flowers I’d ever seen.
“Uh-oh,” I replied as I glared at the colorful display.
Jeremy frowned. “Someone sends you a fantastic bouquet and all you can say is ‘uh-oh’?”
“It’s not my birthday or my anniversary and I haven’t been ill, so a display of this size delivered on a random weekday morning can only mean one thing.”
“‘I love you’?” Jeremy tried. “Or maybe ‘I miss you’? Zak has been out of town for over a week.”
“A single rose means I love you , a small display means I miss you , but a bouquet of this size can only mean I’m sorry .”
Jeremy looked more closely at the flowers. “I don’t see a card. Maybe you have a secret admirer.”
I crossed the room after setting the kitten I was holding on the floor. Jeremy was right; there was no card, but I knew the flowers had to be from Zak. “Something tells me I’d better call Zak.”
“Go ahead and use my office. I’ll start putting the kittens away,” Jeremy offered.
Unfortunately, Zak didn’t pick up when I called. I knew he was busy trying to get things wrapped up so he could come home from his trip early. If there was something really bad going on he’d call me. Wouldn’t he? Maybe the flowers were simply an I’m sorry for not being here to deal with the Nona situation.
“I just got off the phone with Scott,” Jeremy informed me when I returned to my office. “He wants you to bring the kittens you have at your house by his office this afternoon if you have a chance. A couple of the blood samples he took seem suspicious and he wants to take another look.”
“Suspicious? Suspicious how?”
“He didn’t say. I’m sure he’ll fill you in when you stop by.”
I glanced at Charlie, who had wandered over to sit next to me. He’d been so patient, but I could tell he was ready to call it a day. “I’ll head home and get them now. Call Scott back and tell him I’m on my way.”
I sure hoped nothing serious was wrong with those babies. It’d only been a couple of days, but I was already attached to the little fur balls. There was one orange-and-white kitten in particular who had wormed his way into my heart. Marlow would have a fit if I brought yet another cat into the family, but I had to admit that given enough time it was going to be close to impossible to let the little guy go.
When I arrived at home I noticed a strange car in the drive. I began to get an even worse feeling about the bouquet that had been delivered as I considered the possibilities. The car could belong to someone visiting Nona, but the feeling of dread that I couldn’t quite quell convinced me that our visitor was someone worthy of a bouquet costing several hundred dollars.
My worst fears were confirmed when I walked into the house. “Mrs. Zimmerman?” It took every ounce of control I had to keep from hyperventilating as the artfully dressed woman paused to look me up and down.
“Really, dear, now that you’re Zachary’s wife you really should pay more attention to your personal grooming. You look like a street urchin.”
“I was at the Zoo playing with kittens, a job that really doesn’t require designer clothing. What are you doing here?”
“I heard Nona has been causing you problems and I’m here to help.”
Oh no, no, no. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. Zak’s mom didn’t like Nona, and as far as I could tell, the feeling was mutual.
“That’s very sweet of you,” I managed to croak out, “but I think I have everything under control. There really isn’t any need for you to stay. I know how busy you are.”
“Nonsense. Nona is a Zimmerman, and if there is a problem with a Zimmerman you can bet a Zimmerman will take care of it.”
“Nona isn’t a Zimmerman,” I pointed out.
“Yes, well, close enough. Now which rooms can we use?”
“Rooms? As in more than one?”
“Nona can be a handful, so I brought help.” Mrs. Zimmerman smiled, as if she were delivering the best news in the
“Uh-oh,” I replied as I glared at the colorful display.
Jeremy frowned. “Someone sends you a fantastic bouquet and all you can say is ‘uh-oh’?”
“It’s not my birthday or my anniversary and I haven’t been ill, so a display of this size delivered on a random weekday morning can only mean one thing.”
“‘I love you’?” Jeremy tried. “Or maybe ‘I miss you’? Zak has been out of town for over a week.”
“A single rose means I love you , a small display means I miss you , but a bouquet of this size can only mean I’m sorry .”
Jeremy looked more closely at the flowers. “I don’t see a card. Maybe you have a secret admirer.”
I crossed the room after setting the kitten I was holding on the floor. Jeremy was right; there was no card, but I knew the flowers had to be from Zak. “Something tells me I’d better call Zak.”
“Go ahead and use my office. I’ll start putting the kittens away,” Jeremy offered.
Unfortunately, Zak didn’t pick up when I called. I knew he was busy trying to get things wrapped up so he could come home from his trip early. If there was something really bad going on he’d call me. Wouldn’t he? Maybe the flowers were simply an I’m sorry for not being here to deal with the Nona situation.
“I just got off the phone with Scott,” Jeremy informed me when I returned to my office. “He wants you to bring the kittens you have at your house by his office this afternoon if you have a chance. A couple of the blood samples he took seem suspicious and he wants to take another look.”
“Suspicious? Suspicious how?”
“He didn’t say. I’m sure he’ll fill you in when you stop by.”
I glanced at Charlie, who had wandered over to sit next to me. He’d been so patient, but I could tell he was ready to call it a day. “I’ll head home and get them now. Call Scott back and tell him I’m on my way.”
I sure hoped nothing serious was wrong with those babies. It’d only been a couple of days, but I was already attached to the little fur balls. There was one orange-and-white kitten in particular who had wormed his way into my heart. Marlow would have a fit if I brought yet another cat into the family, but I had to admit that given enough time it was going to be close to impossible to let the little guy go.
When I arrived at home I noticed a strange car in the drive. I began to get an even worse feeling about the bouquet that had been delivered as I considered the possibilities. The car could belong to someone visiting Nona, but the feeling of dread that I couldn’t quite quell convinced me that our visitor was someone worthy of a bouquet costing several hundred dollars.
My worst fears were confirmed when I walked into the house. “Mrs. Zimmerman?” It took every ounce of control I had to keep from hyperventilating as the artfully dressed woman paused to look me up and down.
“Really, dear, now that you’re Zachary’s wife you really should pay more attention to your personal grooming. You look like a street urchin.”
“I was at the Zoo playing with kittens, a job that really doesn’t require designer clothing. What are you doing here?”
“I heard Nona has been causing you problems and I’m here to help.”
Oh no, no, no. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. Zak’s mom didn’t like Nona, and as far as I could tell, the feeling was mutual.
“That’s very sweet of you,” I managed to croak out, “but I think I have everything under control. There really isn’t any need for you to stay. I know how busy you are.”
“Nonsense. Nona is a Zimmerman, and if there is a problem with a Zimmerman you can bet a Zimmerman will take care of it.”
“Nona isn’t a Zimmerman,” I pointed out.
“Yes, well, close enough. Now which rooms can we use?”
“Rooms? As in more than one?”
“Nona can be a handful, so I brought help.” Mrs. Zimmerman smiled, as if she were delivering the best news in the
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