"Pushy woman," Gabriel grumbled, but there was relief in his voice as he submitted to the direction, reaching out to make sure the stool was actually under him. The weight of the kitten sprawled across his lap was strangely comforting; at least stroking a cat wasn't exactly difficult.

"Simpler how?" he asked as he steadied his grip on the mug and brought it close. Somehow, he thought he could probably guess.