Talk about perks of being the boss - bringing your cat to a business meeting!

If I'd known, I'd have waited for the reward money.

The boss makes his rounds, toasting each table. When he gets to me, he mutters, "My office, 10 AM tomorrow."

And just like that, I became Happy's secret litter box attendant.

All these years, Happy's been healthy as a horse, getting chunkier by the day, cheeks puffing out like a chipmunk's.

I guess Noah's grateful. Besides the monthly "cat crap cleanup" fee, he's thrown a bunch of big projects our team's way. I've even made a bit of a name for myself in the design world.

I owe Happy big time. Without him, I'd probably be living in a cardboard box.

Of course, I'm even more grateful to his dad, Noah.

But every time I'm scooping up Happy's fresh, stinky surprises, I can't help feeling a little blue.

Is this all I am? Just a glorified pooper scooper?

That first year, Noah, who wasn't much of a talker to begin with, barely said two words to me.

He gave me his house code, and I'd go feed Happy every day. No set schedule, just whenever. Rarely ran into Noah, though.

My place, his house, and the office made a perfect triangle on the map. Talk about a hassle.

I figured I'd look for a place closer to either his house or the office. You know, cut down on the commute.

Noah's driver, Tom, was a real stand-up guy. When he heard I was apartment hunting, he'd sneak me out during his downtime to check out some places. Even threw in some pro tips.

After the grand tour, I had my eye on one place, but it was way out of my budget. My paycheck wouldn't even cover the rent. I planned to keep looking after feeding Happy that evening.

But surprise, surprise! I walk in, and there's Noah, standing at the door like he's about to head out.

"Mr. Black!"

"Hmm," he grunts.

He hands me a key card. "Ask Tom to help with the move," he says, then takes off.

I'm standing there, key card in hand, trying to put two and two together. The name on the card? You guessed it - the fancy apartment complex I'd been drooling over.