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That was my cue to activate the laser pointer and trace a small shaky pattern along the floor. Sure enough, Octo-Cat emerged from his safe haven to pounce at the captivating red dot. For whatever reason, it was the one thing he could never resist.

“Haha, gotcha.” Charles grabbed Octo-Cat tight and held him against his chest.

Together, we headed back toward the grand staircase, ready to deliver our hissing cargo.

“I hate you,” my cat told me for what must have been the hundredth time that day. And as much as I didn’t like hearing that, I shook his words off.

He’d been mad at me before and he’d be mad at me again, but if we didn’t help these kittens now, they may not get another chance.

Chapter Seven

We returned to the cat bedroom with a very unhappy Octo-Cat in tow.

The kittens, on the other hand, were ecstatic to see him again. Their once-anguished cries immediately turned to purring as they crowded around Octo-Cat and pressed their bodies to him.

“There’s a reason I never had kids, you know,” the poor guy wheezed, almost making me feel bad for him. Almost.

He extricated himself from the litter and went to wait by the door.“I like to be appreciated, but this is way too much for anyone.”

Could have fooled me on that one. Until now, Octo-Cat had never indicated that he could receive too much love or praise—as long as each was given onhis terms.

“They love you,” I said gently.

He kept his pointed gaze on the door.“They don’t even know me. Now let me out.”

I had to stop myself from answering,“That’s probably why they love you.” Octo-Cat only enjoyed snark when he was the one giving it.

“Can I try something?” Charles asked.

I motioned for him to go ahead.

“Think back to when you were a kitten,” he addressed Octo-Cat with a placating expression. Of course, he had no idea how his words were being received by the subject. “Wouldn’t you have liked to have a bigger, cooler cat to help show you the way?”

Octo-Cat snorted.“And this guy is considered smart by your kind? Oh, brother.”

Well, I could have told Charles that appealing to the tabby’s sense of compassion would be a no-go. We needed take a harder tack. “You’re not getting out of this room until we help these kittens.”

“Fine. Let’s help them back where they came from. To the porch!” He shifted on his paws but remained glued to the spot.

I raised one eyebrow.“Still not convinced?”

“Not in the slightest.” Octo-Cat kept his nose high in the air, refusing to look at either me or the kittens despite their continued efforts to claim his attention. They’d scrambled their way over and were now sitting in a straight line behind him, also staring at the door.

“I’m not backing down on this. But since you seem to need an extra bit of convincing, I’m going to send a text to Nan right now to see if she can help.” I pulled out my phone and began typing away.

He scoffed.“Oooh, I’m shaking in my fur.”

“What’s Nan going to do?” Charles wondered aloud.

I smirked as I hit send.“She and Paisley are going to stop by the store on their way home from booty boot camp. I’ve asked her to pick up some generic branddry cat food.

My cat seethed with rage. He obviously wanted to take a swipe at me, but still remained rooted to the spot in front of the door.“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, but I would.” I cackled like a witch. Although I hated having to resort to such measures, I also somewhat enjoyed giving my cat what was coming to him. “I’ve asked Nan to get store-brand crunchies for you and a new bowl for Paisley.”

“Why would Paisley need a new bowl?” He cocked his head to the side and thought about this. Understanding dawned a brief moment later. “NO!”

“Yes!” I insisted. “You’ll be eating those new generic dry crunchies from Paisley’s used dog bowl. And guess what else?”

He took a couple steps back and pressed himself against the wall.“Not my Evian.”

“That’s right. It’s about time you developed a taste for tap water,” I said with a shrug.

“You are an evil woman, Angela. A very evil woman.”

I simply smiled and gave him a couple minutes to process everything.

Finally, he turned toward the line of kittens and lay down with his forelegs folded beneath him.“So if I agree to help, you’ll agree to cancel any changes to my menu or dining service?”

“Correct. Plus the sooner we figure out what’s going on with the kittens, the sooner we can find new homes for them—also the sooner we can get them out of your hair.”

“I do like the sound of that,” he conceded as one kitten yanked on his tail and another climbed onto his back. “But you should still know that I’m helping out of duress.”

“Noted. Now let’s get to work. I need your help talking to them.”

He sighed, then yawned, then flopped onto his side.

The kittens pushed themselves against his belly and purred.

That was too much for Octo-Cat. He jumped back onto his feet and shouted,“Stop that! I am not your mama.”

“Daddy,” the kittens mewled merrily.

“I’m not that, either. I don’t even know who you are. Maybe you can start by telling me that.”