Cat and Mouse

By Christin Cataldi

Peyton Davis is quiet, hardworking and kind. Her family and friends love her. Peyton’s love life has always been questionable. She is about to give up on finding love when one night a message comes through from a handsome man named Hunter. Hunter seems great at first but over time Peyton realizes he is not who he seems. With the help of her best friend and her family will Peyton find the courage to leave? Or will she be trapped in his web for the rest of her life?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781665502979

Christin Cataldi

Christin Cataldi grew up in New England. She has lived there her whole life. From a young age she was always passionate about books. You could find her at the book store looking for her next adventure. Christin loves spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys the time spent at home with her pets.

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© 2020 Christin Cataldi. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

All names, locations, and events are fictional and are not intended to portray any person (living or deceased) and are used for the purpose of this book.

Published by AuthorHouse 10/02/2020

ISBN: 978-1-6655-0298-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-0296-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-0297-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020919371

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

About The Author

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

M om and Dad, thank you for everything you’ve done for me, and thank you for helping me with my book. I love you very much.

Emily, you’re like my sister. Thank you for being there for me always. To many more adventures! Remember senior year English class? Ha ha! All my love to Mom 2 and Chris.

Amber, let’s keep our many amazing trips and memories coming. We’ve always been there for each other. Love you lots! My favorite memory is our beach trip with Dusty, Daisy, and Brooke. The little pink collar!

Michelle, here’s to our childhood reading our many favorite books. We found many great books along the way. Love you!

Katelynn, you always make me laugh and smile. Love you lots and lots to our great summers laughing on the lake and of course hap hap hap hap hap hap Happy Hampton … Narf!

Zachary, Austin, and William, I am so proud of you guys. I love you.

To my aunts and uncles, I love you so much. I loved our family Sundays and holidays we spent together. Some of my favorite memories are with our family.

A special thanks to Laura, who has always been there for me.

Katie N, our many trips to book barn and taking our newest reads to the beach! Lifelong friends.

Sarah, we’ve known each other for a long time. Here’s to our girls’ nights and amazing conversations.

Alex, we have gotten so many books from the library. Here’s to our weekly dinners and library trips.

Auntie Lizzie, Auntie Bertha, and Auntie Terry, I love you and miss you. I wish you could be here to share this with me, but I know you are always watching over our family.

CHAPTER 1

P eyton rushed to the computer anxious to check her online dating account. She was so sick of the messages from old men and guys she would clearly never look at or give the time of day to. She wasn’t shallow—she just didn’t want to be bullshitted any longer.

She logged in and sighed as the usual messages popped up.

Want to hook up?

Damn you would look good in my bed

She rolled her eyes and sighed. She was ready to deactivate her account. Then a message caught her eye. She looked at the screen name, Countryboy_18267—much more interesting to her than Sexystud or Bigman45.

Peyton was a huge fan of country music, and she loved a rugged man who was good with his hands. What the hell, she thought. Let’s read what this jackass has to say. What’s another two minutes of my time? She clicked on the email and read it.

Hello there I just wanted to tell you what beautiful eyes you have. I hope you had a great day. Talk to you soon—Hunter

Before she replied, she clicked on his pictures. Hunter was very handsome and had dark hair and ice-blue eyes. He was wearing jeans, work boots, and a button-down shirt. She was definitely into his tattoos. Peyton loved guys who had tattoos.

She was five-six and of average build, and while she could stand to work out more, she had a cute-enough figure. Her long hair was dark brown with highlights, and her brown eyes, which popped when she did her eye makeup just right, always caught people’s attention. She replied,

Hello there thank you for messaging me I hope you had a wonderful day as well and I will talk to you very soon

Peyton clicked out of the screen and went to make dinner. She figured there was a fifty-fifty chance he would reply. She sent a text to her best friend, Jade.

I may have a new email buddy we will see

A few minutes later, Jade replied.

OK I will buckle up and come along for the ride

Peyton smiled. Her bestie always knew what to say. Peyton sat on the couch, and Riley, her faithful sidekick, jumped up and snuggled next to her. Riley was a Siberian husky, and the two were inseparable. Her cat, Montana, finished eating, walked over to her bed, and curled up. Peyton smiled and turned on the television.

She started to feel sleepy. She turned off the television and decided it was time for bed. She headed to the computer one last time. She felt a little foolish hoping she would have a message so soon.

Sure enough, a message from Hunter was waiting for her.

I am so glad you responded I was so worried I wouldn’t hear from such a pretty girl. I am headed to bed I will talk to you tomorrow. Sweet dreams darling—Hunter

Peyton smiled and responded.

Of course I’d message you back, handsome. I look forward to getting to know you better

But if she had had a crystal ball to see into the future, she might have just run away.

The next morning, Peyton heard Riley whining in her ear. Riley loved their walks in the park every morning. She shooed the dog away muttering, Okay, okay, I’m up.

Riley was so used to their routine that she wouldn’t even let Peyton stop at the computer to check her messages. Stop acting like a teenager, Peyton told herself. The computer isn’t going to vanish. She put on her sneakers, and off to the park they went.

It was such a gorgeous day that Peyton got lost in her thoughts. Then she heard a little meow behind them—Montana had followed the pair all the way to the park. She chuckled. You crazy cat. I don’t want you getting lost, plus I must look nuts with you following us.

When Peyton returned home, she fed the pets and made sure they had plenty of water, and she grabbed some cereal for herself. She logged into her computer and saw she had a message from Hunter.

Good morning cutie I hope you have a great day we haven’t really asked each other any questions. Here goes what do you do for work or are you in school? Do you drive? What is your favorite color? Talk to you soon beauty queen—Hunter

Peyton replied,

Hey you I just got back from the park I have a dog and a cat do you like animals? I have a Rav 4, my favorite color is pink, I am a caregiver and I go to school for Criminal Justice. What do you do for work? I picture you in a big truck am I right? What was your longest relationship? Well I am off to work I will check back in later.

She got up from the computer and jumped in the shower. She had a few clients to meet with that day. She heard a ping from her phone. It was a text message from Jade.

Sooooo how is it going with your new boy toy? Details details!!!!

Peyton replied,

So far so good. I am not going to get my hopes up with this one but I am getting a great vibe from him

Her phone went off again. She laughed when she read the reply from Jade.

Remember to wrap it up

After work, Peyton met her friend Samantha for dinner. They had met in a high school history class when Samantha was a transfer student. The two became instant friends and spent a lot of time together. When they graduated, they made a pact to have at least one girls’ night a week during which they would at times bitch about men and talk about what assholes they were.

Samantha was in the dating scene as well, and they loved to compare their stories. That night, Peyton couldn’t help but talk about Hunter. Samantha warned her to be careful and meet him in a public place the first time. Peyton assured her that she would be safe and not to worry—they hadn’t even exchanged numbers yet.

Their meals arrived, and the two girls changed the topic to work and how they couldn’t wait for the weekend. After dinner, they said their goodbyes.

Peyton drove home, where she was greeted by Riley. She roughhoused a few minutes with the pooch and then went to her computer. She had a major assignment due for