Page 20 of Finding His Fox

“What?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

“I’m, um, allergic to cats,” he confessed, then quickly grabbed a tissue and sneezed into it.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Hold on,” I said.

I got up from my seat and brought Max back into the house. Well, this explained a lot about last night.

Was this why he was so standoffish? Would this be a problem if I wanted to spend more time with him, or something more?

As if he read my mind, Cal added, “It’s just a mild allergy. It’s manageable.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Why is it good?” Cal asked, amused.

I couldn’t help but notice the little twinkle in his eyes. Or maybe it was just watery from his allergies.

Although, his little smirk told me otherwise.

“I might need your help with other things,” I hinted coyly.

“Like what?” Was he going to make me say it?

I like talking to you and want to spend more time with you. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before. And other romantic cliches.

Not love cliches. Definitely not love. Cal was nice to talk to. That was all. Ian was busy with his shop, wedding plans and Owen. I needed another friend in this town.

Why not the hottest guy in Fox Haven?

And since Cal was a friend, I decided to ask for another favor. One that was more fun and less emotionally draining than helping me move into my childhood house.

“Well, I’m also here for my cat, Max,” I said.

I started to tell him about Max being a pet influencer and how I managed his social media accounts, the difficulties I’d been facing.

About how I needed to find photoshoot locations in Fox Haven for Max.

Cal nodded. His undivided attention locked onto my every word. It was as if I was talking passionately about the most interesting topic in existence, like what was the best way to make a grilled cheese sandwich.

To be honest, I was a little intimidated. None of my previous boyfriends had given me their full attention before.

Usually they would just say something generic like, ‘I’m sure it’s fine’ or they’d immediately try to solve my problem when I just needed a listening ear.

Cal was a good listener. Was this what it was like to have someone interested in what I was saying?

This was serious good boyfriend quality. And I wasn’t looking for one right now. No ‘serious’ anything, ever.

I suddenly imagined me and Cal having a morning stroll in the park and having brunch after.

Since he didn’t seem like someone who liked going to busy, hipster cafes, we’d walk back to our place where we would cook our meal together.

We’d have it outdoors, just like we were doing now, and we’d talk about absolutely nothing of importance.

No! Stop that, Nate!

No, I was overthinking things. Cal was just being a good friend, and this was what friends did.

I cleared my throat, like a splash of cold water taking me back to reality. I mustered the courage to ask my favor.