The Predicament of Persians - A.G. Henley Page 0,1

can hardly help it, thanks to James. His own desk agent keeps snatching glances at us, too.

The eavesdropper’s hair color captures my eye. It’s almost the exact same shade as mine—deep red with gold highlights. But his skin is bronzed, like he lives somewhere much warmer year-round than Colorado. His full mouth and his cornflower blue eyes curl up with amusement. I smile apologetically at him, too, and then turn back to my agent. After a flustered pause, she seems to be trying to come up with a polite response to my brother.

“Um, yes sir, if you’ll just pick up the phone in your room and push the in-room dining button, you’ll be able to order from our extensive menu of—”

James grunts. “What kind of place is this? I can’t order room service at the desk?”

I grip his forearm and speak to the woman, who looks completely flustered. “We’ll do that, thank you so much.”

With an aghast glance at the handsome ginger-haired man, I grab my wallet and the key cards and push James and all our stuff along in front of me.

I bend down to whisper in my brother’s ear, grateful for my five feet eleven inches. It gives me a tiny bit of authority. “Can you please not be rude to everyone in the hotel this weekend? This conference means a lot to me.”

As he well knows. He grunts again. “Whatever. I’m hungry.”

My limbs feel stiff with humiliation as I march toward the elevators. Why didn’t I have a normal brother? Why did I get an oversized child? James has been the downfall of so many of my plans over the years, but with our parents gone, no one else will put up with him.

Even though the elevator button is already lit, my brother uses his elbow to bang it an extra five times, drawing looks from a couple waiting to go upstairs. They wear matching shirts with one giant cat face on them—looks like a tabby with the “M” on the forehead split between them. The woman wears the left side of the cat’s face, and the man wears the right.

James looks them up and down and shakes his head. “Bunch of crazy cat lovers. I’ll bet you all have mad-cat disease.”

I close my eyes to avoid their justifiably offended stares. How can I already regret bringing him to CatFest when we haven’t even gotten to our room yet?

Chapter Two

“Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days.”

- Romeo and Juliet (Act 1, Scene 3)

Kathleen

One hour, and one tense exchange with a disgruntled room service waiter later, I escape from the hotel room.

James had called the poor man at least five times to tell him to hurry up while I was changing clothes and freshening my makeup in the bathroom, and then he’d refused to put on pants to answer the door when the food came. James always takes his pants off the moment he gets home, and hotel rooms are no different. I’d ended up answering the door and getting the tray. James would have scared the guy half to death; he hasn’t bought new underwear in about ten years.

Before I leave, I make sure Juliet has food and water and that her litter box is set up. She and James are curled up watching My Cat from Hell on the television while the last bloody bites of a rare burger and a few forlorn fries stare at me from the ketchup smeared plate beside him.

Is there a show called My Brother from Hell? I could write, produce, and star in it with one hand tied behind my back. I kiss Juliet on the head while James bats my hair out of his face so he can see.

“I’m going to the hotel bar for a drink,” I tell him. He grunts. A grunt is one of his favorite replies.

I breathe deeply, calming myself and my blood pressure, as I stand in front of the elevator door. The mirror on the wall to my side, hanging over a fake potted plant, shows me that the few extra minutes I took to primp had paid off. My wavy, waist-length hair frames my pale face, and a magenta leather jacket pops against my light-wash denim jeans. Fringed pink ankle boots top off—or bottom off—the outfit. I feel good, ready to meet some other cat lovers and have a good time. Without James.

The Peaks Lounge is on the twenty-seventh floor of the hotel with spectacular views of downtown Denver and the