Chapter 67

When Taren walked into the kitchen, Sal, the next shift manager, was petting Prissy. "And who do we have here?"

"She belongs to a woman whose house burned down last night. Her name is Kiki Long." Taren replied, filling a shallow bowl with water. When he set it on the floor, Prissy ran toward it and started lapping it up immediately. "The woman's in the hospital and I thought this little lady could stay with us until she can go back to her mama."

"You know her?" Sal's eyebrows pulled together in concern.

Taren nodded. "We went to high school together."

A sly grin spread across Sal's face. "Are you sure you're not keeping the cat to get in good with Kiki?"

Taren laughed. "Oh, no! I had enough the first time around." After Scarlett left, he vowed never to fall in love again. "No, I just thought we could look after the cat until Kiki gets on her feet." He bent down and scratched the top of her head. The cat leaned into his hand, obviously enjoying the attention. "By the way, her name