He blinked at her, long and slow. Maybe she was imagining it, but she thought that for a split second, she detected a hint of trust in those eyes. Gratitude too.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
* * *
Myrtle waitedfor the door to swing shut after Julie before she let the smile spread across her face. Humming to herself, she returned to the back room. She passed cage after empty cage until she came to the few occupied with cats needing a home. She stopped in front of Gracie’s cage. The Persian cat swished her fluffy tail and gave a smallmrrrow?
“Not right now, sweetheart,” Myrtle said, though she slipped her fingers in between the bars to scratch the cat between the ears. “I have to call Ida to let her know her granddaughter just came in. But don’t you worry. I’ll find a home for you.”
Across from Gracie, a large tiger cat named George gave a loud meow. Myrtle reached her hand in to pet him. “You, too, George.”
She pulled her hand away and looked at all the cats in her care. “I’ll find the perfect home for all of you. People don’t know they need a cat until they’re shown. Like Julie. I’m sure after she has this one for a few days, she’ll be so in love, she’ll have to keep him.”
Myrtle fetched her phone and settled into the rocker in the corner to make the call. Ida picked up after two rings.
“Ida, it’s Myrtle. You were right. Julie came in with the cat, just like you said she would.”
Her friend sounded worried as she responded, “How was he? I was afraid, leaving him without anything there at the inn.”
“He’s fine. Used to be an old barn cat, though I think he’s always been a house cat at heart. And before you ask, I told Julie the shelter was full up. She took the cat home with her.”
If anything, Ida sounded relieved. “Good. She was always following that old cat of hers everywhere, and I know her apartment doesn’t allow for pets. If she has this cat, it will be one more reason for her to stay in Pinecone Falls.”
Myrtle rocked back and forth, content in her most favorite room in the whole world. “I’m sure you’re right. She’s not a city girl at heart. But are you sure this is what you want? I know you’re a sneeze away from selling the property to Klaus Miller.”
“I haven’t finalized anything yet. It would be easy to back out of the sale, and just as easy to go through with it if Julie decides to go back to Boston after Christmas. But retirement doesn’t suit me. I’d still be running that inn if I could do it on my own.”
“Well, I hope she stays for your sake, then. It would be nice to have you back in town. The place isn’t the same without you.”
“Julie loves that inn like I do,” Ida answered, her voice wistful. “I’m sure once she sees what Pinecone Falls can offer, she’ll stay to help me run it. I suppose only time will tell… I only hope Klaus doesn’t butt his head in and screw things up.”
Myrtle shook her head. She wanted to say that that would never happen, but she and Ida had known Klaus a long time. “That man didn’t use to be so grumpy. I suppose life has a way of beating you down.”
“Not always. Life is what you make of it, and we’re going to make the best of it. Julie too.”
Myrtle smiled. “I hope you’re right.”
Chapter 6
Pinecone Falls Pets didn’t have a sign on the door stating not to bring in a potentially murderous cat in a carrier, so Julie carried her temporary companion with her into the shop. The bell attached to the door jingled, but the store was suspiciously quiet. Julie glanced from side to side, taking in the aisles of pet food and toys—no pets themselves appeared to be sold in store. The door shut behind her, cutting off the stream of cold winter air.
No one else was in the shop. The counter to the right was empty, fitted with one of those new registers that worked off of a tablet instead of the clunky registers still found in most big-box retail stores. For a second, Julie wondered whether it was meant to be a self-serve option, but if so, who was to stop people from just taking what they wanted and walking out the door? No, the tablet was facing in the wrong direction. Someone was definitely meant to be behind it. Maybe they’d gone to the washroom or something.
Julie wasn’t used to this kind of solitude while shopping. Even the small boutiques in downtown Boston always had employees ready to help—or watch—customers, a few of which were always in the store. Julie couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in a store by herself. Even shopping after midnight at a twenty-four-hour grocery store, being the only customer wasn’t a guarantee.
Shaking off her unease at the quiet, she set the cat carrier on top of the counter and started wandering the aisles for cat food. The aisles were neatly labeled by animal, so it wasn’t difficult to find. In the back of one aisle, she crouched down and crunched some numbers in her head to try to decide which of these brands was the best deal. She didn’t want to buy something that was only marginally better than powdered donuts. But she wasn’t planning on keeping this cat, so she didn’t want to invest in the expensive stuff either. In the end, she grabbed five cans of varying flavors. The cat would be gone long before then, she hoped.
“Well. You couldn’t have come into the store by yourself.”
Something about the woman’s voice tickled at Julie’s ears. Raising her free hand, she waved and straightened. “Sorry, he’s with me. I just need to pick up a few things to tide him over for a few days.”
“Julie?”
Julie tore her gaze away from the cat food display and toward the front of the store, where a petite woman in jeans and a T-shirt with a paw print had stopped in front of the counter. She had pulled her brown hair into a ponytail, but it was so curly, it looked more like a poof at the back of her head. Julie recognized her immediately.
“Ivy? My goodness, you’re still here? It’s been forever!” Memories of childhood escapades with Ivy rushed in. They’d been inseparable when Julie would visit Gram. She didn’t see Ivy the rest of the year, but every time she came to visit, they picked up the friendship as if no time had passed. But Julie had “outgrown” visiting Gram before high school and hadn’t seen Ivy since. She chased away a pang of guilt at not keeping in touch.
The brunette rolled her eyes and propped her hands on both hips. “Tell me about it. You shouldn’t be such a stranger! And yes, I still live here. Well, I live here again. I left for college and came back. I own the store, actually.”
