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“I’m an artist. Paintings.”
“Nice. Give me your website where I can look at your work. Brianna might want some for the house and cabins.”
“That would be great.” Jimmy pulled out a card and handed it to him. “I do mostly landscapes, though apparently those are falling out of favor. People want farm animals.”
Owen laughed. “Yeah, I have to admit, we have a few of those. Dairy cows and roosters.”
“What is up with that?” Jimmy asked. “I’m feeling so much pressure for cute critters and anything Christmas.”
Owen looked at him, his eyebrows raised. “Oh, boy, have you come to the right place, and Roni’s little sister, Jenni, runs an animal rescue. Not just dogs and cats, either. We’re talking lots of farm animals and horses. I’ll take you to check out the farm anytime you want.”
“Thanks, I might just take you up on that. The owner of the gallery who shows my work thinks I need to find the spirit of Christmas. I figured if I don’t find it in Pineville, I won’t find it anywhere.”
Owen pulled open the door and they walked in. “Isn’t that the truth. Roni, Brianna, and their friends are practically the queens of Christmas in Pineville these days. They start planning in September.”
“I know!” Jimmy shook his head. “It’s crazy.”
“Hey, Owen,” Roni called from the behind the counter, then stopped as she saw Jimmy.
“Hey! Oh, there’s Spooky.” Owen walked over and stroked the cat.
Jimmy followed. The cat was staring directly at him again with that weird look. Spooky was a perfect name for him.
“This is the strangest cat I’ve ever seen,” Jimmy muttered. “It’s like he’s looking right through me.”
“He is.” Owen laughed. “That’s why they call him Spooky. But I tell you, Roni has never loved any animal like she loves that cat.”
Jimmy reached out and petted the soft fur on Spooky’s head. The cat instantly rubbed himself against Jimmy’s hand and started to purr.
Surprise filled Owen’s face. “Wow, he likes you. Trust me, he doesn’t act that way toward everyone.”
“Really?” Surprised, Jimmy smiled at the cat. He wasn’t really a cat person. For that matter, he wasn’t a dog person either. His mother was allergic, so they never had animals in the house while he was growing up.
Over Owen’s shoulder, he saw Roni looking at him, a strange expression on her face.
They ordered a couple hot decaf drinks and cookies and took a seat by the fireplace. “Brianna is talking to her mom, and then she’s meeting me here. We’re going out to dinner. You and Roni should join us. It would be like old times.”
It sure would. The four of them were thick as thieves back in the day. Those were good times, but he didn’t see it happening again. “I’m pretty sure Roni doesn’t want to be in the same room as me, let alone sit at the same table.”
“And with good reason,” Roni said, delivering their drinks and cookies. “Your friend here has turned into a double-dealing, double-crossing coward,” she told Owen.
Owen’s eyebrows raised. “Wow, that’s a lot of doubles.”
Jimmy shrugged. “Guilty as charged. That’s why I came here tonight, to throw myself on your mercy and apologize. Do you forgive me?” He looked up at her and flashed a wide smile.
A moment of surprise crossed her face before her eyes narrowed. “Seriously? You think you can come in here and smile at me and all is forgiven? What are we, still in high school?”
“You’re right, “ Jimmy said. “I should have been upfront from the start. I was wrong.”
Before he could say anything more, Spooky jumped up into his lap.
Roni’s mouth dropped open as she stared at her cat. “Spooky? What kind of traitor are you?”
Spooky turned in a circle, then settled down and started to purr.
Jimmy looked down at the cat in his lap and grinned. “See, even your cat wants us to be friends.”
Roni stared at the cat for a long moment. “He has never done that with anyone before.”
