Page 10 of Full Contact

“She did.”

I told him about the appointment change and how well she’d been eating. He asked if she was still tolerating the ear gel, then listened while I explained how much depended on whether she saw me open the drawer.

“You need a less conspicuous drawer.”

“I need a less observant cat.”

“Good luck with that.”

He wasn’t looking at his phone or edging back toward his office. I shifted my duffel to my other shoulder.

“You’ve had quite a week yourself,” I said.

“I’ve noticed.”

“The hot man in the hot suit.”

“You’d think I didn’t have a name.”

“I’ve been telling people it’s right there on the team’s website.”

“Thank you for your support.”

“You could wear a name tag next time.”

“Wouldn’t help,” he said. “I was sitting beside a cat in a matching harness. I could have been naked, and she would still get more attention.”

“That would have complicated the seating arrangements.”

“But you would have noticed.”

I laughed, and his smile widened.

“Somebody would have told me,” I said.

He wasn’t wearing a jacket. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, and there was a faint crease across one cheek, as though he’d been leaning on his hand at his desk. Up close, I could see more gray in his dark hair than I’d noticed at the wedding. It suited him.

So did the shirt. It fit close across his chest and shoulders, and I wondered what he did to keep in that kind of shape. He didn’t use the team’s gym.

I knew Mark could get a roomful of impatient players through a photo shoot without anyone wanting to kill him, and I knew he remembered things about my cat.

Apparently, there was still a lot I didn’t know.

“Anyway,” he said. “Got a minute Friday? Nothing bad. Might even be fun.”

I looked at him.

That was how Mark asked for something. By the time he got to the actual favor, you were supposed to be reassured and a little curious.

“Is this about Peaches?”

“She’s involved.”

“Does she need to attend?”

“I thought I’d start with the member of the household who answers email.”

“She reviews my decisions.”