With that, she left.

“That wasn’t awkward at all,” Hannah said quietly.

“Tell me about it,” I muttered in response.

The door opened and Audrey came out with a huge smile. She was a homely woman, a few inches shorter than me with a motherly figure and a smile that exuded so much warmth it’d melt the North Pole.

She could also be my mother.

“Isaac!” She wrapped me in a huge hug. “Who’s your friend?”

“This is Hannah,” I said, releasing her. “My girlfriend.”

That was twice.

I guessed she was my girlfriend now.

“Pleasure to meet you, my darling!” Audrey said brightly, clasping Hannah’s hands. “Wait—don’t you work in the art store? Jen’s granddaughter?”

“And my grandmother’s reputation precedes me again,” Hannah said jokingly. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Ooh, you and Imogen have some craft sets coming in for my grandbabies when they come to stay this summer. I’m so excited.” She scrunched her shoulders right up with a grin. “Now, Isaac, what cat do you want, dear? We have lots.”

I repeated my preferences to her.

“I think we have several that fit that, yes. As you know, adult cats are the hardest to get adopted, but I’m not surprised you want one. You’re a good egg, Isaac.” She patted my shoulder. “Come on through and we’ll take a look-see.”

Hannah slipped her fingers through mine as we walked, lightly squeezing me. I wasn’t sure if it was a reassuring squeeze or one that said we were going to talk later, but I hoped it was a little bit of both.

I had no idea how to introduce her.

Thankfully, I think she knew that.

“This one is Horace. He’s four, fully vaccinated and neutered, and he’s a lovely old thing,” Audrey said. “He’s a total lap cat, but he’s blind in one eye.”

I released Hannah’s hand and stepped forward. He was beautiful—one hundred percent black with green eyes and a big fluffy tail that he currently had wrapped around his body to keep him warm.

“He’s beautiful,” I said.

“He is. Let me show you the others and we can circle back to any of them you like.” She shuffled us along a few cages. “This one is Spring. She’s around two years old, again spayed and vaccinated, but she has a few behavioral issues we’re working on.”

“Behavioral?” I asked, taking a step closer. She was almost pure white except for one black ear and the tip of her other ear. Her blue eyes peered out of the cage at me and tugged at something deep inside. “What are her issues?”

“She’s a little vicious,” Audrey admitted. “Honestly, we found her with her litter of kittens. She had four we found with her. They were all dead. She was still trying to nurse them and look after them.”

Hannah inhaled sharply, gripping hold of my arm.

“We think she’s grieving them,” Audrey said softly. “She’s a lovely thing, and I’m only showing you because you’ll know how old she is. I don’t think she’s ready to be rehomed yet until we’ve got her behavior sorted out.”