Nine Lives (Lily Dale Mystery #1)(44)

“I do, but . . . well, here you are in Lily Dale, answering Leona’s door.”

She laughs nervously. “Right, here I am. I know it must seem a little crazy to you.”

And you’re not the only one.

“A little,” he agrees. “Is the cat . . . ?”

“Oh, she’s fine. She’s around here someplace. No kittens yet, but we’re waiting.”

“You’re taking care of her, then?”

“Just for the weekend, because our car is in the repair shop.”

“And Max?”

“Not in the repair shop,” she quips, surprised that Doctor Bailey remembers her son’s name—and her own, for that matter.

He chuckles. “That’s good. So he’s around here someplace, too?”

“Upstairs sleeping.”

“Good for him. Everything is okay, then?”

Definitely a question.

She tilts her head, considering it. “I guess that depends on how you define okay.”

“For me, that depends on the day. And sometimes, lately, the definition changes minute to minute.”

“Same here,” she says, and their eyes meet in a flash of empathy. “But right now, everything is okay.”

“I’m glad. I just wanted to make sure. If you need me, you know where to find me.”

“I do,” she agrees, “and . . .”

She trails off, realizing she was about to tell him that he knows where to find her, too, if he needs her.

Why would he need you? You’re not friends. You’re barely acquaintances. He only said it because he’s a vet, and you’re . . .

As he sees it, she’s a homeless stranger who found a pregnant stray, volunteered to return her to her owner on the way to a campground that doesn’t exist, and then moved in. No wonder he’s checking up on her. She’s lucky he isn’t calling the cops right now. Or the loony bin.

“Take care,” he says, giving a little wave and then turning back. “Oh, and Isabella? Thanks for doing what you did.”

“You mean the cat? No problem.” Maybe he doesn’t think she’s crazy after all.

Again, he starts away, then turns back. “Tell Max that if I’d known he was here, I’d have brought him some chocolate chip ice cream.”

She smiles. “I will.”

“Not that he remembers me.”

“Something tells me that he might.”

Wearing a bemused smile, she closes the door and then finds herself watching through the window as he walks away.





Chapter Ten


“Mommy?”

Alone in the kitchen washing out the coffee pot after the guests have dispersed, she looks up to see Max in the doorway.

“Good morning, sweetie.” She turns off the water and goes over to hug him, but he pulls away. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find Chance the Cat.”

“She was sleeping next to you when I left the bedroom.” She’d locked the door from the outside with her key and left the duplicate sitting in the inside lock so that Max could let himself out.

“I just woke up and she was gone.”

“Well, the door was locked, and I’m sure she can’t turn a key with her paw, so she must be in there hiding somewhere. Under the bed or—”

“No, I looked everywhere. She’s not there.”

“Cats are really good at hiding. Sit down and eat your breakfast. After that, I’ll help you look.”

Max protests, but eventually agrees to have a bowl of cereal at the table. As he crunches his way through it, he winces.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“My tooth is wiggly. I don’t want it to fall out and get swallowed. Then the tooth fairy won’t come.”

“Here, let me see.” She tips his chin back gently, and he opens his mouth wide. The bottom tooth is crooked, nearly sideways in his mouth. No wonder he’s having trouble eating. “Do you want me to get it out for you?”

“No! It has to fall out by itself or she won’t come.”

“The tooth fairy? I don’t think that’s the rule.”

“That’s what Jiffy said.”

“Well, I say she’ll come no matter what.”

Clearly, Jiffy’s opinion is all that counts. Max shakes his head, adamant, and clamps his mouth shut. Speaking like a bad ventriloquist, he says, “By the way, it’s not falling out until the Fourth of July.”

Bella smiles. “Whatever you say, kiddo.”

She goes back to washing the rest of the breakfast dishes, still thinking about Doctor Bailey’s visit, and Max goes back to his cereal and fretting about the cat. He’s almost finished eating when they hear a rap on the back door.

Turning, Bella sees Odelia Lauder standing on the back steps, accompanied by a tall African American man who’s holding a big umbrella over them both. He’s handsome, with a square jaw and hair that’s graying at the temples. Bella has only been here for a couple of days, but even she can tell that he’s overdressed for Lily Dale in a dress shirt and slacks.

Both he and Odelia are wearing such serious expressions that she immediately tells Max to go back upstairs and check again for the cat.