Sweet Revenge (Cocoa Narel Chocolate Shop Mysteries Book 1) by Morgana Best Page B

shook my head. “No. Anyway I was with him just before he died, not when he died.”
    Carl held up his hands. “What does it matter, anyway? It’s a good thing they didn’t know, though.”
    “Anyway, I’m sure they’ll be back to their usual selves when the big sign goes up.” Carl looked blank, so I pressed on. “You know, the sign that says, Coco Narel Designer Chocolate Shop .”
    Carl chuckled. “Yes, I’m sure I’ll be interested to hear what they have to say then.”
    My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. “Well, I for one don’t want to hear what they have to say,” I said mournfully. “I know for a fact it won’t be nice.”
     
     

Chapter 7
     
    Carl had called to say he wanted to bring my Welcome Home gift over to my place instead of giving it to me at his place. He had certainly been mysterious about it. He really hated my decorating, so I wondered if it was a large item like a huge coffee table or an enormous painting that he didn’t want to transport from his place to mine.
    And so it was with some surprise that I opened my front door to see an empty-handed Carl standing there.
    “I suppose you’re wondering where your gift is,” he said with a smile.
    “Now that you mention it,” I said. “You said it was a big surprise. For a moment I wondered if the big surprise meant I wasn’t getting a gift after all.”
    Carl laughed. “I’m not one of The Populars. It’s in the car.”
    “The car?” I repeated. I peered behind him at his car. For a minute, I thought I saw his car shaking. We didn’t live in an earthquake prone area. I shook my head—perhaps disturbed vision was one of the after-effects of my accident. “Why didn’t you bring it in with you?” I asked him.
    “No, Narel,” Carl said. “I want you to go into your living room and sit on your sofa, and then I’ll bring in your gift.”
    I walked into my living room and turned around when I saw that Carl was following me. “You’re acting really weird. Why did you leave my gift in the car? What’s going on?”
    Carl practically pushed me onto the sofa. I leaned back against my cushions. Carl rubbed his chin, a mannerism of his that alerted me to the fact that he was nervous. Why would Carl possibly be nervous about giving me a gift?
    “Well, Narel, it’s like this. I haven’t got you a dog. I just thought I’d tell you that up front. I didn’t get you a dog because you eat so much chocolate, and you always have chocolate lying around, and as we both know, chocolate is dangerous to dogs.”
    I nodded. I wondered why Carl was telling me what sort of gifts he hadn’t got me.
    Carl was still talking. “No, I didn’t get you a puppy, but I did get you a pet.” He stared at me, no doubt waiting for my reaction.
    I clasped my hands together with delight. “Oh, a pet!” Then I thought it over some more. “It’s not a ferret is it?” I asked anxiously.
    Carl shook his head furiously. “I went to the shelter to get you a kitten. I thought a cat would be a good companion for you. I thought I’d get you a nice fluffy white kitten like Louis the Fourteenth, but the cat I got you after all wasn’t quite what I had in mind.”
    I was excited. “A kitten!” I exclaimed. I jumped off the couch and gave Carl a big hug. “How thoughtful of you! I really wanted a cat. I’ve always wanted a kitten, as you know.” My old cat, Patches, had passed away just before my car accident. I still missed him, and I thought it would be ages before I would be able to have another cat, but now that Carl had been so thoughtful to get me a kitten, I couldn’t have been more happy.
    “Well, I hope you like him,” Carl said anxiously. “If you don’t like him, I won’t be able to take him home, because Louis the Fourteenth will hate him. They just won’t get on.”
    “Of course I’ll love him!” I said.
    “I bought you a cat litter tray, and some kitty litter, and the shelter said he only eats the most expensive brand of