CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Four years ago …
I opened the door to my apartment and stepped inside, tossing my coat haphazardly onto my rack before I stumbled over to my couch and sank down onto it. As soon as I did, Simon hopped up onto the back of the couch and looked at me with expectant eyes.
“So?” said Simon. “How did it go?”
Exhausted, I leaned back against the couch and said, “Awful. Didn’t find any work.”
“No takers?”
“None.” My shoulders slumped. “I think I may have turned off a few people accidentally, though.”
“Dang,” said Simon. “You should have let me go find new clients for you. People love cats. No way they could possibly say no to a cat as cute as me.”
I was so tired and defeated that I didn’t even roll my eyes at Simon’s own self-aggrandizement. I just sighed and sank lower int
