The Cat of Christmas Future

by Kathi Daley

  Tara hugged me. “Okay, thanks. I’ll try not to be too long.”

  Tara had a way of figuring out the perfect gift for any person on any occasion, while I had a hard time coming up with anything more personal or creative than a sweater or piece of sporting equipment. Cody and I had managed to knock out our list with our mail-order marathon, but I still needed something for him and was totally clueless as to what to get the man who seemed to have everything he wanted and needed.

  “Excuse me, miss.” A young woman holding the hand of a blond-haired preschooler who looked to be three or maybe four walked up behind me.

  “Yes, can I help you?”

  “I’m interested in one of the kittens you have in the lounge. I understand they’re available for adoption.”

  “To the right person. Which kitten are you interested in?”

  “The fuzzy white one. Annabelle seems to have fallen in love with her.”

  “Do you live here on the island?” I asked.

  “We just moved here two months ago. Annabelle loves animals, but until now we’ve lived in an apartment, so we haven’t had the opportunity to let her have one.”

  I turned and looked at the child. “How old are you, Annabelle?”

  “Five.”

  Older than I thought.

  “Have you held a kitten before?”

  “A couple of times. My cousins have cats.”

  “Okay. Let’s go back to the lounge to see if you and Snow White like each other.”

  I told Cassie to keep an eye on the counter, then led the woman and her daughter back to the cat lounge. I had Annabelle sit on one of the sofas and gently put Snow White into her arms.

  I was glad to see the little girl held the kitten firmly yet not too tight. Some younger kids held the cats so tightly it frightened them, but Annabelle didn’t appear to be at all afraid of the animal and Snow White seemed content to allow the girl to hold her.

  “There’s an application that needs to be filled out if you’re interested in adopting Snow White.”

  The woman glanced at her daughter. “Are you sure about this, Annabelle?”

  “Oh, I am. Please, Mama?”

  The mother looked at me. “I’ll take an application.”

  I watched Annabelle with the kitten while her mother filled out the paperwork I gave her. She spoke softly to the kitten, who responded by purring loudly. Occasionally, I’m hesitant to place a kitten with such a young child, but in this case my instinct told me Snow White and Annabelle were going to be very happy together.

  I glanced at the application the woman handed me. She lived with her husband and daughter in a three-bedroom house with a fenced yard. Her daughter went to Harthaven Elementary School, her husband worked for the local utility company, and the woman worked as a housekeeper for the Harthaven Inn.

  “You work for Jennifer,” I stated.

  “I do. She’s a very nice woman and so far, I’ve enjoyed my job quite a lot. Not only is Jennifer extremely easy to get along with, but she’s been flexible with my hours, and the guests who stay at the Inn are very nice as well.”

  “It’s a lovely place,” I agreed. “There’s a man who’s been staying there named Bryce Barrington. Do you know him?”

  “Sure, I know Bryce. Whenever I went in to clean his room he’d play me a song on his guitar. It was the highlight of my day, although he hasn’t been there for more than a week.”

  “I need to speak to him about a fairly important matter. Do you happen to know if he’s coming back?”

  She hesitated.

  “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable if you’d rather not say.”

  “You seem nice enough and I’m sure your business with Bryce is on the up-and-up. I don’t know for certain what his plans are because he left without saying anything to me, but he did leave some of his belongings in his room, including his guitar, so my guess is that, yes, he’ll return.”

  I smiled. “Great. I’ll catch up with him when he gets back. As for the kitten, Snow White looks like she loves Annabelle, who appears to return the affection. Your application seems to be in order, so if you’d like to adopt the kitten I think we can proceed. I’ll give you a list of items you’ll need, including high-quality cat food, a cat bed, and a litter box. If you plan to travel with her you’ll also need a cat carrier. We have a cardboard carrier you can use to get her home and to the veterinarian. Once you have everything together come on back and I’ll load your new baby into your car.”

  “Speaking of the veterinarian, will she need shots? Can you recommend someone?”

  “The kitten has had her first shots and you’ll get a voucher to have the cat spayed. It’s a good idea to establish a relationship with your vet right away. The packet I’ll give you has the name and contact information of two. Both are excellent, so whichever is closer to where you live should be fine. I’ll also give you my cell number in case you have any questions. We want you and Snow White to be happy.”

  She shook my hand. “Thank you. I think we’ll love having Snow White as a part of our family.”

  After Annabelle and her mother left I headed back to the half of the building that housed the bookstore. There was still a long line to see Santa, but both Willow and Alex had huge smiles on their faces, so I thought they’d be fine until their lunch break at one. Based on the line that had already formed, I realized I’d have to cut the line off for the time being so we didn’t end up with people waiting through Alex’s break.

  The fact that Bryce had left his guitar behind indicated to me that he did plan to return. Even though Willow had seemed fine since the trip to Homer, I figured she’d be relieved to hear it, so I pulled her aside and shared my news.

  “That’s great,” she replied.

  I couldn’t help but notice her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You do still want to have him sign off on the adoption?”

  “Of course. I know that allowing the Plimptons to adopt my son is the best thing for him. It’s just that I’ve enjoyed being here on the island and at the store. I’ll be sorry when my errand is over.”

  “Tara and I want you to stay for as long as you want. We need the help and we’d love it if you’d consider something longer term. At least until the baby’s born.”

  Willow glanced at Alex. I couldn’t help but notice the frown that crossed her face. “Can I think about it and let you know?”

  “Absolutely. Take as much time as you need.”

  Cody called me a short time later to ask if I wanted to go to lunch. I told him I’d let Tara go, though I was hungry, and he offered to buy takeout to bring to the bookstore. Cassie could keep her eye on the front and we could eat in the office, and if a load of customers came in at once, we’d be there to help if necessary. The next ferry wasn’t due until after two and I was pretty sure Tara would be back by then.

  ******

  “They have new rolls at the deli,” I commented a half hour later as Cody handed me a turkey sandwich on a parmesan-crusted roll.

  “They still have the rolls they’ve always had, but they added three new flavors. I decided we should try two of them, so I got cracked pepper for myself.”

  “Did you finish the article you’ve been working on?”

  “I have. And, even better, I heard from Olivia.”

  I was almost afraid to ask about the outcome, but Cody had said “even better.” “And…?”

  “And she told me that her daughter had called her and they spoke. Rosemary hasn’t committed to coming for Christmas, but she was willing to think about it, so Olivia considers we’ve met our half of the deal and will be happy to donate the land for the park.”

  I grinned. “That’s wonderful.”

  “Now I just need to present the package to the island council. If I can get them to go along with the plan Burt should be back in his house by New Year’s.”

  “Will there even be a council meeting between now and New Year’s?”

  “No. But I’ve made appointme
nts with each of the council members. Forrester has said that if I can get them to sign off on at least entertaining the concept he’ll allow Burt back into his home, although he won’t sign the deed back over to him until the deal is complete and everything has been signed.”

  I leaned forward and hugged Cody. “That’s terrific. Have you told Burt?”

  “No, and I’m not going to until I speak to the council members. I’m hoping by the end of the day tomorrow we’ll at least have a verbal agreement to proceed with my idea.”

  “Do you want me to come with you to talk to everyone?”

  “Actually,” Cody said, “Siobhan has agreed to come with me. She has the respect of the entire council and I think they’ll listen to her. My last appointment for today isn’t until seven, so I’m afraid I’ll have to cancel dinner.”

  “I’ll make something. We can share a late meal when you get done and use the time to catch each other up on our day.”

  Cody leaned over and kissed me quickly on the lips. “Deal.”

  Chapter 12

  I decided to call Grayson after Cody left to thank him for passing along my message. To be honest, I hadn’t been sure he would. It was hard for me to understand how a parent could turn her back on her own child, but I guess I could imagine how difficult the situation had been for him. He hadn’t been in love with Willow, had, in fact, been in love with another woman, and I found I could imagine how fear of losing her had played into his actions.

  “Grayson, hi, it’s Cait Hart.”

  “Cait. How are you?”

  “I’m good. I just wanted to thank you for passing along my message. I heard Rosemary had called her mother and they’d had a pleasant conversation.”

  I listened as Grayson let out a breath. “I’m glad it worked out. When I spoke to Rosemary she seemed uncertain. I wasn’t sure she would call. I’m glad she did.”

  “It’s been ten years. I imagine both of them have changed in that time. Maybe they can work something out.”

  “Yeah. Maybe.”

  “You sound uncertain.”

  “It’s not that,” Grayson answered. “It’s just that it’s been years since I spoke to Rosemary. Calling her on your behalf gave me a reason to catch up with her, and we had a very nice conversation. She told me about Hillary’s school play and the dance classes she loves so much. I know this might seem odd, considering I’ve never once met my daughter, but suddenly I realized I missed being part of her life.”

  “Do you think you’ll try to see her?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. I wouldn’t do it behind my wife’s back. I feel like our relationship is really solid. A lot more solid that it was when I first found out I was going to be a father. Maybe the time has come to tell her.”

  “It’s a risk for sure, but in the end it might be the best choice. Whatever you decide, your secret is safe with me and I wish you well.”

  I spoke to Grayson for a while longer before we hung up. There were times when the path before us appeared dark and uncertain. I hoped Grayson was able to find a way to incorporate all his children into his life.

  ******

  “So, did you find the gifts you wanted to buy?” I asked Tara later that afternoon.

  “I did. The necklace I found for Amy is exactly what I’d envisioned, and Maggie offered to make me a patchwork cover for my photo album out of fabric we’re going to harvest from a box of old clothes my mom gave me from when I was a kid.”

  “You have clothes from your childhood?”

  “A few things. A few favorite dresses and the T-shirt I got when my parents took me to Disneyland. Stuff like that. I’m kind of surprised my mom kept them. She isn’t really the sentimental sort.”

  “Are you sure you want to cut up your keepsakes?”

  “Yes. I’m going to make three photo album covers from them: one for Sister Mary, one for my mom, and one for me. They’ll be identical, with the same photos inside.”

  I loved the idea. “Christmas is in only a few days. Are you going to have enough time to make three photo albums?”

  “I already bought the albums. I gave them, along with the bag of clothes, to Maggie. She and Marley are going to take care of making the covers, so all I have to do is pick out some photos and make three copies of each one.”

  “You’re always so creative. I never know what to get for the people in my life.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I use the measuring cups you got me for Christmas last year all the time.”

  I frowned. “Are you making fun of my gift?”

  “No. I’m really not. In fact, I was very touched that you remembered I shared with you that my half-cup measuring cup had melted in the dishwasher.”

  I still wasn’t 100 percent certain Tara really had liked the gift or was teasing me, but I let it go. “Cody and I picked out gifts together this year, but I still have no idea what to get for him. You’re so good at gift giving. Any suggestions?”

  Tara twisted her lips to the side. “I have no idea what to get for Parker either. I feel like our relationship has gotten pretty serious, but we aren’t engaged or anything, so I hate to get him anything too personal. But a shirt or sweater doesn’t seem right either. What did you get Cody last year?”

  “A shirt. But,” I grinned, “instead of wrapping the shirt I wore it, and only it, to bed on Christmas Eve.”

  Tara laughed. “As creative as that sounds, Parker has Amy to consider, so I won’t be spending the night on Christmas Eve.”

  “I guess having a child in the mix does complicate things. Speaking of which, I had an interesting conversation with Willow earlier.”

  “Interesting how?”

  “I spoke to a woman this afternoon who works in housekeeping over at the Inn. I asked her about Bryce Barrington and she said he left some of his stuff in his room, including his guitar. That seemed to indicate to me that he planned to come back to Madrona Island. When I told Willow she said she was happy to hear it, but she didn’t seem happy to me.”

  “You think she’s beginning to change her mind about the adoption?” Tara asked.

  “I don’t know. She’s seemed different since she got back from Alaska. I think she and Alex might have something going on.”

  “I’ve noticed that as well. I guess if they got together that wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” I thought about what Tansy had said about the baby being at a crossroads. One path would lead him to his intended destiny and the other wouldn’t. When Willow told me about the wealthy couple she wanted to have adopt her baby I’d figured helping her make that happen was my task. Now I wasn’t so certain. Alex had a lot of money and could provide a top-rate education for Willow’s child too, but Tansy had made it sound like this was something that had only one right answer. “Just so you know,” I added, “I asked Willow to stay. At least until the baby’s born.”

  “And…?”

  “And she said she’d think about it. I had the feeling she’s uncertain about things with Alex but is interested enough to at least want to take him into consideration. Of course, I don’t know what she’s thinking. I’ve just formed some impressions based on her moods and behavior.”

  “I think I agree with you,” Tara said. “It does seem as if Alex has become part of the equation. I wonder if he knows that, and if he does, how he feels about it.”

  Suddenly, it occurred to me things might have become a whole lot more complicated.

  ******

  When Cody arrived with burgers and a frown later that evening I was pretty sure his day hadn’t gone the way he hoped. “Bad news?”

  Cody paused and tilted his head. He took a minute to place the burgers on the plates I’d set out before he answered. “I wouldn’t necessarily say bad news,” he responded as he bit into a french fry.

  “Maybe you should explain.” I took a sip of my wine and waited.

  “Siobhan told me that to amend an ordinance, which is basically what we want to do, we need a three-quart
ers vote rather than a simple majority. There are five council members, so we can only have one no vote for the proposal to go through. At this point we have two council members who’ve verbally agreed to my idea, although both wanted specific language in the amendment. Siobhan thinks we can meet their needs. We also have Hank Tyson, who’s on the fence. Of the two council members Siobhan and I plan to meet with tomorrow, she feels one will be a firm yes and one a firm no.”

  “So you have to convince Hank to vote for the amendment for it to pass.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Any ideas how to make sure he gets off the fence on your side?” I asked.

  “Siobhan thinks Hank can be swayed if offered the right incentive. He’s an elected official, so we can’t bribe him. According to her, he’s a reasonable man, so we’ll need to sway him using logic and intellect, not just emotion, or some combination of the tools available to us. I already tried the argument that the project would be good for the community, but that didn’t seem to do the trick. We’ll need to think of something else.”

  I picked up my napkin and wiped a drop of ketchup from my mouth. “What if we made it personal?” I asked. “We know there are quite a few young couples on the island who were born and grew up here and would like to stay and raise their own children here, but they’re looking at a reality where they’ll have to choose between home ownership and staying. What if we got together a group of people who would benefit from this amendment and let them plead their case directly to Hank and the other council members?”

  “That isn’t a bad idea. I don’t see how we can do something like that until after the New Year, but maybe we could put Hank into contact with two or three couples who fit the demographic we’re trying to help. Perhaps we could take Hank to lunch.”

  “We’ll need to do it tomorrow with Christmas next week.”

  “Do you know any couples who might be available on such short notice?”

  “I can come up with a few. You call Hank and ask him about lunch. I’ll call Siobhan and we’ll brainstorm the best couples to ask.”