Therapy (an extract from The Centaur)

The two attorneys, at opposite ends of the table in the captain's chairs, nodded to each other. Chloe left the bus to give them privacy, and William Emerson opened the discussion. “Thank you for meeting us here, I understand this is irregular, but since neither of our offices are accessible to Miss Gaines, this seemed like the most appropriate location. I believe you have a revised offer for us?”

The aide opened her briefcase and took out three copies of a legal size document around thirty pages thick. She handed one to her boss and the other two to Tanita and her attorney. They began to read in silence, Tanita frowning in concentration and flipping randomly through the document. After a few minutes, Hunter's attorney began to tap his foot impatiently, attracting the attention of the kitten. When he discovered the little animal chewing on his shoelaces, he pushed it away roughly with his foot, a scowl on his face.

“Therapy!” Tanita said firmly, and everyone turned to look at her in stunned silence. She dangled her fingers, distracting the kitten from the shoelaces and drawing him to her. She picked him up and held him against her chest, rubbing him behind the ears. “Leave the man alone,” she said quietly, wondering why everyone was looking at her.

The aide, forgetting where she was, blurted out, “Your cat's name is Therapy?”

“How appropriate,” the attorney said, smirking at her. “I also couldn't help but notice that you are capable of speaking aloud when you want.”

Tanita glared at him and murmured softly to the kitten while stroking its chin, “He kicks cats, he's not a nice person.” The kitten purred loudly, closing his eyes.

He frowned at her and said, “My clients don't hire me to be a nice person, they employ me to be effective and discreet.”

She slid the kitten into the handwarmer pocket of the hoodie, on its back with its head peeking out one side and the tip of its tail out the other. Purring loudly, it didn't seem to mind and went to sleep while Tanita resumed her reading.