Grey Zone (34 page)

‘
Time for what? Where are we going?
' As if on cue, Esmé appeared, bounding over Chris's paper. But her attempt to skid to a halt only resulted in a somersault that landed her on the floor before a laughing Dulcie.

‘You don't do anything by halves, do you?' Dulcie asked as the small cat threw a paw over Dulcie's foot and bit her ankle. Hard.

‘
And neither should you!
' With a look, Esmé scampered off a few feet and turned to watch them both.

‘Ow! Bad cat!' Dulcie rubbed her ankle while she mulled over her pet's message. ‘That cat, Chris. I don't know.'

‘Oh, come on.' Chris reached over to scoop up the black and white beast. ‘She's still just a kitten. She was playing.'

‘Some play.' The bite hadn't broken the skin, but Dulcie wasn't ready to give in yet. Esmé, now upside down in Chris's arms, stared at her.

‘You're just upset because she doesn't act like Mr Grey.' Dulcie didn't respond. He was right. ‘And I think you're being unfair.'

In his arms, the young cat lay sprawled on her back, front paws stretched out to expose her white, fluffy belly. All cat, fearless.

‘Esmé is a perfectly fine cat. A young cat, and a little rambunctious. But that's OK. Look.' He bounced the cat into a more comfortable position. ‘I know Mr Grey was special to you, Dulcie. I know he always will be. But isn't it cool to have a normal pet in the house? Our own pet?'

‘A cat of our own?' There was a promise in that.

‘Yeah.' With his free hand, Chris began to rub under Esmé's chin. ‘A cat of our own. I mean, look how happy she is.'

‘Yeah,' Dulcie said, unable hide the note of sadness in her voice. Sadness and, she admitted, fear. It was time to choose. Time for – she suddenly realized what Lucy had misheard – a leap of faith. Taking a deep breath, she acknowledged the truth. ‘She looks totally at home here.'

‘
We all are, Dulcie.
' The voice, deep and low, was unmistakable.

‘Mr Grey?' She couldn't help it. The words had escaped before she could stop them. Here, in Chris's dingy apartment? But her boyfriend had looked up, too, his hands momentarily stilled on Esmé's downy fur, his mouth open in astonishment.

‘
Dear kittens. And you are all my kittens,
' the voice chided softly, as soft as the brush of fur she felt against her hand. ‘
Don't you understand? Home is not a place. Home is where love lives.
'

She looked over at her boyfriend then, and he at her, an amazed smile spreading across his face. Only Esmé seemed unmoved, stretched out still in his arms. And after a moment, Chris nodded and began to rub under her chin again. Dulcie watched them both, the man and the cat. Both were dear to her, both deserved her full commitment. The man was focused on the cat now, his dark head bent over the supine feline as he stroked the soft white fur. Esmé's long whiskers spread in contentment, and she leaned back a shade further. Her green eyes – they were green now, with just a hint of yellow – were almost closed, her muscular little body finally lulled into inaction by Chris's gentle hands.

But the little cat had just a smidgen of energy left and squirmed slightly as Chris held her, turning once more to face Dulcie. And as she did so, Dulcie was sure, she winked.