45ebf3c490593574dd454e5dfd5a5758

“And at least Max is not a sex maniac like you!” Dooley piped up from his hiding place in the brush, then quickly ducked his head down again.

“They seem to be very feisty animals,” said Carl, still holding onto his club, and clearly not having made up his mind whether to hit us and bury us right there or to leave us be. “Look, just tell my wife that next time she sends an emissary to argue for a divorce, she better send me someone who doesn’t think it’s a good idea to bring two cats onto the green,” said Carl, his charming demeanor a thing of the past. “I stand by my decision not to grant Erica her stupid divorce, and also, I don’t think you’re welcome here anymore, Miss Odelia Poole. And I’ll convey that thought to the club’s management.” He shook his head. “Bringing cats in here. Of all the crazy stunts…” And then he walked away.

And as we watched him stalk off, followed at a little distance by his profusely sweating caddy, carrying that bulky bag of clubs, it was obvious that Odelia’s mission was a bust. But it could have been a lot worse: it could have been fatal for Dooley and me!

6

“Look, It’s Odelia,” said Scarlett. She thought she’d noticed her friend’s granddaughter before, but hadn’t been sure it was her. Now, though, there was no question: Odelia was one or two holes ahead of them.

“She’s talking to that horrible Carl Strauss,” Vesta grumbled. “We should warn her about that guy. He’s got a reputation for being handsy.”

“I think Carl’s reputation precedes him,” said Scarlett. “Besides, there’s no way Odelia would ever get involved with a guy like that.”

“She better not. If she does, she’s a fool.”

Odelia and Chase had recently tied the knot, and never a more happy couple had presented itself to Scarlett. She’d never been married herself, of course, not being out of her mind, but Vesta had, and obviously it hadn’t become her. Marriage was clearly a good idea for Odelia, but it wasn’t for everyone.

“If he lays so much as a finger on her,” said Vesta, “I’ll…”

“You’ll do what? Odelia is old enough to take care of herself. Besides, she has Max and Dooley with her. And I’m pretty sure that if Carl tries any of his funny business, they’ll scratch that man up so bad he won’t recognize himself in the mirror anymore.”

“Yeah, that’s one thing people underestimate about cats: they think they are these cute and cuddly creatures, but they can turn vicious if you rub them the wrong way.”

“So what were you telling me?” asked Scarlett as she nudged the ball gently in the direction of the hole which was located somewhere beyond the horizon. At this rate it would probably take her another twenty strokes to arrive where she was supposed to.

“Well, I got this great idea for the house but of course my family want none of it as usual.”

“What great idea?” asked Scarlett, tongue between her teeth as she tried to measure the distance she still had to go. She was dressed the way she thought a true golfer should be dressed: white short skirt, white crop top and white sneakers. Vesta had already told her she’d dressed for tennis,not golf, but she knew never to take advice from her friend when it came to what clothes to wear.

“I want to build an extra couple of floors on top of the house, figuring it won’t cost us a lot extra, and we can rent them out as apartments or studios and make an extra buck.”

“Pretty sure you need a permit for that.”

“Not you, too!”

“It’s a fact, Vesta. Wanna build? Gotta get a permit.”

“Okay, so what if I get a permit. Then can I have my extra floors?”

“Do you have permission from the owners—Marge and Tex?”

“I’m an owner.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I’ve lived there long enough. Pretty sure that after a while you automatically become an owner. It’s the law.”

“If that’s the law this is the first time I’ve heard of it.”

“If it isn’t, it should be. I have rights, too, you know.”

“You have rights if you buy a piece of the property. How much have you invested?”

“A lot! I’ve invested a lot of my time in that house.”

“You mean you’ve put in a lot of work?”

“You damn right I’ve put in a lot of work. I garden. I vacuum my room once a week, and I load the dishwasher. I even cook from time to time. What more do you want?”

“Look, Marge and Tex have been kind enough to take you in,” said Scarlett. “Most people would put their mom in a nursing home, so you should count yourself lucky you get to live with your family. So don’t you go and make life difficult for them, you hear?”

“I’m not old enough to live in a nursing home,” Vesta pointed out.

“You’re seventy-five!”

“Seventy-five is the new twenty-five. Now will you shut up for one second while I take this next shot. I can’t focus on my game with all your yapping.”

Vesta took the shot and… landed the ball in a sand bunker.

“Look, all I want is to make my daughter and her husband an extra buck,” she said. “Is that so bad?”