning
making flyers to post around the apartment complex, complete with a
picture of the kitten, where it had been found and her contact
information.

The apartment manager said no one had come
into the office or called saying they were missing a pet and they
weren’t aware of any female cats that were having litters. They did
say that Mrs. Armstrong’s cat, Coco, was due in a couple of weeks,
but she wasn’t in labor yet.

Purity was glad, even though she didn’t show
it. She hadn’t wanted a pet, but that kitten was so darn sweet.

Pure had the kitten with her, she was so
little she hardly weighed anything and she couldn’t bear to leave
her all alone in an empty apartment.

Next stop was her local pet store to get
supplies. Names for the kitten had been flooding her thoughts:
Pyewacket, Willow, Isabella, Annie. Nothing seemed to be just
right.

“
What do you want to be
called little one?” Purity asked the kitten as she made her way out
of the store to her car.

Her question was met with a purr and a
trusting gaze.

“
I’m on my own,
huh?”

Meg was scurrying to tidy up her desk before
leaving to meet Purity for lunch at their favorite Thai restaurant.
She knew she should have begun the task sooner, but she was in the
middle of a project and wanted to get all the figures entered
before heading out.

Pure said she had a surprise to show her,
and Meg’s curiosity was piqued. Knowing Purity, it could be just
about anything.

As she maneuvered her gold Honda through the
light mid-day traffic, Meg thought about starting her own
accounting firm. She’d been thinking about it for years, and saying
she was going to quit her job for years, too. She hadn’t done
either, yet.

She knew Courtney and Purity thought she’d
stay with her current employer until she retired, but she was
growing more and more restless. Her ideas were poo-poo’d and she
definitely wasn’t given the credit she deserved.

The thought was terrifying, though. What if
she couldn’t get any clients? What if she screwed up their accounts
somehow? She’d have to do all the work herself. She did have the
option of partnering with Geoffrey Montgomery, but his work ethic
left Meg cold. He came in when he wanted, left when he wanted, and
spent most of his time enjoying life and having fun. He just didn’t
take the work seriously enough.

She had to admit, she was a bit jealous of
Geoff’s free-wheeling attitude. She also had a bit of a crush on
him. That’s fine in her personal life, but it only mucks things up
when it comes to business. So why did the thought keep pushing
itself to the forefront of her brain?

Meg pulled into the parking space at the
restaurant and walked the short distance to its entrance. She saw
Purity immediately as the place wasn’t very large. The food was
always delicious and it was quiet, two things the women loved when
they wanted to talk about life while they ate.

“
Hey, Pure,” Meg said as
she slid into the opposite side of the comfortable
booth.

“
Hey, Meggie. I ordered
you a Coke.”

“
Thanks,” Meg said,
thinking she could use the hit of caffeine and she hated the taste
of diet drinks.

Meg had the menu memorized, as did Pure, yet
they still perused it every time they came there to eat. As Meg was
studying the list of entrees, something soft brushed her arm. She
jumped and looked down at the table where her arm lay.

“
Where did you get the
kitty?” Meg lifted the kitten off the table and into her arms,
snuggling it close to her chin.

“
She showed up outside my
bedroom window last night. A dog wanted to eat her.”

“
This cute little thing?”
Looking directly into the kitten’s eyes, Meg said, “Did some big,
bad dog try to eat you? You’re just so cute. Yes you are. Yes you
are.”

The waitress came up to the table to take
their order and spent a few minutes cooing over the wee kitty.

Meg held the kitten during the entire lunch.
As Purity watched how Meggie and the kitten bonded with one
another, it became clear to her that Meg was in love.

Purity could feel her heart breaking just a
little bit as she said, “Surprise! Meet your new housemate.”

Meg’s eyes shot open wide. “For me? But I
thought you were going to keep her?”

“
I was, Meggie, but you
two look perfect together and look how comfortable she is with you.
I want you to have her. Besides, you have a more regular work
schedule than I do and I think stability is important for
pets.”

“
Then I know just what
I’ll name her.”

“
What?”

“
We have to live with it a
while, to make sure it’s the right name. We’ll tell you in a couple
days,” Meg replied.

Meg was definitely the right choice to be
little calico kitty’s new owner. And, as one of Meg’s best friends,
she’d have visiting rights. It was a win-win.

The week went by quickly for Purity and by
the weekend she was ready for some down time with Court and Meggie.
The three women were each bringing their favorite movie over to
Pure’s apartment, along with some type of salad to accompany
Purity’s famous roasted chicken.