Fat Cat Takes The Cake

The butterscotch tabby jumped down from the computer keyboard where he’d been napping, alert at the sound of the doorknob turning. It was early for evening din dins. He peered up at the friendly human, the one who fed him his meals and treats. The way his ears pricked and his eyes brightened, you would think he expected a treat. That was not to be. She merely threw a stack of mail onto the desk, next to the keyboard that was still warm from the cat’s body, stooped to rub his head, setting off his rumbling purr, and left.

The cat was left to swish his tail in annoyance, then resume his nap.

Inger Uhlgren, one of the salesclerks, was entering the kitchen for her break when Chase returned.

“I’ll check back later,” Julie said. “I have to go buy some groceries for myself.” She waved and went out to the large parking lot behind the building.

“It’s wild today,” Inger said, hopping onto the stool Anna had vacated. “Maybe I shouldn’t take my break.” She took another look at Anna’s beaming face. “What’s up, Mrs. Larson?”

Anna told her about getting invited to the Batter Battle.

“Congratulations!” Inger jumped off the stool to give her employer a hug.

“Look at you, leaping around,” Anna said, holding Inger at arm’s length to inspect her tiny baby bump. “You must be feeling a lot better.”

“I am, finally. The morning sickness went away a few days ago.” It was so good to see a smile on her pretty face. Inger’s delicate coloring—gray eyes, blonde curls over a wide forehead—combined with her small stature, made her seem like a fragile doll. She made both Chase and Anna want to take care of her.

“I’ll go,” Chase said. “You go ahead and take your break. You probably need to drink something.”

“Yes, ma’am, Ms. Oliver.” Inger gave Chase a mock salute.

“Call me Chase.” Why did her employees all insist on calling her Ms. Oliver? She grabbed a salesroom smock off the hook by the swinging double doors that led to the front of the shop, thinking how relieved she was that Inger’s morning sickness was gone. The poor girl had gotten pregnant shortly before her fiancé got shipped overseas with the military and killed in battle. On top of that, her parents had thrown her out when she told them she was expecting. Chase, Anna, and Julie had all stepped in to make sure she had a place to stay, trading her off among themselves, until her parents relented and took her back in, briefly. Inger had made all the arrangements and was due to move into her own apartment soon, a short walk from the shop. Chase still felt that they should all watch over her, not trusting the uneasy truce in the Uhlgren family.

Chase entered her salesroom with a huge smile. She couldn’t help it; she was so proud of the Bar None. She and Anna were co-owners, but Chase had designed the salesroom on her own. She took a moment to enjoy the wallpaper with broad stripes of raspberry and vanilla, the cotton-candy-pink shelves ranked along the sidewalls, the small round tables heaped with boxes of treats, and the glass display case at the rear.

This month, garlands of fake pine, tied with pink bows, looped above the shelves. Chase and Anna had opted for a pink-and-green Christmas décor, noting that red and green would look fairly awful with all the pink in the shop. Anna had placed a few white poinsettias in the corners and Inger had taken it upon herself to string up the holiday cards the Bar None had received. They hung on a long green ribbon behind the shiny glass case.

She took another glance at the glass. Oops, not so shiny at the moment. Smudges, from fingers pointing to selections on the shelves, were inevitable. It would have to wait for a cleaning, though. The shop was too busy now.

A family with five small children was leaving. No doubt those wee fingers were responsible for the latest smears near the bottom of the case. Even with the family of seven gone, the room was crowded.