There was no way Padma could resist that blatant invitation, so she reached out and began rubbing the black cat's head, scratching behind his ears and under his chin.
"I wonder where you came from," Padma mused. She glanced around the store, but no one seemed to be searching for a missing pet.
She smoothed a hand along the cat's back. "Well, if no one comes to claim you, maybe you can be the bookstore cat."