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“Okay, who’s ready for some lunch?” Charles sang as he rejoined us. He’d brought up two plates with grilled gruyere and tomato sandwiches and a grocery bag stuffed full of assorted junk food.

“Nan wanted us to eat up here so she could have some alone time with the kittens,” he said in response to my unspoken question.

“And this, my man, is for you.” He handed the shopping bag to Pringle, who eagerly accepted it.

“Door, please,” he told me without so much as a backward glance my way.

I had no desire to keep him around, so I opened the door and watched him clamber down the stairs. The pet door was still closed, so I had to follow him down to assist.

“I’m starved,” I said upon returning.

Charles settled into the window seat and waited for me to join him.

I accepted the plate he handed to me and took a giant bite of my sandwich after mumbling a quick thanks—so warm, so gooey. I shrugged and took another bite.

We scarfed down our sandwiches in much the same way the kittens had inhaled their meal earlier.

“Any idea why Nan would need some alone time with the kittens?” Charles wiped at his mouth with a napkin. “You don’t think she’s going to pull something to try to make you keep them? Do you?”

I jumped to my feet and cried,“Well, I didn’t before! C’mon, we’ve got to hurry!”

I tugged Charles’s hand, pulling him into the hall and down the stairs. If we were fast, we could still stop her from whatever it was she planned to pull.

Oh, that nan of mine!

Chapter Thirteen

Sure enough, the only thing we found downstairs was a smug Octo-Cat sitting on the coffee table and quite obviously waiting for us.

“Missing something?” he asked with a cruel chuckle as a Cheshire grin swept across his face.

Well, that confirmed it. Nan had hit the road and taken the kittens along with her.“How long has she been gone?” I asked the still gloating cat.

“She left the very minute UpChuck headed upstairs with the food.” He yawned and stretched before settling back into a seated position. “By the way, nobody offered to feed me.”

Oh, boy. I could already tell this would take a while. Nan could make it all the way to Florida in the time it took me to convince my cat to help.

“You never have lunch,” I reminded him gently, all the while praying my instincts about this encounter were dead wrong.

“You only eat in the morning and night,” I added pathetically.

“It’s still nice to be asked. Especially since I know you promised the raccoon steak.”

“I definitely never promised anything.”

“Well, it seems we’ve reached an impasse then.” He turned around so that his back was to me. I could just imagine him laughing at my gullibility, but I didn’t have any time to spare if I wanted to protect Paisley’s feelings and discover where Nan had taken the kittens—and I definitely wanted to do both of those things ASAP.

“Do you know where she went?” I asked in a shaky whisper.

He flicked his tail twice and then slowly shifted back my way.“Maybe,” came his curt reply.

Maybe wasn’t yes, but it also wasn’t no. I’d have to play his little game, whether I liked it or not. I couldn’t hold back my sigh as I asked, “All right, what’s it going to take? A can of food?”

“Pffffshaw.It’ll take a lot more than that.” Octo-Cat’s eyes glowed as he licked at his chops. “Like steak, for starters.”

“Do you actually like steak? You’ve never even tried it.” Although I’d only just eaten, now my stomach rumbled, too.

“No, I haven’t. And honestly that’s the whole problem. You just don’t consider me and my needs as much as you should.”

I held my breath to keep from screaming. My whole life revolved around my crabby tabby and his wants and needs.

He sniffed and turned his nose up at me.“I will require at least nine steaks, one for each of the lives I was born with.”

I sighed and nodded along with his lengthy list of demands. The sooner we got this over with, the sooner he might actually help me.

“I will also need a lobster roll from Little Dog Diner.”

He paused to take a breath, and I jumped in with another objection.“But Little Dog Diner is all the way over in Misty Harbor.”

“I know where it is. I also know they make the best lobster rolls in all of the bay, so you’re going.”

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists.“Fine. Anything else?”

“Yes. I saved the best for last.” His smile laced a knot of dread into my heart. Heaven help me.

“You see,” he continued, unaware of how anxious I’d become during our very one-sided conversation. “As much as I enjoy spending time with Pringleon occasion, he’s been rather insufferable lately.”

“Let me guess. Carla.” This, we actually agreed on. Maybe we could join forces to teach that raccoon a lesson.

Octo-Cat made a clicking noise and waved a paw my way.“Bingo.”

“So what? You want a Nerf gun, too?” I asked with a chuckle.

“Oh, Angela. Haven’t you noticed that I don’t have any opposable thumbs? Really, I thought you were more observant than that. I need a specialized weapon that doesn’t discriminate against those of us without thumbs.”