much time did Ambrose have to get back in Zach’s good graces before the cougar found a way to make him disappear?
“It might not be so easy,” said Zach.
“I’m beginning to suspect that you don’t want to get rid of this cat,” said Blair Baby.
Good. He shouldn’t want to .
“I didn’t say that.”
Well then, say it now. What are you thinking?
“Look,” said Zach, not sounding happy. “Can we forget about the cat?”
Forget about the cat? What a bad idea!
“Fine,” she said, her brittle voice reminding Ambrose of a small, yappy dog.
Now there was fresh silence in the shiny black car, and it wasn’t the cozy kind of silence Ambrose and Zach enjoyed when they were lounging on the couch in the evening.
At last the cougar spoke again. “I guess I’ll just go home.”
Good idea. Go home and stay there .
This time it was Zach who sighed. “No, don’t do that. We’ll drop off Tom, then we can go do something fun.”
“All right. But I am not coming back to your stinky house,” said the cougar.
Fine by me, thought Ambrose.
“Not unless we stop by Hallmark and pick up some scented candles,” she added. Now her voice was a purr. “Cinnamon, perhaps. Something … spicy?” She reached a red-tipped hand across the seat toward Zach and started slithering it up his leg.
“Hey, now, I’m trying to drive,” he protested, but Ambrose could tell it was halfhearted. Zach and the cougar were back on friendly terms.
This turn of events robbed Ambrose of the satisfaction he’d felt over his small victory in Pet Palace. Zach hadn’t figured out what to do with him but the cougar had. She wanted him gone by Christmas. Gone where, he had no idea, but he did know one thing: the way his luck had been running it wouldn’t be any place good. This did not bode well for his ninth life. It didn’t bode well for Zach, either, who clearly needed Ambrose to save him from a fate worse than death by a cat door.
Ambrose shifted his paws under him and settled down to think. He was going to have to do something to fix this problem.
FIVE
Back at the house Zach turned Tom loose with a stern reminder to use his cat door. “Litter boxes are like diapers, dude, and you’re too old for diapers. Don’t let me down.”
If he and Blair came home and Tom had whizzed inside the house it wouldn’t be pretty. Blair would be mad. Actually, so would Zach, and Tom would be a dead cat.
“Are you sure he knows to use his cat door?” asked Blair.
“He’d better,” said Zach. The cat was becoming a problem.
That wasn’t fair, he concluded as he trailed Blair around the Hallmark store, past rows of holiday wrapping paper, ribbons, and cards. For the most part the little guy was pretty easy to get along with as long as Zach remembered to feed him. And Tom didn’t make scenes.
Which was more than Zach could say for Blair. He’d seen a whole side of her he’d never witnessed before, and it hadn’t been pretty. The way she’d carried on at Pet Palace when Tom scratched her had made shoppers gawk and had set a three-alarm fire racing across Zach’s cheeks.
Worst of all, though, had been the disgusted expression he’d seen on Merilee’s face. He couldn’t blame her. He’d been pretty disgusted, too, not just with the way Blair had treated Merilee but also with himself. He’d known the poor cat was scared the second he looked in the carrier. He should have left the store right then.
He sniffed the candle Blair held under his nose. “Yeah, that’s nice.”
She smiled. “Good. I’m getting it for you.”
A candle, just what he’d always wanted. “I can get it myself,” he said, reaching for it.
“Huh-uh. I want to.” She danced out of range. “Think of it as a peace offering,” she added, looking penitent.
She wanted to make up for the scene in Pet Palace. Now, that was sweet. It was times like this, when Blair was being cute and fun that he liked hanging out with her. Okay, so she’d been a bit
“It might not be so easy,” said Zach.
“I’m beginning to suspect that you don’t want to get rid of this cat,” said Blair Baby.
Good. He shouldn’t want to .
“I didn’t say that.”
Well then, say it now. What are you thinking?
“Look,” said Zach, not sounding happy. “Can we forget about the cat?”
Forget about the cat? What a bad idea!
“Fine,” she said, her brittle voice reminding Ambrose of a small, yappy dog.
Now there was fresh silence in the shiny black car, and it wasn’t the cozy kind of silence Ambrose and Zach enjoyed when they were lounging on the couch in the evening.
At last the cougar spoke again. “I guess I’ll just go home.”
Good idea. Go home and stay there .
This time it was Zach who sighed. “No, don’t do that. We’ll drop off Tom, then we can go do something fun.”
“All right. But I am not coming back to your stinky house,” said the cougar.
Fine by me, thought Ambrose.
“Not unless we stop by Hallmark and pick up some scented candles,” she added. Now her voice was a purr. “Cinnamon, perhaps. Something … spicy?” She reached a red-tipped hand across the seat toward Zach and started slithering it up his leg.
“Hey, now, I’m trying to drive,” he protested, but Ambrose could tell it was halfhearted. Zach and the cougar were back on friendly terms.
This turn of events robbed Ambrose of the satisfaction he’d felt over his small victory in Pet Palace. Zach hadn’t figured out what to do with him but the cougar had. She wanted him gone by Christmas. Gone where, he had no idea, but he did know one thing: the way his luck had been running it wouldn’t be any place good. This did not bode well for his ninth life. It didn’t bode well for Zach, either, who clearly needed Ambrose to save him from a fate worse than death by a cat door.
Ambrose shifted his paws under him and settled down to think. He was going to have to do something to fix this problem.
FIVE
Back at the house Zach turned Tom loose with a stern reminder to use his cat door. “Litter boxes are like diapers, dude, and you’re too old for diapers. Don’t let me down.”
If he and Blair came home and Tom had whizzed inside the house it wouldn’t be pretty. Blair would be mad. Actually, so would Zach, and Tom would be a dead cat.
“Are you sure he knows to use his cat door?” asked Blair.
“He’d better,” said Zach. The cat was becoming a problem.
That wasn’t fair, he concluded as he trailed Blair around the Hallmark store, past rows of holiday wrapping paper, ribbons, and cards. For the most part the little guy was pretty easy to get along with as long as Zach remembered to feed him. And Tom didn’t make scenes.
Which was more than Zach could say for Blair. He’d seen a whole side of her he’d never witnessed before, and it hadn’t been pretty. The way she’d carried on at Pet Palace when Tom scratched her had made shoppers gawk and had set a three-alarm fire racing across Zach’s cheeks.
Worst of all, though, had been the disgusted expression he’d seen on Merilee’s face. He couldn’t blame her. He’d been pretty disgusted, too, not just with the way Blair had treated Merilee but also with himself. He’d known the poor cat was scared the second he looked in the carrier. He should have left the store right then.
He sniffed the candle Blair held under his nose. “Yeah, that’s nice.”
She smiled. “Good. I’m getting it for you.”
A candle, just what he’d always wanted. “I can get it myself,” he said, reaching for it.
“Huh-uh. I want to.” She danced out of range. “Think of it as a peace offering,” she added, looking penitent.
She wanted to make up for the scene in Pet Palace. Now, that was sweet. It was times like this, when Blair was being cute and fun that he liked hanging out with her. Okay, so she’d been a bit
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