live? She did love her parents. She didn’t want them to be
angry with her and not talk to her ever again. But when she
thought about going home and sucking it up, admitting she
was wrong, annulling the marriage, and applying to law
school, she felt even more like a prisoner than she ever had.
She couldn’t live the rest of her life like that.
“I’ll find a way,” Emily mumbled. “I guess. I don’t know.
They probably won’t cut me off.”
Mr. Pickles sauntered into the kitchen, aroused by the scent
of chicken. Dani had just started in on the second bird. Emily
had no idea how the cat could have held out for so long. She
watched Dani take out a small glass bowl from the cupboard.
It was fancy, fine china, and obviously not a cat dish. Dani
shredded a few pieces of chicken then put the bowl down in
front of the old, boney cat. He was decrepit, but Dani so
clearly adored him. She thought he was beautiful, and that
made him beautiful to Emily.
Out of all the cats that Dani could have picked, she’d picked
the old, sad one who had given up on life and taught him that
he could find happiness again. Now he was loved. So, loved.
She could have picked a cute kitten or a young cat with lots of
energy. If she’d waited and watched, she probably could have
even gotten an exotic one. But no. She’d picked this one. And
that said a lot about her.
Dani might be a hard ass on the outside. She might have
piercings and tattoos. She might not smile often and laughed
even more seldom, but she had a good heart.
This day had been so wild. She’d gotten married this
morning. She’d maybe been cut off by her parents. And now
she w