731c3e32dd6349cda7e9d6caf76b901f

It wasn’t a total defeat on my part, though. I made them both swear up and down they’d eat their pet food the rest of the time we were here.

“C’mon, let’s get to the room before these babies get cold.” Charles preferred that no one eat in his car, so we’d kept the bag sealed tight for the entire drive back, the delicious scents tormenting me the whole way.

A flash of orange caught my eye. At first I thought it was Louis the cat, but then I realized it was Millicent who had been watching us.

“And just where have you two been all morning?” she demanded, wrapping her long, red fingernails around a can of Diet Coke.

“Oh, here and there,” I said with a shrug, then turned away.

But Millicent followed us, her flip-flops slapping against the gravel.“You weren’t up to anything illegal, were you? Why, just last night I had a guest tell me her diamond ring had gone missing.”

I gaped at her.“That was me. My ring went missing.”

She balked, then sputtered as she searched for words.“Well, what did you do with it? Come out with it, then.”

“I tried to tell you all of this last night. Weren’t you listening? I took it off to get some sleep, then when I woke up it was gone.”

She considered this before narrowing her eyes and demanding,“How do I know you’re not trying to frame my establishment just so you can collect the insurance money and get something better?”

“Are you actually serious right now?” I exploded. She was lucky my hands were full, or I’d—Okay, I wouldn’t actually do anything untoward, but sometimes it was nice to pretend that I might.

“C’mon, Angie,” Charles urged, tugging at my elbow and motioning with his chin. “Our lunch is getting cold.”

“But she can’t talk to us like that,” I insisted, returning the cruel woman’s glare. “See, this is why I’m guessing you don’t get many return guests. Personal items go missing, the doors don’t work, and you’re one of the rudest people I’ve ever met!”

“I can’t believeyou would talk tome like that,” Millicent snarled. “I don’t have to let you stay here. In fact, pack your bags and—”

“No,” I said firmly. “I’m not going anywhere until my ring is returned. So if you want to get rid of me, I suggest you find it first. Now good day, Millicent.”

I stormed off with Charles and the animals in silent pursuit.

“Meee-yeow,” Octo-Cat said, then let out a low whistle. “I’ve never been more proud of you, Angela. It seems I have taught you something, after all.”

“Yeah, well. Don’t get used to it,” I said, kicking off my shoes and slumping down onto the bed. My heart was beating like crazy again. I needed to stop getting so keyed up before it sent me to an early grave.

The toilet flushed in our connected bathroom, and I tensed up even more.“Who’s there?” I shouted, still teetering on the edge.

The door burst open, and Sharon stepped out with her hands raised in the air.“Sorry, sorry. That glass door was open, so I let myself in. I wanted to apologize for how we left things yesterday and check to see how you’re feeling today. Did you meet your grandmother? How did it go?”

Charles motioned for Sharon to join us and handed her a large container of fries.

“Oh, no. I didn’t mean to intrude,” Sharon began to argue, batting her eyelashes.

Charles pushed the fries at her again.“It’s okay. I had at least five servings yesterday as part of my search. I’m all fried out.”

She studied him with a furrowed brow.“That’s a bit… odd. What do you mean you—?”

“Thanks for coming by,” I blurted out, drawing her attention back to me. “We went to her house, but nobody was home.”

She frowned.“Oh.”

“Yeah, and she’s still not picking up her phone, so we’re kind of stuck.”

“Oh, boo.” Her features crumpled into an even deeper frown. It was totally at odds with her usual free-spirited style. And so was her current outfit for that matter.

I looked the gray suit up and down, pausing briefly to take in the bright red clogs.“Sharon, what are you—?”

“Wearing?” she finished for me, her smile returning. “I have a meeting with the show’s publicist, and I had no idea what they wanted from me, so a nice lady at the store helped me select this business suit. I hate it, but hopefully it will show I’m good at taking direction. She gave me shoes, too, but they were terribly uncomfortable. Luckily these clogs from my visit to New Amsterdam paired nicely.” She paused to suck in a quick breath. “I know Chessy is the star, but I’m the one who signed all the papers, so…”

“You look great, Sharon,” Charles said with a friendly grin. “Very professional.”

She blushed mightily.“Why, thank you, kind sir.”

Charles shifted his weight on the bed, jostling me in the process. Sharon sat opposite us on Octo-Cat’s bed while he worked on his fish filet on the floor.

“Hey, Sharon,” Charles said, balling up his burger wrapper and tossing it back in the bag. “While we have you here, maybe you can help us with something.”

Sharon straightened her posture and placed her hands in her lap.“Anything.” She was batting her eyelashes again. Oh, brother.