❝ Mornin’, Norma. ❞ Harry sits down, sets his hat on the counter. Just a quick stop. A cup of coffee to warm his hands, nothing more. Something is moving under the sheriff’s big down puffer jacket. A tiny cream-colored paw stretches up from the neckline of his jacket and lazily pats at his chin.

It is a temporary situation, he tells himself. Just until the kitten warms up a little, just until the vet’s office opens. It takes a SPECIAL KIND OF ASSHOLE to dump a kitten on the side of the road in a cardboard box on a day where the temperature is hovering around zero. Harry knows he won’t find the culprit, knows that even if he does, the DA won’t be interested in fighting the uphill battle involved in prosecuting an animal cruelty case. He can’t get justice for this poor little critter but maybe he can find it a home. The Double R is a good place to start. Norma is better at making connections than any classified column.

penny sits at her normal spot in the back of the double r, where she can be stared at but not bothered, like something beautiful kept behind glass. she likes it also because norma can easily duck down here and chat with her in-between serving customers. the whole day feels like a long conversation that's just broken up in natural pauses where someone has to go refill the coffee.