"Sure, if you trust my judgment."
"I like everything I see - especially the Teddy Bear sitting on your bed. Raising an eyebrow, he grinned at her.
"Well, I can't have a pet in here, so he's the closest I could come to a companion. We've had many long one-sided conversations. I will say he's an excellent listener. Come on. Let's take a glass of wine out to my balcony. Would you like Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc or your Chardonnay?" Melanie led the way to the kitchen, and took down two wine glasses.
"I'll try the Shiraz. That's a new one to me."
Taking the bottle and glasses out to the balcony, she set them on the side table, then went back in for a dish of spicy cheese straws.
"I can see why you like it here, even if it is small. This view almost makes me feel like I'm out in the countryside."
"Oh, look. There's a kitten!" Melanie pointed to the edge of the woods where a little cat was stepping daintily through the long grass.
"Have you ever had a pet, Mel?"
"No, but a friend in school had a little white kitten named Snowball. I just loved it and played with it every time I visited her. Another friend had a dog, a Border Collie, which was always busy. It required a lot of exercise so she kept in good shape just taking it for walks and runs. Those two pets gave me a good insight into what I would or wouldn't want for a pet. Dogs adore their owners, but cats demand that we adore them. They also insist that we allow them their independence. Someday when I can live in a place where I can have a pet, I'm going to have a cat. They are so cool!"
Note to self - get her a kitten. Russ was watching her as she spoke and he could sense how much she really wanted to have a cat.
"What about you? Have you had pets?"
"I was always too busy to care for one. If it wasn't made of Lego blocks or Erector sets, it wouldn't hold my attention."
Sipping wine and chatting about anything and everything, Melanie suddenly looked at her watch and declared, "It's after six. I should start dinner. You can come and watch or you can sit out here and read your book - your choice."
"I'm coming in. Nothing like watching the little woman at work."
"What did you just say?"