The Empire State Cat’s Christmas Gift. Nic Tatano

mouth with a napkin. “Speaking of men, I, uh, ran into our white knight from the restaurant.”

      Conversation stopped. Madison leaned forward. “Really. Do tell.”

      “Well, I went for a run before going to work and on my way back to the hotel I stopped at a soda cart to get a drink. He was there talking on his cell phone. Anyway, I go to pay for the soda and realized I’d forgotten to bring some cash. He notices, stops talking, pulls out a dollar and pays for it.”

      Rory locked eyes with her. “And…then what happened?”

      “I thanked him, he went back to his phone call and walked away.”

      A.J. frantically waved her hands. “Whoa, hang on. You just let him walk away?”

      “Well, for one, I was soaked with sweat and looked like crap wearing some old clothes I keep in the trunk of my car and he’s in a thousand dollar suit. Then I hear him on the phone say, ‘I’ll see you Saturday night, love you too.’” Her face dropped. “So you were probably right about that babe he was with in the restaurant. He’s obviously taken and the woman he was with was stunning.”

      Madison shrugged. “He could have been talking to his mother.”

      Tish shook her head. “Oh, come on. What single guy goes out with his mother on a Saturday night?”

      “Could be a sister,” said Rory. “Or a close platonic female friend. Or maybe he was going to a party.”

      “Stop it,” said Tish. “Guys like that always have someone.” She leaned forward and rested her chin in her hand. “But I tell ya, that guy had the most spectacular olive green eyes I’ve ever seen. If you thought he was cute from across the restaurant, you should have seen him up close. This great thick hair and he filled out a suit like a model. A real boy next door look, on the line between cute and handsome. The kind of guy you want to take home to meet your parents. And you know your mother will fall in love with him.”

      Madison stopped eating, pointed her fork at Tish and talked through a mouthful of pasta. “You. Are. Smitten.”

      Tish’s face tightened as she sat up straight. “Pffft. I don’t get smitten.”

      Rory laughed. “Yeah, she’s got that dreamy look she had freshman year over that guy in the dorm. Haven’t seen it since, but it’s back. Schoolgirl crush. Definitely smitten.”

      “I am not…smitten! And this is not a simple crush. I don’t even know the guy.”

      A.J. patted her on the shoulder. “It’s okay, sweetie. You’re not on the witness stand. Just admit you’re attracted to the guy and wanna jump his bones.”

      Tish waved her hand in disgust. “Pffft. Like it will make any difference. The odds of running into him again…and of him being unattached…that’s a wild daily double with some pretty long odds.”

      “Serendipity happens,” said Rory. “But sometimes you gotta give it a little help. Look at Madison and Nick. I mean, if their ending up together wasn’t a wild turn of events…well, you still have hope.”

      “What do you mean, give it a little help?”

      “Tell you what, next time we all go out to eat we’ll hit that restaurant again. The waitress said he was a regular. If he’s there we’ll ask to get seated next to him. At least if that woman is with him we can eavesdrop and see what the story is and if she’s his significant other.”

      Madison nodded. “And you should go jogging at the same time on the same route. If you ran into him near your hotel and he was in a suit, chances are he works in the neighborhood. He’s not going to walk ten blocks to get coffee.”

      “So, what, I just run up to the guy and hit on him?”

      “Geez, for someone ruled by logic you sure miss the obvious,” said Rory. “You offer to pay him back for the soda. Then you buy him a cup of coffee. Only make sure you don’t look like crap this time.”

      “Pretty hard to do after I run two miles.”

      Madison rolled her eyes. “Duh. Again, missing the obvious. You stop at the drink cart before you run.”

      Tish shook her head and sipped her wine. “Wow, the things a girl has to do to get a date…”

      *

      Madison entered the guest room just as Tish pulled back the covers. “Nick and I are going to turn in. So, you need anything?”

      “I’m good.” Tish gave her a strong hug. “Can’t thank you enough for this. Really nice of you, though I feel like I’m putting you out.”

      “Hey, what are friends for? By the way, hope you didn’t mind us yankin’ your chain on the smitten thing. But, to be honest, you’ve got that look.”

      Tish shrugged as she sat on the corner of the bed. “I guess it’s been so long since I had a decent boyfriend it shows.”

      “Yeah, your choices haven’t always been the best. When’s the last time you dated a guy more than once?”

      “Probably three years ago. I dunno, Madison, I guess I’ve reached the point where I can tell right away. I’ve become an expert on spotting red flags after those poor choices you referred to. Subconsciously I guess I’d given up.”

      “You’ve been like me, too obsessed with a career to take time to smell the roses.” Madison slid next to her and patted her hand. “Well, when you least expect it, the right guy will show up in your life. I mean, look how I met Nick.”

      “True. Talk about serendipity. You guys had it in spades.”

      “Well, maybe it’s your turn. You certainly had enough bad luck this week. Things can only get better.”

      Just as she said that, Socks jumped onto the bed and started kneading the comforter with her front paws. “At least I have someone who wants to sleep with me on a Friday night.”

      “Oh, stop it. So why all the interest in a guy all of a sudden?”

      “I dunno. I guess I see you and Nick, how happy you two are, how much he’s changed you in a good way…how this house has turned into a home. I’m jealous of what you have and lately I want it for myself.”

      “Yeah, he has made me a better person. And a very different person. Of course, the kittens got the ball rolling on that.”

      “Socks seems to be doing the same for me. I look at you and how you used to be so obsessed with your work and now you balance your job and your love life so well. You’ve got it all. All I’ve got is a career. It’s all I’ve ever had.”

      “You have good friends, Tish.”

      “I didn’t mean it that way. Now I want it all too. Maybe I need someone to show me there’s more to life than a law practice, y’know? And since the fire I’ve been thinking about where I live. It’s not really a home, but just a place where I sleep and work on my cases. It’s really been no more than a second office. You two have made a real nest here.”

      Madison wrapped one arm around her. “Yeah, I must admit life is a lot better now that I take time to enjoy the little things. But don’t worry. The fact that you realize there’s more to life than a career is a big step. Actually, you already took the first step.”

      “Huh?”

      Madison reached over to pet Socks. “You adopted a cat. You’ve already started making yourself a home. Remember, a home without a cat is just a house.” She stood up. “Anyway, get some rest, we gotta get up early since you and Socks are on the Saturday morning show.”

       CHAPTER FOUR

      Tish couldn’t help but smile