Starting Over

Molly Gets a Cat

"I need a favor."

The flat tone sent a chill down my spine that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "Sure, anything!" I said with a forced smile, holding the door open as I waited for Toby to catch up with me.

I'd been avoiding him since the spanking a week ago, hurrying out of our office each night before his last appointment finished. The punishment had been helpful the day I received it — for the first time in ages, I'd made a concrete plan to get my work completed. But after the sting wore off and loneliness crept in, my motivation plummeted. I needed Adam to give me more attention and act like he cares. Toby wouldn't understand, though. He'd just lecture me about coping skills for my abandonment issues.

"Hindsight, this may have been a terrible idea..." Toby said as we headed towards the train station. "I'm bringing Vanessa to the meeting tomorrow to discipline her for the altercation last weekend. Will you prepare Gabe and/or Violeta? Whoever you believe needs the information."

The vision of a Violet-Vanessa standoff made me laugh out loud. "Oh, goodness... A disaster waiting to happen. Best to tell Gabe. You could just message him yourself, ya know."

"Perhaps I'll do that one day, but tonight I have plans." My friend gave a crooked smile as we turned the corner.

"Where ya goin'?"

"Checking out a street art exhibition." He didn't give me the opportunity to ask for details. "Thanks for taking care of warning Gabe. Your astute observation of my evasion has been noted. Next time I'll contact him directly." We walked down the stairs, swiping our cards to get on the uptown train platform. "What about you? Where are you headed?"

"I'm getting a cat!" The thought had been on my mind for days. Since Bonkers passed away a few years ago, I'd been too afraid (and guilty-feeling) to attach to a new pet, but now I finally felt ready. And I needed the extra cuddles at night. But this conversation didn't need to be about me, because that increased the chances of Toby finding out about paperwork, so I resorted to gossip. "Violet thinks there's something going on with you and Chloe."

"She won't shut up about it."

I giggled. "So you do like her! It makes sense... totally your type... mysterious and artistic. Awww! You'd make a cute couple."

Toby shook his head as the train screeched to a halt in front of us, door bursting open. "Too soon. I haven't discussed it with Izaak."

"I'm sure he won't mind... they're super platonic." We waited as the cart emptied, then Toby motioned for me to go ahead of him. Luckily, there were plenty of vacant seats so I plopped down, watching as he held the door for a running woman before coming to sit at my side.

"Sometimes there's more than what meets the eye. Anyway, it's part of my moral code."

"Bros before hos!" I said with a giggle. "I can't get a good read on Chloe yet. She seems nice and gives off positive vibes, though. How do you see her?"

"Troubled." That was also his type, but I didn't say that out loud. "People pleaser. Low tolerance of discomfort. Unstable sense of self. Avoidant attachment style."

I hung onto Toby's words, captivated by his intelligence and how easy it is for him to read others. All I'd known about Chloe was from Izaak, but his judgments aren't nearly as thorough. "Do you know anything about her childhood? I heard her dad's a criminal... and she doesn't talk to her mom. I bet she has abandonment issues... and her grandmother passed right before she moved here. That's probably where the avoidance comes from."

Toby interjected. "How does it feel, psychoanalyzing your friends?"

I stopped rambling for a moment and glanced at him, blushing. "It's kinda fun... and harmless."