Cooldown Heavyweight

I slipped back inside through the screen door track, shaking the night chill off my shoulders. The black cat was sprawled full-length across the woven living room rug, taking up prime real estate under the floor lamp. The second my sneakers hit the fabric, his ear gave a lazy twitch and he rolled onto his side with a deep, rumbling greeting. Perfect recovery station. I dropped into a seated stretch right in the warm curve of his front paws, letting his steady purr rattle straight through the fibers and into my calves. Having an eight-pound partner for a backrest beats any foam roller.