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“The Butterwick Mall,” she corrected him, and playfully tapped him on the nose. They were in bed, the television softly playing in a corner of the room, and talking about how their day had been.

Both Charlene and Alec had a habit of going to bed late, and getting up early. Hard-working professionals, both of them, they didn’t get a lot of sleep during the week.

“I’ll have to ask him,” said Alec. “But it would surprise me that my sister and her husband would have bought a piece of land without telling me.”

“Maybe it belonged to Tex’s parents?” Charlene suggested.

“Could be,” he allowed. “But that still doesn’t explain why he doesn’t want to sell. Unless they’re not offering him enough.”

“Oh, they’re offering him plenty. In fact he can pretty much ask what he wants at this stage.”

“So you’ve decided then? The mall is happening?”

“It’s not up to me,” she said, lying back against her fluffed-up pillow. “I’ve asked for a special council meeting to discuss the matter. I hope the other council members will offer some good feedback. And of course all kinds of studies will need to be done. Environmental impact report, social assessment… Then the Planning and Zoning Commission will take a whack at it, we’ll set up meetings with the local community…”

“But the final decision is up to you?”

“As the Mayor my opinion carries a certain weight, sure.”

He shook his head.“I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes. Tough decision to make. If you say yes to the mall, shopkeepers and small business owners will be up in arms, and if you say no, plenty of locals will claim you’re standing in the way of progress.”

“Yeah, I know. Either way it won’t be easy.” She patted his big belly. “But let’s not talk about work, shall we? I get enough of that at the office. When I’m home with you I want to do other things.” And she wiggled her eyebrows meaningfully.

Alec grinned.“Oh, honey, I thought you’d never ask.”

[Êàðòèíêà: img_3]

We were returning from cat choir, Chase in tow, when suddenly the burly cop grunted,“Hang on a moment,” and strode out in front of us, taking on a vigilant stance and glancing this way and that, as if he’d suddenly become aware of nefarious activities.

“What is it, Max?” asked Dooley, concern lacing his voice.

“I don’t know, Dooley,” I said. “But it looks like Chase has seen or heard something.”

Which would frankly surprise me, as the ears of a cat are usually a lot better at picking up signs of danger than human ears. Then again, Chase is no ordinary human. He’s a cop who used to be in the NYPD, one of the country’s better-trained police forces.

“I think it’s the cat killer,” said Brutus as we all anxiously followed Chase’s every move. He was rooting through the bushes lining the sidewalk now, as if trying to catch whoever was lurking there, intent on causing us harm.

“I’m so glad Odelia asked Chase to be our bodyguard,” said Harriet. “Life is so much harder without your own personal bodyguard. In fact I think I’ll ask her to put Chase in charge of my bodyguard detail on a full-time basis from now on.”

“Chase has a day job, Harriet,” I pointed out. “You can’t expect him to guard us day and night.”

“Oh, yes, I can. And I’m sure he’d do it, too. He’s Odelia’s boyfriend, after all, so he has to do what she says.”

“Um… it’s not the job of a boyfriend to do everything his girlfriend says,” I pointed out.

“Yes, it is,” said Harriet, wide-eyed at my lack of understanding. “Of course it is.”

“No, it isn’t. Being a boyfriend isn’t like being at someone’s every beck and call, Harriet.”

“Yes, it is,” she said. “Isn’t that right, twinkle toes?”

“Um…” said Brutus. Clearly he hadn’t read the fine print when he’d signed up for boyfriend duty, for he looked a little stunned at Harriet’s interpretation of the tasks of a boyfriend.

“Look, I’m a princess, Max,” said Harriet, deciding to put me straight once and for all. “And every princess has a prince to look after her. And it’s the prince’s duty, but also his honor and his pleasure, to take care of his princess. Simple.”

“I very much doubt whether Chase would agree with you,” I said. “Or Odelia, for that matter.”

“Oh, of course they agree with me. Everybody knows this, Max, except you, of course. Which is probably why you’ve never been able to find yourself a girlfriend.”

I let the words hang in the air for a moment before replying.“I don’t have a girlfriend because I haven’t met the right one yet,” I said. “Not because I’m not willing to enter into indentured servitude, like you seem to expect from your boyfriends.”

“Oh, Max,” she said with a little sigh. “You just don’t get it, do you? And I’m starting to believe that you never will. Please explain it to him, Brutus. Or you know what? Maybe don’t bother. He won’t understand. Some cats never do.”

And with these words, she turned away from me, as if the mere act of talking to me had drained her.

Well, it certainly made me tired arguing with her, let me tell you. But luckily at that moment Chase returned from his sojourn in the bushes, and said,“All clear! Move out!”