Chapter 2

I set Fluffball back in the carrier and pushed open the door of the animal hospital.

Right into the eyes of Georgette Kaufman and Frank Gilbert.

The same flash of panic ran through both of them.

"Drew, it's so late, why are you..."

Georgette seemed to have forgotten completely that Fluffball's heart had stopped.

She stepped forward on instinct, putting herself between me and the cat and the boy.

I stared straight at her and asked, my voice cold,

"Georgette, I had no idea you loved cats this much. A stray-rescue volunteer, even coming out in the middle of the night to look after them."

Her face went ugly, and she said in a low voice,

"Drew, let me explain..."

But a clear, bright male voice cut her off.

"It's true—Sister Georgette is the biggest cat lover I've ever met!"

The boy's eyes shone like a fawn's. He hadn't caught the sarcasm at all.

"For two whole years she's never missed a single volunteer event. Even last New Year's Eve she was here helping me look after the strays!"

Last New Year's Eve.

Georgette had taken a phone call, said something about work, thrown on her coat, and left.

On that loud, family-filled night, I was so alone.

I asked her if I could come by the apartment and hold Fluffball.

She wrote back fast:

"Drew, you know how it is. Every time you've been holding that stinking cat, I don't even want to come near you."

"It's a holiday. You wouldn't really be so cruel as to put me through that 🥺"

In the end I sat with a plate of cold dumplings and waited for her all night at home.

The boy was still going through the list.

"And did you know, the cat food and the wet food she buys for the strays are all imported brands. You can tell she did her homework."

Something came back to me.

She'd once asked me which brand of wet cat food was the best.

I'd thought she wanted to buy some for Fluffball.

"Fluffball, say thank you to Mommy."

I'd held Fluffball's paw and made him do a little bow toward Georgette.

Filmed a video and sent it over.

But the file showed as never received.

In the end I never got any wet food either.

So it turned out she'd been buying it for the strays.

"Oh—big brother, you know Sister Georgette?"

The boy looked at me, curious.

"I do. I'm her—"

"The three of us used to be classmates. High school."

Frank cut me off, shooting me frantic looks.

"I'll take him home. Rupert, you two carry on."

He finished, gripped my wrist hard, and pulled me away.

And on Georgette's face, a pleading look surfaced too.

All at once it felt pointless.

I gave a vague nod and turned to leave.

"Drew, it's not what you think!"

Behind me, Frank came after me, out of breath.

"We grew up together. We're brothers."

"Then I don't know why you'd help an outsider, a stranger, lie to me."

I threw it back at him, my eyes red.

"Rupert isn't a stranger!"

"Don't talk about him like that. His family and the Kaufmans go way back. It's only that his parents went bankrupt and then had an accident that they lost touch!"

Frank was worked up.

It was the first time he'd ever laid into me like that.

"He's spent years with both parents dead, standing on his own, and it wasn't easy for him to make it into college. A young master like you would never understand!"

"And besides, the two of them were meant to be, arranged by the elders. If we're counting who came first, you're the one who cut in. You're the third party here."

"He's kind, he's gentle, he leans on us with his whole heart. I will not let you wreck all of that."

I held the carrier tight against me and looked at him, unable to believe it.

"And what about me?"

Frank gently smoothed back my rain-soaked hair.

Then he draped his coat over me and said softly,

"Hasn't Georgette been good enough to you? Some things, you can't take too seriously."

I wanted to say, Frank, have you forgotten? I've taken things seriously since I was a kid.

When those thugs from outside school were bullying you, when everyone told you to let it go, I was the one who charged in and settled it for you.

But I didn't say it. Too tired, I left him with only one line:

"Forget it. I'll pretend I never had a brother like you."