Page 6 of Dad Next Door
Jinx’s ears perked up. Something long and thin, like a giant worm, unwound from where it was curled around him. His tail?
“Do you want a squishy?” I tried, hoping that was the magic treat word for him.
Jinx got to his feet, stretched, and scurried up my knee. His claws dug into me through my shirt as he scampered up my stomach and chest, stopping when he was cuddled up against my shoulder, his head pressing into my neck.
He felt a bit weird. His skin was warm and soft, but what surprised me was how he instantly started purring when I held him in place.
“That’s it.” Carefully, I turned around and crawled over to where Leo still lay. “I’ve got you. Just hold on, and we’ll get you out of here.”
Jinx purred louder, vibrating in my arms.
“Is he okay?” Leo asked, dropping my phone when I reached him.
“I think so.” Gently, I peeled Jinx off my shoulder.
He took one look behind him, saw Leo, and log-rolled out of my grip.
Before I could react, he landed on his feet and darted under the deck to scurry into Leo’s arms.
I could hear Lydia and Leo gushing over Jinx and carefully shimmied out from under the deck. Something sharp dragged over my lower back. Pain radiated from the spot.
“Fu—udge.” I caught myself at the last second.
“Are you okay?” Leo asked.
“Yeah. Just got caught on something.” Pressing lower to the ground, I slid the rest of the way out from under the deck.
“Why don’t you bring him inside and make sure he’s okay,” Lydia said to Leo.
Leo nodded, still clutching Jinx to his chest like an infant as the cat snuggled into him.
She turned to me when Leo disappeared into the house. “Thank you for helping us.”
“I’m just glad I was outside,” I said lamely. Helping people who were shouting in distress didn’t seem like something I should be thanked for.
“You’re the new neighbor?” She smiled brightly, the last of her stress fading.
She looked a lot like Leo, which made sense if she was his aunt. They had the same dark hair and bright blue eyes, and their features were eerily alike, right down to their glasses.
I couldn’t pinpoint her age, but I guessed somewhere in her early thirties.
I gave myself a little mental shake so I didn’t zone out while she was talking to me. “Yeah, hi. Quinn Reynolds.” Awkwardly, I extended my hand.
She shook it, her smile never wavering. “Lydia Winters.”
“And you’re Leo’s aunt?” I asked.
She nodded. “My brother, Tristan, is Leo’s dad. I watch him when Tris is working. Today was a last-minute thing, and I’ve been off since I got here.” She pushed her dark braid over her shoulder. “I didn’t even realize the door was unlatched until I saw it was wide open. Then Leo was screaming that Jinx escaped, and I went into panic mode.”
“I’m just glad he didn’t go far.”
“Me too. We never would have found him if he’d gotten into the woods. He’s adorable, but he has zero survival instincts and no natural protections. He can’t be an outdoor cat, but he hasn’t fully accepted that.”
“Is he…natural?” I asked, not sure how to phrase the question.
I’d seen sphynxes in the media and knew hairless cats were a thing, but I hadn’t put much thought into them.
“Sort of. The hairless gene is recessive, so they can occur spontaneously, but almost all sphynx pets are selectively bred because the gene also causes a host of medical and behavioral issues.”