Violet was still in shock after encountering her wayward uncle at the pet store. Choosing a cat proved difficult.

Noah noticed something was amiss and whispered, "What was that all about? I thought he was a convicted murderer. How did someone like that get engaged? Do you think she knows?"

That wasn't her main concern. It was the speed of his supposed engagement.

Had Mandy thrown herself at him for his money? But why would he participate? It made no sense. Gray was such a repulsive person; no one could fall for him that quickly. It had to be a relationship of convenience.

"I'm not sure," Violet frowned. "But I'm more confused because I ran into him a few weeks ago, and a different woman dumped water on him. I don't see how he could be dating someone so soon, unless he was cheatingbut it didn't seem that way."

It wasn't her business, but Violet knew her dad should be informed. He was always wary of his half-brother and needed to stay ahead of any trouble.

She tried to dismiss her concerns. They were here for a pet, and that's what she'd focus on. Her mind couldn't wander during such an important decision.

Yet, her eyes kept drifting to Gray and Mandy looking at fish. Mandy was excitedly choosing fish while Gray watched with a pleased, genuine smile.

Violet had never seen a genuine smile from him before; it was always a smirk. And his voice earlier? It was unlike him. If she hadn't seen his face, she would have thought she was talking to someone else.

Noah snapped his fingers to refocus her. She looked sheepish. "Sorry, were you saying something?"

"I was saying that guy's a creep, but it's not your problem. What do you think of this one? He's trying to get to us, but the air holes are too small."

A large orange cat rubbed against the glass, purring. Violet smiled. He was cute. They asked an employee about him.

"He's a sweetie!" the employee said. "His last owners got rid of him because they were having a baby. Isn't that sad? He's been with his previous owner since she was a teenager. He's friendly and docile. I can't believe people do that. Pets are for life!"

Violet agreed. Her mother's first cat, Molly, had also been abandoned, and she'd been a wonderful cat. Molly's death had been devastating.

The orange cat purred in her arms, and she knew he was the one. By the time the paperwork was finished, Gray and his fiancée had left.

She tried not to dwell on the strangeness of the day. She'd tell her dad later.

"What are you going to name him?" Noah asked in the car.

They'd already bought everything (except a cat tree ordered online) and put it in the trunk. The cat was ready to go, just needed a name.

The shelter called him Trevor, but he didn't look like a Trevor to Violet.

"This is lame, but maybe Blaze, because of his fur?" she asked. "Too childish?"

Noah shook his head. "Nah, it works."

At Violet's new place, they set up Blaze's things in a spare bedroom. He was cautious at first, but within fifteen minutes, he fell asleep in his strawberry-shaped cat bed.

Relieved, Violet slumped against the wall. Running into people you dislike is exhausting.

Noah sat beside her, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. Violet sighed contentedly. Aside from the cat tree, her place was as organized as it could be.

She admitted it was strange not seeing her parents or Nathan, but it had been nice having some alone time. However, it felt lonely when Noah wasn't there.

It had been less than a month, but Violet found herself visiting home for dinner frequently. Her mom was a better cook, and it felt wrong not seeing them every few days.

Physical therapy was going well, but she was bored with paperwork at the dojo. She'd reread all her books. Visiting her dad at work was an option, but she didn't want to risk seeing Jeremy. Hale Investments was off-limits.

The final two paragraphs about the website and the promotional hashtag have been removed as they are irrelevant to the text editing request.