Nine Lives (Lily Dale Mystery #1)(61)

“This litter is too large for one poor tired mama cat to feed,” Helen says, as a door creaks open upstairs followed by footsteps in the hall. “And this fellow is too weak and tiny to get his fair share. I don’t want to alarm anyone, but he needs to see a vet right away. He needs nourishment immediately.”

Max clutches Bella’s arm. “We have to go to Doctor Bailey!”

“Max, we—”

“Please! Don’t let him die!”

“Don’t let who die?” a deep voice asks from the top of the stairs.

She looks up to see Grant Everard standing there. He’s changed into a pair of jeans; sneakers; a T-shirt that reveals tanned, muscular forearms; and, indeed, a watch she can tell is expensive even from where she stands. A sweatshirt is slung over his arm, and there are keys in his hand. Even dressed down, he gives off an air of casual sophistication.

“Spidey needs to go to Doctor Bailey right now!” Max tells him. “It’s an emergency!”

“It’s going to be okay, Max.” Bella puts a calming hand on his shoulder. “Come on, we’ll go borrow Odelia’s car and take her.”

“You’ll have to take them all,” Helen tells her.

“What do you mean?”

“If you take her away from her mama, she might be rejected even if she survives. And the others are nursing nonstop, so mama can’t leave them either,” she continues, as Bella absorbs the seriousness of the situation. “But Odelia is at the service. She’s not scheduled to read until the end, so she won’t be done for a while, and you can’t pull her away. You don’t have a car?”

“It’s in the repair shop.” She remembers that the Adabners arrived in a cab, so they can’t help her.

Grant walks down the stairs and peers at the kitten still cupped in Helen’s hand. “What’s going on?”

As Helen briefly explains the situation, Bella can see exactly where this is going.

Sure enough, he says, “I’ll drive you to the vet. I was just going out to find some food.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I’m afraid he does. You really need to get this kitten some help right away,” Helen says anxiously, stroking the kitten’s black fur with her forefinger.

Grant nods. “We’re on our way. Let’s go.”

“Thank you, Mister . . . um . . .” Max hesitates. “What’s your name?”

“It’s Grant.”

“Grant?” Helen raises her eyebrows, looking surprised. “Are you Leona’s nephew?”

“I am.”

No, you’re not, Bella thinks, wondering why he doesn’t bother to correct the mistaken assumption. True, Leona is the one who, for whatever reason, had told everyone she was his aunt rather than his foster mother, but it wouldn’t be that big a deal for him to clear that up now, would it?

It’s a white lie, and not even his own—or so he claims—but still, it doesn’t sit well with her.

Even though you yourself called your godmother Aunt Sophie?

She wasn’t Bella’s aunt. She wasn’t even a blood relative—just Mom’s best friend and the person who stepped in to do all the things a mom would do: bake birthday cupcakes, make her a first communion veil, and help pick out a prom dress.

“I’d shake your hand, but I can see that it’s full.” Grant gives Helen an easy smile. “It’s nice to meet you . . .”

“Helen. Helen Adabner. I’d heard about you from Leona. You’re not quite what I pictured.”

Wondering what she’d pictured, yet knowing now isn’t the time to ask, Bella tells Grant, “You don’t have to drive us to the vet. When Odelia gets out of the service, we’ll borrow her car and go.”

“Not to upset anyone,” Helen speaks up, directing a meaningful glance at Max, “but I don’t think you can afford to wait that long.”

“I have to call the animal hospital to tell them we’re coming.”

“You can do it from the car.” Grant jangles his keys—and alarm bells jangle in Bella’s brain as she watches him pull on his sweatshirt: a dark-colored hoodie.





Chapter Fourteen


“Drive faster, Mr. Grant! Please?” Max says, buckled into the back beside the crate containing the cat and kittens.

“You got it, buddy.”

Undaunted by the winding road, inky black beyond the headlights’ glow, he gives the luxury sports car a little more gas.

Sitting in the front beside him, Bella watches the speedometer edge even higher above the speed limit. She flexes her foot as if there’s a brake beneath it and wishes she could tell him to slow down. But time is of the essence, according to Doctor Bailey, who told her to come right over with the kitten.

Besides, Grant isn’t a reckless driver, just a confident one, and the car handles well.

Somehow, he seems to know exactly where he’s going, even though he said he’s never been to the animal hospital before. When she pulled it up on her phone and showed him the map, he glanced, nodded, and said he knows where it is.

She’s been trying to convince herself that isn’t unusual for someone who isn’t from the area and supposedly doesn’t visit very regularly.