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"So you have a cat?" Eaze to her "Lazarus"

"Catchy"

"I found him when he was a kitten Looked like he’d been attacked by so I took hih the night, but he did"

His left hand was on the table As was her right hand Al She hadn’t even noticed Should she pull her hand away? Would it be evenhands Big, strong, er touched hers, just that sed as his mouth, and happiness ballooned in her, warht her flowers He’d shaved His little finger was er could do that, then what about an entire hand? What about his--

"Oh, no! No!"

Both Em and Jack looked over at Hadley, who had one hand over herher phone to her precious little ear

Dahed "Go see what’s wrong," she told her date

"No," Jack said, though his eyes were on his ex "If she needs me--"

"And she will"

"She can co tier"

Well, at least there was that She took a bite--one of Connor’s specials with caraooey cheese--and waited

Not for long Hadley ca out of her Bambi-esque eyes

"Jack, I--I’m so sorry to interrupt"

"What is it, Hadley?"

Yes, what indeed? What crisis would require Jack to carry her hoain?" Em asked

"There’s been a death in the family," Hadley whispered

Crap Em felt two inches tall "I’m so sorry," she said and reached out her hand to hold Hadley’s The other wo sob

"Oh, no Who, Hadley?" Jack asked, standing up

Hadley pulled her hand away froainst Jack’s chest If she was saying actual words, Eht she made out the naranduess I justI just wasn’t ready to lose her Oh, Jack!"

Aw, shit Twenty-three ay too young to lose so nicer? With a sigh, Jack put an arainst his happen," he said

Well, that wasn’t very nice, especially coine life without her!" Hadley wept People were staring openly now

"Who’s Anna?" Emmaline murmured

"Her cat," Jack said "Anastasia"

E out loud

"Twenty-three, huh?" she said "That’s a to eat the for stoic here Em noted that her mascara aterproof Of course it was

"She wasn’t even sick," Hadley said "This is such a shock!"

"I don’t knoenty-three sounds like a ripe old age to me," Emmaline said "It was probably just her tiave her a tragic, wounded (and possibly triu Jack’s shirt "She was so healthy Remember, Jack?"

"But twenty-three," Emmaline said "Quite, quite old This can’t be that much of a surprise"

"It is!" Hadley said "I’m shocked, I tell you! I wasn’t prepared for this"

"No, ould you be? I ave her a look "I’ to hold her at ar and she clutched hier and wondered if it would be rude to check her phone to see the Rangers–Penguins score In light of the fact that her date was being sobbed on by another woman, she didn’t really care

Several people had inched nearer--the vestrysympathetic clucks, Gerard Chartier, Victor and Lorena Iskin "I had a cat whovoice "It went under the radiator to die, and I didn’t find him until the smell let me knohere he was Poor old Oscar"

Hadley cried harder

"What’s the life span of a cat, anyway?" Gerard Chartier asked

"Maybe fifteen years," Victor Iskin said, who hadup froers up by four, God bless ’eot quite lucky there, Hadley"

"Well, I don’t feel so lucky right now, do I?" the li’l ole bit of dandelion fluff snapped There was a flinty look in her eye, and E when you needed it? Allison Whitaker would never sob in public like this

"It’s very sad," Victor said "You could have her stuffed I do taxider escalated

Eh "Okay, Jack, I’ll see you around My condolences, Hadley"

"If I’d’ve known she was near her time, I would’ve been there with her" Hadley wept "Oh, Jack, she died without me! How could I have let that happen?"

"Calo"

"Thanks for the date I had such a wonderful tiive him a dead-eyed stare so he wouldn’t miss the sarcasm