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Even among friends the same truth applies: Gran and Scarlett. Me and Dooley. Or even all four of us. Brutus and I couldnÆt be more different. Or Dooley and Harriet. And still weÆre the bestest of friends. Sometimes we fall out, but in the end, friendship prevails.

And as the pleasant banter slowly lulled me to sleep, suddenly a loud cry had us all look up. It came from Odelia, whoÆd jumped up from her chair and was staring at something on her plate. And as I looked closer, I saw that it was somethingà hairy!

ôDad!ö she cried. ôWhat do you think youÆre doing!ö

Tex immediately came hurrying over, and picked up the offending food item between thumb and forefinger. It was a bug. A very big, hairy bug.

ôI didnÆt put that there,ö he said. ôI draw the line at bugs, honey.ö

ôThey are very nutritious, though,ö Gran knew. ôPlenty of protein.ö

ôI donÆt care about protein!ö Odelia cried.

ôWell, you should. Pregnant women need lots of protein.ö

ôDid you put that bug on my plate?ö Odelia demanded hotly.

ôOf course not!ö said Gran. ôThough, like I said, theyÆre very healthy. And yummy.ö

ôVesta, tell me you didnÆt,ö said Charlene.

ôOh, for crying out loud. If I had put that bug on your plate I would have fried it first.ö

ôFried it!ö Marge cried.

ôDid you know that fried bugs are considered a superfood? They even turn them into hamburgers now. Though in Japan they like to eat their bugs alive. Yummy for your tummy!ö

And as the recriminations shot back and forth, suddenly something dawned on me. I slowly turned to Dooley, and when I saw his apologetic smile, the penny dropped.

He gave me a penitent shrug.ôWhat can I say, Max?ö he said quietly. ôItÆs my USP.ö

Oh, boy. It was going to be a long nine months.

47. PURRFECT DATE

Chapter 1

It was book club night at Tex and MargeÆs placeùthough Tex was conveniently elsewhere, since he wasnÆt a memberùand the house was cozily busy. Marge, as Hampton CoveÆs librarian, did the honors as usual, in the sense that she picked the book, sent out the invitations and supplied the necessary refreshments for the participants, and I must say she did a great job.

Her daughter Odelia was there, of course, and so was our mayor, Charlene Butterwick. The other members were unknown quantities as far as I was concerned, but I still viewed them with the kind benevolence of a cat who knows that treats will be forthcoming and cuddles givenùall in moderation, of course.

The book Marge had chosen wasTears in the Mudby Jacqueline B. Wilding, a torrid tome of love and loss, and clearly the participants had all enjoyed the book tremendously, as evidenced by the glowing comments they awarded it.

All in all, as far as I could tell, book club was mostly an excuse to get together and gossip, while enjoying free cake, tea and cookies, but then who am I? Just a lowly feline observer that nobody pays too much attention toùapart from said treats and cuddles.

Book club membership currently stood at eight. Which meant that apart from Marge, Odelia and Charlene, five other ladies had decided to show up. They were, reading from left to right: Emma Kulhanek, who was a sort of mousy-looking housewife, Lynnette Say, also a housewife, but more of the glamorousæThe Real Housewives of New York CityÆ type, Adra Elfman, an elderly lady who was also a regular at the library, Carlotta Brook, who ran our local archery club and was allegedly a crack shot with bow and arrow, and of course the rising star in our local business community: the one and only Valina Fawn.

You may have heard of Valina. You may even have signed up for the dating site she runs, also called Valina Fawn, and one of the better-known and successful dating sites out there right now. Forget about Tinder or OkCupid or any of those highfaluting apps. Valina Fawn is the site both the loveless and the hopeful all turn to when looking for love.

ôIs it true that the President himself found the First Lady on your site, Valina?ö asked Adra Elfman now. The old lady sat nibbling a chocolate chip cookie and looking at Valina with delight. It wasnÆt too much to say that one of the main reasons MargeÆs book club meetings were so popular lately was exactly because of ValinaÆs star quality. Though of course the lady knew discretion was key, and kept her trade secrets very much to herself.

ôThat would be telling, Adra,ö said Valina, who was a strikingly handsome woman in her early forties. Her straight blond hair was coiffed to perfection, and as usual she was dressed in one of her trademark power suits. ôAnd as you know, a lady never tells.ö

ôSo itÆs true,ö Adra murmured, her eyes shining brightly.

ôI very much doubt whether the President found his wife on a dating site,ö said Lynnette. ôIÆm sure heÆs got better things to do than to trawl those awful sitesùno offense, Valina.ö

ôNone taken,ö said Valina graciously. She knew better than most that the notion of finding love on the internet still carried a certain stigma, and worked hard to erase it.