I wasn't the only one either. The gig included Gwen and my sister Harper, too. All three of us had agreed to pet-sit while my aunt was away in Switzerland, consoling a friend who was going through a messy divorce.
My aunt would be gone through the holidays and maybe longer. Her schedule was still up in the air, which meant that I didn't yet know how long I would be staying.
But I did knowtwothings for certain. It was mid-November, and I was babysitting cats for cash.
Don't get me wrong. I loved my aunt.I loved cats.And I especially loved kittens, which was fortunate, because three of the little cutie-pies were asleep in a basket near the fireplace.
They looked so adorable, I could hardly stand it.
But nothing – not even a basketful of kittens – could make me smile as I suddenly realized something. I whirled to Gwen and said, "You know what this means, don't you?"
She was still looking outside. "No, what?"
I gave a hard swallow. "He probably lives there."
"Oh come on," she laughed. "Even if that's his car, he might be only visiting." Her tone grew earnest as she turned to face me. "Just think about it. That's a four-car garage, right?"
I gave a jerky nod.
"So if he's living there," she continued, "why didn't he pull into the garage? Itissnowing outside."
Something in my shoulders eased. With a slow nod, I said, "You know, that's a really good point." One thing I loved about Gwen, she always found a way to look on the bright side.
"And besides," she added, "even if heisliving there, you don't need to talk to him."
Forget talking to him. I didn't wantseehim either. More to the point, I didn't want him to seeme.
When I'd marched out of his office, I'd had visions – not of dancing sugarplums – but of finding a better job right away.This hadn't happened.Although I'd had a few terrific leads and some promising interviews, nothing had panned out.
By now, I was pretty sure I knew why.
It was because ofhim.
Even though I hadn't listed Cole Henster as a reference, Winterville Chocolates had been the last place I'd worked full-time and my only professional job since graduating from college. Probably, I was being blacklisted for quitting with no notice –andin an elf suit no less.
Perversely, I stillhadthe thing because, well, it was mine, actually. Even though I'd been required to dress up for those company events, it's not like I'd received a costume allowance to pay for it.
At the time, I hadn't minded so much. But now, with money being so tight, I was minding a lot of things that hadn't bothered me until now.
Just then, I heard something rustle between me and the front window. When I turned to look, I spotted not just one, buttwokittens scampering up the branches of my aunt's nearest Christmas tree.
This year, she had five full-size trees scattered throughout the house – one for each kitten – or so my aunt had explained when I'd asked her why she'd set up so many.
As far as the kittens, they were twelve weeks old – big enough to outjump ten lords a-leaping, but small enough to squeeze into all sorts of tight spots. They had a way of getting into everything – cupboards, shoes, and gift bags, too.
And boy, did they love a good Christmas tree.
When I'd arrived two days ago, the trees had been already set up – not decorated, but standing very securely in heavy-duty stands.
On her way out of the house, my aunt had mentioned that we could decorate the trees if we wanted, but cautioned against using breakable bulbs or anything that might shatter if it hit the floor. "Trust me," she'd laughed. "I know from experience."
ThisI totally believed.
In addition to the five kittens, my aunt had one adult cat, Miss Lucy, the gray tabby who'd given birth to the kittens. Two of the kittens were gray like Lucy while three of them were orange, presumably like their father. Miss Lucy and her youngsters were now our responsibility – for the next few weeks, anyway.
I was just turning back to Gwen when I caught movement across the street.Oh, no.With a little yelp, I cried out, "Duck!" As I spoke, I followed my own advice, diving deep below window level.
From somewhere above, Gwen asked, "What are you doing?"
