SEATTLE CINDERELLA: FOUR-IN-ONE COLLECTION Page 20

  It looked like Kat was quite taken with Tyler; maybe she should discuss that with Cindy. Farrah had never been a parent, but she’d loved her best friend’s daughter like her own—and Dave needed help raising his daughter. It had been in the difficult year when Cindy was seventeen that Dave had first thought about getting married again, and not long after that he’d met Melissa, who was recently divorced and was looking for a husband after her ex left the country. Initially they thought it would be good for all the girls. But Melissa had never liked Cindy and only put on a show in front of Dave. Farrah had seen through Melissa’s actions, but Dave hadn’t believed her, and after they were married it was too late.

  Now ten years later, she was more than happy to help Kat the same way she’d helped Cindy through those difficult years without a mother. However, Cindy had always been somewhat of a tomboy and never had trouble relating to the boys, especially once she had a hockey stick in her hand. But Kat was girlie through and through, down to her pink socks and Hello Kitty cell phone.

  “Dr. Matt is single.”

  “Why did I need to know that?”

  Kat scrunched her brows, tilted her head, and crossed her arms. “Because you’re single, too.”

  Farrah pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. “My life is fine. I’m not looking to get married.”

  “Cindy said you need someone to love.”

  She would definitely have a talk with Cindy. “If “—she emphasized the word—“I need someone to love, I’ll adopt a pet. In the meantime, I’m fine the way things are. After all, I have you to love.”

  Kat rolled her eyes. “Puh-leeze,” she whined, “that’s not what I meant and you know it. I think…” Kat’s voice trailed off, and her eyes widened. “Speaking of adopting a pet—”

  Farrah suddenly had the feeling her words were about to be used against her. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you can stop it right now. I work full-time, and I’m not going to leave an animal home alone all day, every day.”

  “Tiffany’s sister’s dog just had puppies, and they found out that their baby is allergic to dogs. Tyler’s grandparents are fostering the dog and the puppies until they can find homes for them, but they need help because it’s a lot of work. And it’s going to be more work as the puppies are getting bigger. Can you help us with the puppies until we find people to adopt them?”

  Farrah looked around Homeward Pet’s facility. It looked like a very caring and professionally run place, but they probably would agree that it was best for new puppies to be with their mother in a loving foster home until they found new owners.

  She didn’t know how old Kat’s friend’s grandparents were, but she did know that looking after a litter of puppies was no small feat.

  “How many puppies are there?”

  “Eleven.”

  Farrah cringed. “What kind of dogs?”

  “They don’t know. The mom is mostly a fox terrier. They have no idea who the daddy was; they just say he was big. The youth group from church is helping, but none of us has a car.”

  “So in other words, you don’t really need my help with the dogs. You want my help as a taxi service.”

  “Kinda.”

  That, she could do. She’d already met many of the teens in the youth group, and she’d never forget meeting Tyler. This would be a way to keep her eye on that one.

  “I suppose I could.” Farrah checked her watch. “I’ll be back in three hours when your shift is over, and then I’ll take you out for a burger.”

  Kat’s eyes lit up. “Sweet!”

  Matt watched as his nephew ate all of his own fries then started on Matt’s. Both orders had been supersized. He couldn’t imagine his sister’s grocery bill. Which was one of the reasons he’d given Tyler a part-time job at his clinic. Of course the main reason was that Tyler simply loved animals, and he had a heart for the larger dogs that sometimes needed a stronger handler.

  He stared as Tyler blatantly finished off the rest of his fries. “Now I see why you wanted to come here. Would you like the rest of my burger, too?”

  Tyler glanced toward the door, and if Matt wasn’t mistaken, the boy was nervous. “That’s okay. Thanks,” he muttered.

  Matt leaned back in the chair. “You’re hiding something. What’s up?”

  Tyler once again glanced over his shoulder and cleared his throat. “I know I ate your fries, but that wasn’t the real reason I wanted to come here. Kat and Farrah were supposed to be here. Kat said you met Farrah today and she thought you were hot.”

  Matt frowned. “I met Kat’s mother, and that wasn’t exactly the way the conversation went.”

  Tyler’s mouth dropped open. “You’ve met Kat’s mom? When? I didn’t know you knew Kat from before.”

  Matt shook his head. “Before when? I met her tonight when they came into Homeward Pet.”

  Tyler glanced at the door, scanned what he could see of the parking lot through the window, leaned forward over the table, and lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. “Uncle Matt, Kat’s mom is dead.”

  What little appetite Matt had, vanished. He tried to recall the short conversation of earlier that evening, trying desperately to remember if he’d addressed Farrah as Kat’s mother or not. He’d assumed but couldn’t remember if he’d actually said it out loud. “I didn’t know,” he mumbled.

  “Kat lives with her uncle, who married Cindy, who helps out with the youth group at my church.”

  Pieces of the conversation started falling into place. He’d been surprised that Kat’s mother didn’t know that their dog had been burying socks in the backyard. Now he knew why. It wasn’t Farrah’s dog or Farrah’s backyard.

  “Then who is Farrah?” In his mind, he pictured Kat’s uncle and compared him with Farrah. While it was possible, it seemed like a rather large age gap between them to be brother and sister, although with blended families these days, anything could be possible.

  “I’m not really sure. She’s somehow related to Cindy, but I don’t know how. Kat explained it all to me, but it’s really complicated and I couldn’t keep track. All I know is that she’s not related to T. J. Zereth.”

  “Who?”

  Tyler’s eyes widened. “The author. I wasn’t supposed to say anything. Pretend I didn’t say that.” Tyler glanced again to the door. “Here they come. Pretend this is a surprise.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Farrah doesn’t know that we’re here.”

  “Why is that important?”

  “Because we thought it would be good for you to meet her. She’s not married either.”

  Matt squeezed his eyes shut. He’d suffered through many matchmaking attempts with friends and his sister, but never from the younger set and certainly not from a boy.

  He opened his eyes and watched Kat and Farrah, whatever relation she was to Kat, as they stood in line to place their orders.

  Because he was approaching forty, those who didn’t know his reason for wanting to remain single kept trying to introduce him to women who were under thirty-five. Even his sister, who did know his reason, still kept trying. But Farrah wasn’t under thirty-five. She looked like she could be anywhere up to forty—maybe forty, meaning she was possibly a few years older than he was.

  In a way, he found the innocence of the teens trying to hook him up with an older woman refreshing. Unlike his adult friends, they weren’t looking for someone who was still of childbearing age, but merely single—someone who could be a companion for him, not the mother of his children.

  Because Farrah was probably past the point of her biological clock ticking loudly, he would humor Tyler. Matt had no intention of getting married, but he was always open to meeting a new friend.

  “Okay, I’ll cooperate and pretend I don’t know what you and Kat are doing. But no more. After today, don’t ever do anything like this again.”

  Tyler grinned ear to ear. “Of course, Uncle Matt.”

  Matt narrowed his eyes and studied Tyler. Why
didn’t Matt believe him?

  Chapter 3

  Look! There’s Tyler and Dr. Matt!”

  Farrah picked up the tray with their food and turned to watch Kat make a beeline to Matt and Tyler’s table. Kat turned and waved. “Look! They even got a table with four chairs. We’d better sit with them.”

  Looking around the restaurant, there were many empty tables. Farrah didn’t know whether to be amused or concerned at Kat’s excitement to sit with Tyler and his uncle. If she had any doubts, it was now more than obvious the girl had a big crush on Tyler.

  She lowered the tray to the table. “Hi, Matt, Tyler. Fancy meeting you here.”

  Tyler and Matt had been sitting across the table from each other. Naturally, Kat sat beside Tyler, so Farrah sat beside Matt.

  Matt smiled at her as she divided up the burgers and fries between herself and Kat. “You might want to keep those fries a little closer if you value them.”

  Tyler’s eyes widened. “Uncle Matt!”

  Kat looked up at Tyler, all starry-eyed. “I’ll share my fries with you if you’re still hungry, Tyler.”

  Matt rolled his eyes.

  Farrah bit her lip. She cleared her throat and turned to Matt. “Kat tells me that you’re the vet who saved Tippy’s life.”

  He shook his head. “I did the surgery, but it wasn’t really me who saved Tippy. A young couple brought her into the clinic in tears after they’d hit her. They were the ones who really saved her by bundling her up and taking her to the nearest vet, which was me. I just did the technical stuff.”

  Kat fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Dr. Matt is a hero. He operated on Tippy even though her owners wouldn’t pay. So he saved her life.”

  Matt shrugged his shoulders. “What’s important is that she’s in a good home. Sometimes it’s hard for the shelter to place special-needs animals.”

  Kat narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “Tippy isn’t a special-needs dog. There’s nothing wrong with her. The only thing she needs is for us to walk a little slower. Tippy is fine.”

  Matt grinned. “See what I mean? A good home.”

  Farrah checked her watch. “Speaking of a good home, we shouldn’t stay too long. Tippy’s been home alone for nearly four hours.”

  Kat nodded. “That’s right. Do you mind if Tyler and Dr. Matt come with us? I need Tyler to help me with my algebra. Then you and Dr. Matt can take Tippy for a wobble.”

  “A wobble?”

  Kat blushed. “That’s what Uncle Luke says. But I really need Tyler to help me with my homework.”

  “On Friday night?”

  Kat and Tyler nodded in unison.

  Matt rolled his eyes again.

  Tyler became very serious. “Kat and I can do our homework, and you two can take Tippy for a walk then maybe watch a movie or something.”

  Kat grinned ear to ear. “That’s a great idea.”

  Farrah narrowed her eyes and studied the two teens. She had doubts that homework was what they’d planned to do.

  “Or,” Matt continued, “I have a better idea. I’m really good at algebra.” He turned to Kat. “How about if I help you both with your algebra? I had to take a lot of math courses in veterinary college. Then we can all watch the movie together.”

  Kat’s eyes widened. “I guess so.”

  Farrah bit her lip to hide her grin. It seemed that she wasn’t the only one who didn’t want Kat and Tyler left alone in the house.

  She turned to Matt. “As long as you don’t have other plans for the rest of the evening, I don’t mind.”

  Matt shrugged his shoulders. “I’m good.” He turned to Tyler. “Unless you had…plans. Tyler?”

  Tyler’s cheeks darkened. “Uh, no plans, Uncle Matt.”

  All Farrah could do was stare at Tyler. She didn’t know why the boy was blushing, but it seemed Matt knew something she didn’t know or knew how to push the boy’s buttons.

  Farrah gathered the paper trash onto the tray and stood. “We have to go let Tippy out. Do you know how to get to Luke and Cindy’s house?”

  Matt and Tyler stood as well and scooped their garbage onto their own tray.

  “Tyler can give me directions. I know the perfect movie. I’ll pick it up and we’ll meet you there.”

  Matt sighed, pausing before knocking on the door of Kat’s uncle’s house. He’d been the unwilling victim of many blind dates, but this was the strangest, if not the most well planned.

  He turned to Tyler with his fist poised in midair. “Was this harebrained idea yours or Kat’s?”

  “We kind of thought of it together. Mom thought it was kinda funny.”

  Wonderful. Even his sister knew. He wondered how many other family members were having a chuckle at his expense tonight.

  Although part of it, he knew, was out of guilt. But what was done was done. Nothing was ever going to change it. He’d accepted his lot years ago, even though he’d spent too much time being angry and bitter. Now he didn’t know whether to speak to his sister and tell her to butt out, knowing full well that she would never stop, or again grit his teeth and let it go. But if he didn’t let it go, he would only become bitter. Again.

  So he raised his fist and knocked.

  Farrah opened the door, smiled, and stood back for them to enter. “I thought I’d make a tray of nachos for the movie. I’m sure it won’t take long before all the homework is done.”

  Matt looked into her striking green eyes. Eyes with cute little crinkles at the corners. Farrah really was an attractive woman. Not model thin, she had an extra pound or two that told him she had no issues with vanity and was comfortable with herself. He liked that.

  And he could tell she really had no idea the teens were setting them up. She was only trying to make the best of unexpected company, when probably all she wanted to do was relax after a long week at work. He had no idea what kind of work she did, but he could see that she looked tired.

  He followed her into the living room, where Kat already had her textbooks and notepaper spread over the coffee table. Tyler had come prepared with all the books he needed in his backpack.

  Of course high school algebra was different than what he’d needed in veterinary college, but he’d always been good at math, so he was sure he could help them with whatever problem they were having. If they were having a problem. Which he doubted.

  As suspected, the kids got more help from each other than from him. Matt excused himself and sauntered into the kitchen to see if Farrah needed his help, since Kat and Tyler didn’t.

  She didn’t either. He found her seated comfortably at the kitchen table, her feet up on one of the chairs, reading not a book but an e-book reader. All the fixings of the promised nacho platter sat ready on the counter. Beside her, Tippy lay curled up on the floor, predictably between Farrah and the food.

  “That was fast. I came in to see if you needed any help.”

  She extended one hand in the air to encompass the food. “Nope. All done. Kat loves nachos.” She read a bit more, pushed the button to turn the e-reader off, and then put it down on the table. “Sorry. I had to finish the page. I hadn’t expected to like this book because I’ve never read this author before, but it’s really quite good.”

  Matt smiled. “No problem. I like to read, too.” Again, he scanned all the fixings for their snack. He felt himself getting hungry just looking at it. He stepped closer and checked out the salsa, which unless he was mistaken, wasn’t out of a jar but homemade. “This looks really delicious. Are you a chef?”

  Farrah laughed. “Me? No. But I do like to cook. I made the salsa but not here. I always make a big batch and bring some over for Cindy because she likes it, too. No, I’m just a teacher.”

  Matt covered his face with his hands. “Please don’t tell me you’re a math teacher and I’ve embarrassed myself by telling them I could help.”

  “No. I teach elementary school. Grade five. I do teach math but nothing like what Kat and Tyler are doing.”

  “How long do you thin
k we should give them to finish?”

  “I’m not sure. They can call us when they’re done.”

  “I’m pretty sure they won’t be much longer.” In fact, he was sure of it. Not only did they not need his help, they only had a few pages to do.

  “We can get right into the movie. Tippy’s been out already. What did you pick? Whatever it is, I probably haven’t seen it. I don’t watch many movies, I prefer to read.”

  Matt paused, now wondering if he’d made the right choice with the movie. He hadn’t wanted to pick a movie that would in any way be associated with a date, for either himself and Farrah or for Kat and Tyler. But now he didn’t know how he could rationally explain his choice. “It’s an older movie, actually. I picked it for Tyler and Kat because of the characters and with them working at the shelter.”

  Farrah’s eyebrows raised. “How old?”

  He tried not to blush. “It was actually my sister’s favorite movie. She—”

  “Uncle Matt!”

  Matt grinned at Tyler’s outburst, loud and clear from the living room.

  “It sounds like they found the movie.”

  Chapter 4

  Tyler held out the movie toward him. “Homeward Bound? This is a kid’s flick.”

  As Matt reached for it, Kat grabbed it from Tyler’s hand and began to read the cover jacket. “This is The Incredible Journey. I had to read this in elementary school. I didn’t know it was a movie.”

  Matt grinned. “This is the remake.”

  Farrah tapped his arm. “They’re too young to know that. They wouldn’t have seen the original movie. To them, this one is the original.”

  Actually, the only reason Matt had seen the original was because his parents had taped it for him off the television using a VCR.

  Kat pointed to the list of credits of the main characters. “Who are these people?”

  Farrah smiled. “The voice of the cat is Sally Field. Her first major credit was The Flying Nun.”

  Kat looked up. “The what?”

  “I used to watch it all the time when I was a kid.”