Free The Cats that Surfed the Web by Karen Golden Page B

your New York connection to begin whatever they have to do to get me out of my lease.”
    “I’ll need your landlord’s name and address.”
    “I’ll email it to you.”
    “How are you getting out here?”
    “I’ll drive out by car. My car isn’t the latest model, and in fact, it needs the brakes serviced, but I believe it will get my cats and me to Erie.”
    “Are you sure you don’t want to fly?”
    “Not after today’s flight,” she said adamantly.
    “The mountains in Pennsylvania can be pretty difficult in the winter,” he warned.
    “No problem. Can we talk tomorrow? I’m really tired, and I’ve a big day ahead of me.”
    “Sure,” he said. “I’ll call you tomorrow night.”
    “Perfect,” she said, hanging up.
    *  *  *  *
    By one o’clock the next day, the rain had ended, but the sky remained cloudy. Katherine met Colleen at Grand Central, and they walked across the street to Flaming Fajitas, a Mexican restaurant.
    “I know I’m not supposed to drink during business hours,” Katherine said. She ordered a frozen margarita anyway. “But I’ll need it for later when I tell my boss I’m quitting the end of next week.”
    “I’m so happy for you, Katz,” Colleen said gleefully. “I’ll miss you very much, but I know you’ll find happiness out there in Eerieville.”
    “Erie,” Katherine corrected.
    “Just kidding.”
    The waiter came over and placed a basket of tortilla chips and a bowl of salsa on the table.
    Katherine picked up a chip, scooped up some salsa, then proceeded to spill the tomato sauce down the front of her white blouse. “Incredible,” she said.
    “You need seltzer,” Colleen said. She motioned to the waiter, who nodded and returned soon with a can of sparkling water.
    He opened the can and offered to help. Katherine brushed his hand away and said a polite “thank you.” He winked, then went away.
    “My dry cleaner is going to miss my business when I’m gone,” Katherine mused, cleaning the stain.
    Colleen smirked and said, “I tried to get a hold of you this morning four times, but I kept getting your voice mail.”
    “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back, but I’ve been on the phone all morning—scheduling two different moving companies to come over and give me a bid. One is coming tonight at 7:00, the other tomorrow at 3:00.”
    “Isn’t your big meeting tomorrow?” Colleen said, dipping into the salsa.
    The waiter brought over two margaritas. “It’s on the house,” he said seductively.
    Katherine looked at him curiously, then thanked him.
    After he left, Colleen said, “He’s in love.”
    Katherine rolled her eyes. “The meeting is in the morning. I’ll be finished by one o’clock. I’m going to try to take off tomorrow by two-thirty. After I meet with these moving people, I need to take my car in to be serviced.”
    “Why don’t you just buy a new car?” Colleen asked.
    “I don’t want to shell out the bucks until I know this inheritance thing is a done deal.  Besides, until I’m residing in my great aunt’s house, I get nothing.”
    “Wait a minute. I thought you were supposed to get $30 thousand bucks right off the bat,” Colleen questioned.
    “No, my great aunt made it quite clear in her will that she wanted someone in the house minding her cat before any money is released from her estate.”
    The waiter returned, and Katherine and Colleen both ordered the beef burrito special. He winked at Katherine a second time.
    When he was out of earshot, Katherine said, “Do you think that guy has something in his eye?“
    “I think he’s got a crush,” Colleen teased.
    *  *  *  *
    Katherine returned to work and left a second voice mail for her out-of-office boss, requesting time in the early afternoon when they could talk for a few minutes. She keyed in her resignation letter and edited it three times before she finally printed the final version. She was busy deleting email accounts from the main server—five employees had