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“Oh, stop. The ring will wait. Give me a minute to say hello.”

He sighed, but his mother didn’t seem too bothered by it.

Mr. Gable used this opportunity to extricate himself from behind the counter.“Hello,” he said to both me and Charles before saddling Nan with a giant hug. “What brings all three of you in? Is this about the kittens I left on your porch this morning?”

Ah-ha! I knew it!

Nan blinked in confusion. We hadn’t yet gotten the chance to catch her up on the address label match-up.“You left them?”

“Of course. I’m sorry I didn’t have the chance to clean them up. When I called, you didn’t answer. I was in a hurry to get back for a customer appointment. I figured if anyone would know what to do with them, it would be you two.”

“Wait.” The female customer stopped petting Paisley and rose back to a standing position. “There are kittens?” she whispered reverently.

“Mom, we need to focus on—”

“Oh, shush. You’re not the one who gets to make the rules.” She waved him off, then approached us with wide, shining eyes. “So about those kittens?”

“Would you like to meet them?” Nan asked with a chuckle. “I left them in the car for a minute. Didn’t expect to be here long.”

“It sounds like the perfect wedding gift. My fianc? John is quite the animal lover but hasn’t been able to keep any pets in his apartment.”

Her son tugged at her sleeve in a gesture reminiscent of a much younger child.“But, Mom, I’m allergic to cats.”

“Then I guess it’s finally time for you to move out and establish your own home,” she told him with a pointed glare.

“I’ll just go get them,” Nan said before sweeping back into the cold outside.

The woman followed after Nan and her son followed after her.

“Where did the kittens come from?” I asked Mr. Gable, eager to finally get the answers I’d craved all day. “And why were they covered in blood?

“A frightening sight. Wasn’t it?” He shook his head and spoke in the direction of his feet. “I found them in the alley when I was walking in to work.”

“The one just outside?” Charles asked, picking up Paisley and allowing her to lick his face.

“Not this one, no. I like to park in the far lot to get a bit of exercise. Plus the fresh air helps wake me up in the mornings. When I spotted the kittens, I picked up the pace, grabbed a box and left a note on the door to let my customers know I’d be a few minutes late opening today, then I went back to get the kittens and drove them straight over to your place. I tried calling Dorothy, but…” He shrugged again.

“I know. She’s had her phone off all day.”

“Speaking of Nan,” Charles edged in. “I’ve heard she’s looking for a plus-one on Valentine’s Day.”

The old jeweler’s breathing suddenly became labored. I half-expected him to a pull an inhaler from his pocket and take a hit. “Is that so? A plus-one for what?”

“Well, actually she doesn’t,” I began to explain.

Charles squeezed my hand to get me to stop.

He cleared his throat.“It’s a beautiful evening she has planned. It starts with an intimate hike along the coastline. After about half an hour, you’ll find yourselves at a secluded ice castle built especially just for the two of you. You’ll have just enough time for a quick snowball fight before a private chef will treat you to a freshly prepared meal suited perfectly to your individual tastes. Finally, the night will end with dancing under the stars to a string quartet playing only the greatest ‘80s hits.”

Mr. Gable looked like he might be moved to cry.“That sounds wonderful. She did all that for me?”

Charles squeezed my hand again.“She did, but I think she’s nervous to make things official by asking you to accompany her. You should do the honors.”

I gave an encouraging nod.“Yeah, I bet she’d say yes.”

“Okay, I’ll do that,” Mr. Gable promised.

We made small talk with Mr. Gable as we waited for Nan, Paisley, and the customers to return. I knew Charles had planned that date for me, and as amazing as that special evening sounded, it meant even more to me that he’d given it all up to help two elderly people start their own love story.

Boy, did I have a keeper or what?

Chapter Eighteen

The woman in the jewelry store ended up adopting two of the kittens, a boy and a girl. She and Nan exchanged phone numbers, and she also promised to text updates and pictures every single day.

That meant we only had two of the original five kittens left with us now, one boy and one girl. At the rate things were going, we’d probably have homes for them by nightfall.

“You wouldn’t happen to know anyone in need of their own personal feline overlord. Would you?” I asked Mr. Gable once mother, son, and kittens had departed.

He sighed.“I wish I could take them off your hands, but I fear E.B. would never forgive me.”

I’d met his pet rabbit, E.B., and knew Mr. Gable was definitely correct in his assessment. The poor little mite was afraid of any and everything, especially predators like cats.

“Well…” Nan shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “We should probably be off,” she told the ground.