Sitting back on my heels, I took the tag in my hand.

“So that cat does belong to Grandma. I’m glad I fed her, then.”

I put the collar back onto the pet bed and made my way back downstairs. When I walked into the kitchen to see if Jade was still eating, I noticed a small cat door built into the door leading out to the backyard. The empty bowls sat on the kitchen floor where I’d left them.

I felt an unexpected pang of disappointment at the cat’s departure, wishing it had at least stayed the night. Cats were nocturnal, though, so she had probably gone out to hunt. With a shrug, I went back upstairs, feeling very tired.

After making a cup of coffee and some breakfast the next morning, I sat down to make a list of everything that needed to be done in the house and the shop. Though the old house was cleaner than the shop, it still needed a good deep going over and an airing out.

I decided to work on the house that morning since I’d done a lot at the shop the day before. Turning on some loud music, I opened all the windows and dusted all the surfaces thoroughly. After that, I did some sweeping, mopping and vacuumed the rugs.

As I went along, I daydreamed about the furniture and fixtures I would someday buy. That awful claw-foot tub in the upstairs bathroom would be the first to go, followed by the dated gas stove and tiny fridge.

The first floor looked and smelled great by the time I finished, the fresh air from outside helping with the mustiness. As I walked into the kitchen to put away the breakfast dishes, the door flapped and Jade walked in.

“Hello, there. Did you have a good hunt last night?”

Giving a grumbly meow, Jade stretched out on the floor, making little scratchy motions with her paws. The stretch was so cute that I had to resist the urge to reach out and pat her head.

“You know, you’re welcome to stay here. It looks like you and Grandma knew each other. I won’t force you, though.”

As I peered more closely at the little animal, I saw that the edges of one of her ears was cut up, a part of the skin actually missing as if something had taken a bite out of it. Crouching down, I reached out instinctively, then drew my hand back.

“You poor little thing! What happened? Did you get in a fight with another cat?”

She hissed as I reached forward once more.

“Look, I should probably take you to a vet or something. That looks like it hurts.”

Jade narrowed her eyes. I stared at her, wondering if it was normal cat behavior. With a sigh, I sat back. I didn’t have a cat carrier, so getting her to a vet didn’t look like a viable option. I wasn’t sure she’d even let me put some antibiotic ointment on it.

I held up my hands in a helpless gesture.

“I want to help you, little lady, but you won’t let me.”

It’s fine. It’ll heal soon.

I jumped back as if I’d been electrified, the cat causing me to fall back on my butt once again.

“Did…did you just talk?”

Chapter Four

The cat cocked her head to the side.

Yes.

“You can talk?”

I felt like a broken record, but my brain just couldn’t process what I was witnessing.

“But you’re a cat.”

Well spotted. I am indeed a cat.

I almost laughed at the cat’s sarcasm but couldn’t quite manage it in my shocked state. A weird, strangled gasp came out instead.

“Then how can you talk?”

Jade flumped down onto her side and began licking her paw.

That’s a story for another day.

I sat back on my heels, wondering how to get the cat to tell me her story, when I caught sight of the clock on the microwave. It was ten minutes to noon.

“Crap! I’m gonna be late!”

I stood up and headed for the front hall. “I’ll be back later, Jade. Feel free to hang out here.”

Grabbing my bag, I locked up and hustled to my car.

As it turned out, I didn’t need to worry. Deena’s was less than five minutes from the house. Climbing out of the car, I hurried inside to see Theresa waiting for me at a booth near the door. I slid into the seat opposite, feeling a little weird eating lunch with someone I barely knew.

Then again, I’d been hoping to make a friend when I moved here, and now I had two.

“How are you doing?”

She greeted me with a smile, her menu lying on the table under her folded hands. I smiled back.

“Good, thanks! I got some cleaning done at the house today, and my friend Maria helped me clean up the shop yesterday, so it should be ready to open soon.”

Theresa visibly paled.

“Is everything okay?”

Her eyes widened. “Did you say Maria?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah…I met her my first day here. She offered to help me clean and brought me a basket of goodies.”

Theresa drummed her fingers on the table and glanced out the window. “Oh…that’s nice.”

My brow furrowed in confusion, but Theresa straightened up and took her hand off the table.

“I’m so glad about your shop,” she continued. “I really wish I could be there when it opens, but I’m just here for a short visit with my brothers.”

I was still feeling unsettled by her reaction to my mention of Maria, but she seemed to be trying to change the subject, so I went along with it.

“Do you just have two brothers?”