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“You probably still need to advertise more,” Callie said. “You’re not going to see an immediate turnaround just because you saved Mariposa Street.”
“You’ve told me that a million times.” Aria folded her arms with a sigh. “Why do you still think I haven’t figured out the most basic facts of running a business?”
Callie pressed her lips together. Her relationship with Aria had come a long way since her sister had proven herself by keeping the café open and going up against a billion-dollar property developer, but they still tended to revert to their contentious relationship.
“I don’t think you haven’t figured it out,” she said. “I’m proud of you for what you’ve done here. I’ve told you that.”
It was the truth, too. After years of stops and starts, Aria had finally buckled down and gotten the job done, saving several dozen orphaned cats in the process.
Though Callie appreciated her sister’s soft-hearted approach to business—at least it was better than Aria’s previous ventures into handmade hemp jewelry and sitar-playing—she still thought the location on rundown Mariposa Street was poor planning. Aria wasn’t likely to turn a real profit until the whole district was renovated well enough to draw visitors…which could take a while.
“It’s your business,” Callie told her sister. “I promise, I’ll stay out of it.”
“You have a hard time staying out of anything.”
Callie suppressed a rush of irritation. “I’m staying out of your plans for Mom’s birthday, aren’t I? You and Rory are taking the reins, and I want nothing to do with it.”
“You’re not upset about that, are you?” Aria bit her lip, her eyes suddenly crinkling with worry. “I know high tea was always your thing for Mom’s birthday. Rory and I just thought she might want to do something different, especially after her surgery.”
“It’s fine.” Callie picked up the New York itinerary Aria had left on the coffee table and scanned it again. “In fact, it’s a really nice idea. Let me know how much I owe you for her airfare and everything else.”
“Here you go.” Rory pushed through the door separating the Cat Lounge from the café, carrying two iced coffees. She handed one cup to Aria and one to Callie. “What’d you think of the itinerary?”
“Mom is going to love it. Thanks.” Callie took the coffee. She’d been debating whether or not to ask her sisters about their mother’s date. If it turned out Aria and Rory had known for weeks that Eleanor was dating, then Callie would be even more hurt that her mother had left her out of the loop.
Oddly enough, she wouldn’t be surprised, though.
Kit stalked in front of her again. A black cat crossing your path…that was bad luck. As Kit paced back and forth a few more times, Callie swore he was doing it on purpose. Payback for her refusal to adopt him.
Edging to the other end of the sofa, she sipped her coffee and casually asked, “Hey, have either of you seen Mom this week?”
“Just at the bakery.” Rory flopped into a chair and pulled a packet of gummy worms from her pocket. “She cancelled our dinner the other night. Said she was busy.”
“The question is…busy with what?” Aria lifted her cat Jumbo and nuzzled his ears.
Callie sighed. “I saw her on Wednesday night, actually. She was at a restaurant in Rainwood with a man I didn’t recognize. It wasn’t a business dinner either.”
Aria and Rory stared at each other, then at Callie.
“Really?” Aria lifted her eyebrows, a smile spreading over her face. “Mom was on a date?”
“That’s what it looked like.”
“Good for her.” Rory began gnawing on a cherry gummy worm.
Callie’s stomach tensed. Why couldn’t she feel the same way?
“Wait a minute.” Aria set Jumbo down and straightened. “At the bakery yesterday, I overheard her telling Mayor Bowers that she was thinking of going to an art show in San Francisco and staying overnight. You don’t suppose she’s going with this guy, do you?”
“Overnight?” Callie shook her head. “No way. They can’t have been dating for long.”
“In case you didn’t know, there’s no timeframe for a good banging,” Rory remarked.
“Rory!” Aria poked Rory’s booted foot.
“Kidding.” Rory grinned and bit the head off another gummy worm. “Actually, no, I’m not.”
Aria laughed. “For the record, Calliedoesn’tknow that.”
