731c3e32dd6349cda7e9d6caf76b901f

He chuckled.“Oh, it’s not about what’s wrong with me. This time it’s about that whole messed up family dynamic you have going on, and I refuse to miss out on the big reveal.”

“So glad I have your support,” I mumbled, then went to get a roll of paper towels to take care of his mess.

If there was one thing my cat excelled at, it was adding the occasional injury to the steady stream of insults that worked their way off that sandpaper tongue.

Sometimes I really wished he would find a hobby.

5

“So how did you find this place again?” I asked Charles as we rolled up to a small bed-and-breakfast that sat near the shores of a beautiful lake. We’d elected to stay a short way out of Katahdin proper because Charles and I both liked it best when we were near the water—him being a California boy, me a Maine girl.

“One of the associates at work told me about this site that only lists hotels and rentals where pets are allowed,” he explained as he pulled to a stop in the small gravel parking lot out front. “I filtered by waterfront properties, and this was the closest property with a vacancy. It also haddecent reviews, so I figured why not?”

“Decent, huh?” I asked, raising one eyebrow in extreme suspicion.

“Yeah, but don’t read too much into that. You know how online reviews can be.” He paused for a moment, regarding me carefully. “Not everything is a mystery just waiting to be solved.”

“Says you,” I shot back as I unbuckled my seatbelt and clambered out of the car. I held the door open so that Paisley and Octo-Cat could hop out, too.

“I love it here!” Paisley cried and then took off running in wide, looping circles. “Wheeeee!”

“Why did we bring her again?” Octo-Cat demanded of me with a sneer.

I didn’t get a chance to answer, though, because Paisley zipped and zoomed out of view. I was just about to call her back when a sharp yelp rent the air. We all took off running in pursuit of the sound.

Octo-Cat moved the fastest out of the three of us, which meant he was first on the scene. I couldn’t see anything, but I heard a mighty hiss followed by a low, ominous growl. When I finally rounded the corner, I found my tabby in a beach stand-off with an enormous orange Persian.

Paisley cowered behind Octo-Cat, shaking violently as the two cats stared each other down.

“Nobody hurts my kid sister,” Octo-Cat hissed at the strange feline.

The orange Persian extended his claws and took a swipe at Octo’s face.

“You s-st-struck me?” he sputtered in shock. “You actually struck me?”

The Persian wore a satisfied expression on his flat face.“Maybe next time you’ll remember who lives here and who’s simply an unwelcome intruder,” he said, then raised his tail high and sauntered off down the sandy beach.

“That does it! I’ll end him! I’ll— “

I grabbed Octo-Cat in my arms before the fight could escalate any further. The last thing we needed was to get kicked out of our accommodation before I even had a chance to meet my grandma.

“Be the bigger person,” I said through gritted teeth.

“There’s so much wrong with that statement I don’t even know where to begin,” my cat shot back. “Just keep that giant, fluffy wad of mouse breath away from me.”

Funny how much he hated this cat with its long hair and flat face, when his true love Grizabella was a former show Himalayan and looked quite similar if you ignored the coloration. I guessed that meant my cat wasn’t a breedist, and that was a good thing for sure.

“I’m sorry, Mommy,” Paisley ground out, coming to stand at my feet. “I was just so happy to be out of the car.”

“It’s fine. It’s not either of your faults. Just calm down and try to put it out of your mind,” I cooed.

Charles grabbed Paisley and clutched her against his chest.“Everything okay?” he said, expression askance.

“It will be,” I assured them all. “It’s just been a long week for all of us.”

“So we’re staying?” Charles wanted to confirm.

“We’re staying,” I said with a tight nod, then motioned for everyone to head back the way we’d come. “Let’s go check in to our room. Sharon will be here soon, and I want some time to get ourselves set up first.”

Charles and I entered the sprawling ranch, each carrying an agitated pet in our arms. Just past the door, we found an elderly woman with dyed orange hair that matched the mean Persian cat’s to the exact shade.

“I’ve been expecting you,” she said, uncrossing her legs and placing the paperback novel she’d been reading face-down on the arm of her chair. “Mr. and Mrs. Longfellow, I presume?”

I smiled at that. It was the first time I’d ever heard it aloud, and I rather liked the sound.

“Almost,” Charles said with a huge grin to match mine. “For now, it’s Mr. Longfellow and Ms. Russo.”

“I see,” the woman said, tightening her expression. She drifted over to a desk at the corner of the room. “I’ll just update your reservation from a king to two doubles then. That’s an easy enough fix.”