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He shrugged, displacing the kittens. They changed position but went on sleeping, nestling closer against his chest.“I said something and they meowed something. Then I said something else and they meowed some more. And each time I said something or asked a question, they answered. It was the darndest thing.”

“What did you ask them?”

“I asked ‘Max, can you understand me?’ And he responded!”

She smiled.“That happens to me all the time. Some cats are very talkative. You say something and they immediately respond. That doesn’t mean they can actually understand what you’re saying. Or that we can understand what they’re saying.”

“No, but the other day when you were in the hospital? Your mom or grandma said something and I had the impression they actually understood when your cats responded.”

“Oh, that’s just Mom and Gran. They love those cats so much they pretend to talk to them all the time.” She felt a trickle of sweat drip down her spine. How was she going to salvage this? “It’s the women in this family. We’re crazy about cats. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, of course I know that. It’s a part of you I adore. I mean, the little fellas never meant much to me before. But ever since I met you, and your cats, there’s just something… special about the bond you share. Something I can’t seem to put my finger on.”

“But you’re okay with it, right?”

“Oh, sure. I think it’s pretty damn cute.” He smiled and leaned in for a quick peck on her lips. “I almost can’t believe it myself, but I’m actually starting to like the little fellas myself. Not as much as you, obviously, or your mom and gran, but I have to admit I’d miss them if they were gone. How crazy is that, right?”

“Not crazy at all,” she said. “Cats are intelligent creatures. Sometimes I think they understand us a lot better than perhaps we understand ourselves. The way they’re always listening, watching, observing us. I think they’re very wise animals, and maybe that’s why we’re so fond of them.”

“Well, I’m definitely turning into a crazy cat dude,” he said with a chuckle.

One of the kittens had woken up and gazed up at Chase, then whispered,“Dada?”

Odelia stifled a cry of surprise.“Oh, Chase,” she said, placing her hand on his arm.

“I know, babe,” he said softly, then pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and tickled the kitten under the chin until it fell asleep again.

Chapter 17

Gran was up early. Which wasn’t unusual for her. In fact she often got up before the crack of dawn. When the rest of the world was still fast asleep she was already pottering about in her nightgown. Maybe it was because of her age, but she preferred it that way. She felt most productive in the early morning hours and felt she could get a lot more done.

Like working in her backyard—though technically it was Tex and Marge’s backyard—and checking her tomato plants or the lettuce she’d planted a while back. She’d always loved the idea of a kitchen garden so she’d created one. It was just a tiny patch of green but it was hers, and so far it had yielded radishes, peas, spring onions, garlic and the highly-anticipated tomatoes and lettuce. She had big plans for her garden, and hoped to expand it so she could sell some of her produce on the farmer’s market. Anything to supplement her meager pension and the paltry allowance she got from her penny-pinching son-in-law.

Today she wasn’t to be found in the backyard, though, in spite of the fact that the sun was already hoisting itself over the horizon and the day promised to be a scorcher. She wasn’t even moving about in the kitchen, preparing a cake or breakfast. No, today Vesta Muffin could be found hovering over her laptop and cursing at the screen. For her big rival Scarlett Canyon had posted yet another Instagram story where she displayed her knack for making herself the center of attention. She’d filmed herself on the beach, showcasing a new line of beachwear she was modeling for Darling’s Dress Code, one of the local boutiques that were so popular with the celebrity crowd that flocked to the Hamptons every summer.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Christie Brinkley and her daughters, Nina Agdal, Malia Obama, Hailey Baldwin, Rachel Zoe… They all loved to shop at Darling’s Dress Code and showcase the shop’s unique designs on their social media.

And now Scarlett had joined that illustrious line of celebrity influencers and was garnering hundreds of comments and thousands of likes in the process.

Gran ground her teeth as she watched the video. Even though Scarlett was her age, she still looked like a supermodel, with her impossible waistline and her Kardashian-type bust. All surgically enhanced, of course, but tell that to the idiots who flocked to her Instagram with dullard comments about hot‘hawt’ Scarlett looked.

“Hawt my ass,” Gran grumbled under her breath. “More like a painted tart.”

She checked her own YouTube page. A whopping seventy-five followers, three down from the day before.