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“Think about it,” he continued, swinging the tip of his tail like a metronome. “Everything you have is because of me. House. Job. Boyfriend. Need I go on?”

I swallowed down my comeback. Sad to say, he was right. I hated that he was right.

“So what should I do?” I asked with wide eyes.

“Isn’t it obvious?” He narrowed his eyes at me, then groaned. “Oh, right. Forgot who I was talking to for a moment there.”

I resisted the urge to pick him up and carry him out into the hall so that I could shut the door between us and finally get some peace.

Octo-Cat, however, continued his lecture unaware of just how painfully it was being received.“You should take the work from UpChuck.Duh.”

“Don’t call him that,” I mumbled.

He rolled his large amber eyes.“You need more experience and references, and he’s offering to help you get those. It’s not justyou you have to think about here.”

I bit my thumbnail and sighed.“Okay,” I said simply. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow then.”

My tabby seemed pleased with this conclusion.“Now are there any other parts of your life that you need me to fix for you tonight, or can I go about my nightly duties?”

“What nightly duties?” This was the first I’d heard of them, and while Octo-Catdid help solve cases, he did precious little else with his days. Could the nights really be all that different?

“Oh, you know. Keeping my favorite spot on the couch warm. Walking over all the counters and tables to make sure they’re still sturdy. Protecting the house from ghosts. Watching the—”

“Wait. Go back a second there. Ghosts?”

He glared at me as if I should have known better than to interrupt his soliloquy.“Yes. Didn’t you know? Only cats can see them.”

I studied him for a second in an attempt to figure out whether he was being serious, but he just stared at me blankly, giving absolutely nothing away.

“Are ghosts reallyreal?” I squeaked. I knew I had something of a magical ability, but I had a hard time believing that those fairytale supernatural creatures walked among us.

My cat yawned, and his smelly tuna breath hit me full-on in the face.“Guess you’ll never know,” he said flippantly before jumping off the side table and trotting out of the room.

Ghosts?Huh.

Something told me I might not sleep so well that night.

Chapter Two

Saturday had arrived, and I was looking forward to sleeping in and waking up extra refreshed.

Nan, however, had other plans. She breezed into my room bright and early, carrying a coffee mug so full I had to wonder how she kept from spilling.“Rise and shine!” she sang, beaming at me from her spot next to my bed.

I wiped the sleep from my eyes and pulled myself into a sitting position. The wooden spindles of my old-fashioned headboard dug into my back, offering me a rather rude awakening, indeed.

Nan pressed the coffee mug into my hands. Some of the hot liquid escaped, sloshing over the side of the cup and onto my comforter.

That was when Paisley arrived.“Good morning, Mommy!” she barked before belting out a spirited rendition of some happy little nursery rhyme about a doggie in a window.

It was all way too much noise first thing in the morning, and I’d never been a morning person to begin with.

“What do you want?” I snapped, perhaps a bit too unkindly.

Nan narrowed her eyes at me.“Don’t sass me, dear. I’m headed out for my new booty boot camp class in a few minutes.”

“Thanks for asking, but I’m not interested,” I groaned, attempting to take a sip of the coffee but spilling again.

My grandmother shook her head.“Good. Because I didn’t invite you. I was lucky to get the one spot I did. This class usually has a six-month waitlist, but they somehow managed to squeeze me in at the last minute.”

“Then what do you need?” I asked from behind the steaming mug.

She raised both arms and motioned toward me.“To give you that.”

I eyed my coffee and nodded my thanks. Nan always brewed it for me, given my well-documented fear of coffee makers. It may seem silly, but I’d just never been able to look at them the same after my near-death experience last year. Of course I’d tried other forms of caffeine, but none sated my addiction quite like a good old-fashioned cup of joe.

“Have fun at class,” I said sweetly, feeling guilty now for having snapped earlier.

Nan lifted her arms in front of her at shoulder height, then did a quick dip and squat.“I won’t,” she said with a grin. “That’s the point. Beauty through pain.”

“You’re already beautiful, Nan,” I muttered. Even though I’d taken up jogging with Nan a few days a week, she was still in far better shape than me—and, wrinkled or not, her body showed it.

She turned and shook her bottom, which was clad in pink velour sweatpants.“I’m looking to tighten and tone. If Grant ever gets around to officially asking me out, I want to be ready.”

I shuddered at the thought. While I was happy that my grandmother had found a close friend in Mr. Grant Gable, I definitely didn’t want to think about how said friendship might involve her needing a tight and toned bottom.