by Cate Conte
“So you know what I’m talking about?” he asked. “Holly Hawthorne?”
I gritted my teeth. “Yeah. She’s a joy, for sure. She came in here thinking she’d just walk out with a cat. When we told her it didn’t work that way, she lost her mind.”
“Really?” Craig consulted his notes. “Because she said Adele told her she was ‘a disgrace’ and ‘not fit to have pets.’”
“So what if I did?”
We both turned to find Adele behind us, arms crossed, foot tapping defiantly. “You gonna arrest me for telling the truth?”
“Adele. Let’s not take it out on Craig—Officer Tomlin. He’s just doing his job, okay?”
Adele snorted. “If I’da been the one to call and cry abuse, would you have come running? Or is it just ’cause she’s rich?”
Craig looked pained. “Of course I would’ve come. Listen.” He glanced around, then lowered his voice even more. “I have to respond to the call. And I have to ask some questions to do that correctly. Now that I know what happened, I can make my report and say it was a mutual disagreement. Okay? If you see her again, ignore her. And it’s done.” He looked satisfied with himself for breaking it down into such simple terms.
I looked at Adele. She clearly wanted to argue with him more, but then something inside her seemed to give up. “Sure,” she said, and her tone sounded defeated. “It’s done.” She turned and walked away, her shoulders slumped.
I turned to Craig and sighed. “I can’t believe she called you guys. What a drama queen.”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it with that family,” Craig assured me. “They think they own the island. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to your day. The place looks great, Maddie. Truly.” He looked like he wanted to give me a hug but wasn’t sure if he should while he was there officially. He ended up patting my arm awkwardly, then turned and left.
Becky grabbed my arm as I walked by her. “What was that about?”
“That jerk Holly. She didn’t like the way Adele spoke to her so she called the cops. Who does that?”
Becky rolled her eyes. “Most people are just too polite to tell her what they really think. Good for Adele.”
“I’ve never met a woman with a bigger cheerleading squad,” I said dryly.
“Oh, sweetie. You have no idea. Let’s just say Holly hasn’t made any friends since high school.” Becky patted my shoulder. “Most people can’t stand her. And she’s not even on the island full-time. I’ll talk to you later.”
I headed back to Lucas, who’d been watching the whole scene through narrowed eyes. As had most of the rest of my guests. My mother started over to me, but I shook my head and lifted my chin, grabbing Lucas’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go get that coffee.” The heck with Holly Hawthorne. This was my day, and no one was going to ruin it.
Chapter 6
When we disappeared into the kitchen, I let out the breath I’d been holding. Ethan turned from the oven, where he’d just removed a gorgeous tray of scones. “Perfect timing,” he said in that soft voice that never failed to take any stressful situation down a notch.
Ethan was my other guru. I guess in addition to attracting musicians, I also had a talent for attracting people who were good for my often-neglected spiritual side. Too bad they were never relationship possibilities. Ethan and I tried to date once, and realized we were way better as friends and business partners. He was cute enough, with his curly red hair, longish hippie beard, and gentle brown eyes. Basketball-player tall, his typical uniform consisted of baggy pants and tank tops. He usually avoided shoes if at all possible. He rode a skateboard around the island and practiced Kundalini yoga. Zen was his middle name. He and Cass had already hit it off. Next to Becky, he was the person closest to me. And the fact that he’d moved across the country to get into another business endeavor with me reminded me of how lucky I was.
I sniffed the air. “Yum. What kind?”
“Blueberry lemon.” He studied me, noting the flowers, then glanced at Lucas. “What’s going on out there? Nice flowers,” he added.
I smiled. “Lucas brought them. Can he get coffee?”
“Sure thing. What can I get you? Espresso? Cappuccino? Mocha?”
“I’ll just take a regular coffee,” Lucas said.
“Mads? Anything?”
Despite how yummy the scones smelled, I’d lost my appetite. “No. I’m annoyed.”
“What happened?”
“I just had a visit from one of Daybreak’s finest. The spoiled little witch who threw a fit earlier called the cops. Can you believe it?”
“You’re kidding. Because you wouldn’t give her a cat?”
“It was more about her complaining about Adele’s big mouth, but still.” I sighed and dug around in one of the cabinets until I found a vase. I fixed the daisies into a colorful splash, then placed it on the counter. “I’m going to take them upstairs later,” I told Lucas. “If I leave them in the café the cats will knock them over. Or eat them.”
He nodded, as if it made perfect sense. “Sounds good to me.”
“So what ended up happening with the cops?” Ethan asked. “Is everything okay?”
“Well, Adele told Craig off. I don’t think he took it personally.” I paced the kitchen looking for something to do. “I’m sure he has to report back to the Hawthornes. Maybe he’ll get instructions to come back and arrest somebody. On second thought, I’ll take an espresso.”
Ethan looked at me doubtfully. “You sure? Maybe a juice would be better.”
“No. I need some caffeine.” No doubt Ethan was right about the juice being a better choice, but I was sulking.
He handed Lucas his coffee, then went to his fabulous new machine and began making my espresso.
“You’ve got a good turnout,” Lucas said, trying to shift the conversation back to happier topics. “Any adoption applications?”
“Yes, a few so far. And my mother wants to adopt Moonshine, but I think my dad’s trying to talk her out of it,” I said.
“I think you’re going to have a lot of success. People seem to love it. It’s a cool concept in general, but even cooler out here on an island where you wouldn’t expect something like this. Proud of you, Maddie.” Lucas squeezed my hand.
His words left me kind of speechless. In a good way. “Thanks,” I managed. “I hope you’re right and people keep loving it.”
The door to the kitchen opened and Becky stuck her head in. “Maddie, there’s a bunch of people who want applications. I can’t find Adele or Gigi and Katrina’s jumped in. Can you come out?”
“Sure, sorry.” I cast an apologetic look at Lucas, then dropped his hand and hurried out. “You can’t find Adele?”
Becky shook her head. “Not since she yelled at the cop. Gigi seems to have vanished too.”
“I saw Adele take off out the back door,” Mr. Gregory, one of Grandpa’s friends, said, looking up from where he sat petting Snowball, an all-white cat. “She took the wineglass with her,” he added with a disapproving shake of his head. “That lady’s gonna get herself in real trouble one of these days with that drinking habit. Pair it with that temper and boy, oh boy.” The word temper came out as tempah with his strong Massachusetts accent. “I don’t know about the other one, but she looked mighty nervous when young Officer Craig came in.”
Took off? And with one of my wineglasses? I gritted my teeth. Seriously, the woman needed to get a grip. I’d have to sit down and have a serious talk with her about all this nonsense. And what was with Gigi being afraid of the cops? My café was supposed to be a drama-free zone, and it was only day one and already anything but. I needed volunteers to help reduce my stress level, not make it skyrocket.
I’d have to worry about it later though. I had customers to attend to, and cats to adopt out.
Chapter 7
By the time we saw the last guest out of the café and finished cleaning up after the day’s festivities—which meant scooping all the litter boxes, sweeping and mopping the
floor because a couple of people, in their excitement to pet the cats, had spilled their coffee or other beverages—it was nearly eight thirty. The café had technically closed at eight, but people had been having such a good time I didn’t want to throw them out. Plus the cats were happy to have the attention.
But when I flipped the cat-shaped sign to CLOSED and locked the door behind the last guest, I realized how exhausted I was.
My parents lingered behind. “So,” my mother said finally. “It was nice of Craig to come by to wish you well today.” She blinked innocently at me.
I had to laugh. Sophie James was anything but innocent. Anyone who didn’t know her might be fooled by her appearance, with her unruly brown curls, long gypsy skirts, and sweet smile. Really, she was the smartest woman I knew, and she was used to getting what she wanted. Usually her wants were for the greater good. When it came to her kids, she just wanted to know we were okay.
And her eagle eyes had caught on to the fact that Craig’s visit wasn’t just a social call.
My dad, though, seemed totally preoccupied. He kept disappearing into the other room with his phone, which wasn’t like him.
“Yeah, well. The little catfight in here made its way back to the station. Craig came by and everyone talked, and it’s all smoothed over. What’s going on with Dad?” I asked, hoping she’d let me change the subject.
She sighed. “It’s gala season.”
“Oh jeez. The gala. Isn’t it soon?” As the big cheese at Daybreak General Hospital, my dad was responsible for all kinds of serious things. The annual end-of-summer gala, though not a matter of life and death, was still one of those serious things because it brought in a ton of money for the hospital’s operating expenses each year. It helped keep programs like the LifeStar helicopter service going, in case anyone needed to be airlifted off the island. So it was super important. But usually he didn’t need to be involved in the organizing of it, given his position.
“Yes. Two weeks from tonight.”
“Isn’t Dad a little high up to be involved in the planning? Is something wrong?”
My mother glanced around to make sure he wasn’t listening. “The board is putting a lot of pressure on your father this year. They’ve raised the amount they’re expecting to net considerably higher. Dad’s assistant usually organizes most of it, but she’s had some personal problems and has been out a lot.” She dropped her voice lower as Dad drifted closer to us, still glued to the phone. “I’ll tell you more later. But he’s very worried about it. And it’s taking up a ton of his time.”
“Why didn’t they hire an outside planner to do it?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I suggested it, but you know Dad. And it’s a little late now.”
I did know Dad. He was a bit of a control freak. It was where I’d gotten the tendency, although I’d been trying hard to let it go of late. Not sure I was succeeding, but at least the effort was there. “But still,” I said. “If there are things going wrong, someone else who can worry about it full-time should come in and sort it out.”
I stopped talking as Dad ended his call and put his phone in his pocket. He looked at us curiously, probably sensing we were discussing him. Or at least, his problems.
“Brian. Turn that thing off,” my mother said, going over and slipping her hand into his. “We’re going out to dinner and I want your full attention.”
“You got it,” Dad said, giving her a hug. “I’m sorry, Sophie. This event may just kill me this year.”
“It’s not worth it,” my mother declared. “Let’s go eat. And you can make it up to me by letting me talk you into adopting Moonshine.” She winked at me.
“We’ll see,” Dad said with a smile. “Maddie, congratulations. What a lovely job you’ve done.”
I beamed at the praise. “Thank you, Dad.” I wanted to ask him about the gala, but I could tell Mom didn’t want him to get sucked back into that vortex so I let it be. I saw them out and locked the door behind them, then headed to the kitchen in desperate need of some wine.
“Want me to make us some dinner?” Grandpa asked, slinging an arm around my shoulder. “Or should we order something?”
“Let’s order something. You’ve been on your feet all day too.” I studied Grandpa Leo. Sometimes I had to remind myself he was seventy-four. True, his thick head of wavy hair had turned whiter over the past couple of years and he didn’t walk as fast as he used to. But compared to the state I’d found him in when I’d arrived at the beginning of summer when my grandmother died and a local shyster was trying to take this house from him, he looked a hundred times better. He had a purpose again, as a co-owner of this fine establishment. After being police chief for so long, as well as a devoted husband, to have both those roles terminated over the past five years had been devastating. All that, topped off with the possibility of losing the home that had been in his family for generations, made me worry Grandpa wouldn’t be around for much longer.
But the anonymous benefactor who’d saved his house, with the stipulation it be used to help care for the island cats, had changed all that. The birth of the cat café seemed to have given Grandpa new life, too. My mother swore having me back was the bigger piece of it, but I thought he just needed something to which he could put his mind again. I’d never known him to be a cat person, but he’d taken to the whole thing like a natural. I think JJ had helped. He loved my big orange guy. Although I needed to find Grandpa a job at the café that suited him. We hadn’t quite figured that piece out yet. Right now he did a bit of everything—and usually left a few things undone when he moved to the next.
JJ rubbed around my ankles now, reminding me that it was his dinnertime also. He didn’t want to wait until I ordered food. “Let’s get some pizza or something easy,” I said, looking at Ethan, who was silently cleaning up the kitchen. “You good with that?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Ethan said. I hid a smile. I could’ve said, let’s go outside and dig up some clams from the beach and steam them, and he’d go along with it.
“I’ll call Sal’s,” Grandpa said. “Two large. What toppings?”
After a few minutes of healthy debate, we decided on one mushroom and olive, and one pepperoni. Grandpa placed the call while I poured wine for all of us and spooned JJ’s food into a bowl. He attacked it with a vengeance, despite the fact that people had been slipping him treats all day. They hadn’t wanted him to feel left out when they’d fed them to the “real” café cats. I was going to have to keep my eye on him during open hours. One, to make sure he didn’t get fat, and two, to make sure no one slipped off with him. I’d had about six people ask if they could put in an application for him today.
While we waited for the pizza, we sat around the table and rehashed the day.
“I think Tommy Gregory will be your best customer,” Grandpa said. “He loves cats. His wife is deathly allergic and he’s never been able to have one. I always thought he’d divorce her in a second if someone offered him a cat.”
“That’s so romantic.” I wrinkled my nose and sipped my wine.
“Well, now he doesn’t have to. He can have an affair with a different cat every day.” Grandpa winked at me and turned to Ethan. “So, Ethan, did you leave a lady behind in California?”
Ethan clearly wasn’t expecting that question. “Um. No,” he said, a light pink color rising up his neck.
“I see.” Grandpa nodded. “So are you hoping to date my granddaughter? Or are you already doing that?”
“Grandpa!” I nearly dropped my wineglass. Clearly he hadn’t gotten the memo about me and Lucas. Or seen The Kiss today.
“What?” Grandpa Leo fixed me with the even stare he’d probably used on countless suspects over the years. “I have a right to ask. You’re both living in my house.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake.” I dropped my face into my hands. “No, Grandpa. Ethan and I are not dating, nor were we planning on it.” I raised my head and shot Ethan my best please forgive me look.
Gran
dpa looked from me to Ethan and back again, then shrugged. “Okay,” he said.
“Okay?” I stared at him. “That’s it?”
“Well, of course. What, did you think I was going to argue with you? I was just curious, that’s all.” He picked up the newspaper from the table and flipped to the sports page.
Before Ethan could run screaming from the house, the doorbell rang, thank goodness. “I’ll get it,” I muttered, and made a beeline for the front door. I was starving. And I hadn’t had Sal’s pizza in ages. My mouth had already started to water in anticipation as I yanked open the door.
But it wasn’t Sal’s delivery guy. It was Sergeant Mick Ellory from the Daybreak PD. And probably the last cop I ever wanted to see on my doorstep again. My memories of the last time he’d been here weren’t pleasant. I held the door half open warily. “Yes?”
He nodded. “Maddie. Is your grandfather here?”
“Why?” I asked, immediately on the defensive. Silly, I knew. Grandpa didn’t hold a grudge against him for doing his job. But I couldn’t help it.
“I need to speak with him.” Ellory’s gaze leveled with mine. “He’s not in trouble, Maddie.”
“Well, I don’t see why he would be. He hasn’t done anything,” I said, but pulled the door open wider. “Come in.” I went down the hall to the kitchen and stuck my head in the door. “Grandpa. Can you come out here for a second?”
He glanced up from the paper. “What’s wrong? You need money for the pizza?” He reached for his wallet.
“No. Someone’s here to see you.”
He raised an eyebrow, then stood and followed me. When he saw his visitor, he stood a little straighter. “Mick,” he said, and held out his hand.
Ellory shook it. “Sorry to interrupt, Leo. Can I speak to you outside?”
Chapter 8
Sergeant Ellory let Grandpa go through the door first, then nodded at me before following him out. I stewed for a minute in the hallway, then crept over to the closest window. Unfortunately, Grandpa had left up the sheer curtains Grandma had loved so much that let the light in all over the house. They were pretty, but they didn’t conceal eavesdroppers. I debated dropping to the ground and crawling over to lie under the window to listen, but that seemed a little excessive. I stood to the side of the window where I could still see them, watching body language and trying to guess what they were talking about. I couldn’t figure it out, but now I was getting worried.