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CHAPTER ONE
Family Matters
Aneksi paced anxious circles on the counter beside me. My feline friend had spent the morning sitting in Cuthbert Exotic Antiques’ display window. But instead of napping, as she usually did, she’d been on high alert, nervously awaiting our guest.
When she spotted Luna Sage’s powder-blue hatchback parking out front, Aneksi scurried out of the window, knocking over a miniature King Tut funeral mask in the process, to announce their arrival.
“They’re here!” She brushed against my elbow and gazed up at me, trying to get my attention as I scrolled through a list of Richland University community courses on my phone. “Khepeset is here! My sister is here!”
“I heard you.” I put down my device and turned my attention to my favorite little bundle of fluff. “Remember, no talking when Luna comes in. Okay?”
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t feel compelled to remind Aneksi to stay mum in front of my best friend. We’d settled into a comfortable routine since Aneski had moved in with me a few months ago. She accompanied me to the shop each day and kept me company, which usually involved her sleeping in the display window or on one of the top shelves. She knew she should only speak around my grandfather and me—for her safety and ours—and to keep quiet about her other remarkable qualities as well.
When Stirling was in the store to work on one of his online auctions, as he was doing today, she often slept on his lap, which seemed to suit him, as well. Today, however, Aneksi wouldn’t budge from her spot at the front, even for Stirling’s kind attentions, because she was waiting for Khepeset.
I knew how much this reunion meant to Aneksi, and that was what worried me.
As much as we all adored Luna, who had become an even more frequent visitor since opening the Sweet Spot bakery next door, she didn’t know Aneksi was an immortal creature with the power to speak—which she still tended to do in the distinctly British accent she’d picked up on our first night together after watching a television mystery series starring my favorite spinster sleuth—or Aneksi’s ability to transform into a tiger when she or I faced danger.
As far as I could tell, Luna didn’t even know her grandmother’s cat, Khepeset, possessed similar abilities. When the two animals had crossed paths a few weeks ago, after having not seen each other since their days in Cleopatra’s ancient court, it had surprised them both.
I would have never guessed there could be others who shared my unusual circumstances if Luna’s Aunt Delphine, who had brought Khepeset to the shop that day, hadn’t followed me into the shop’s office when the cats chased each other there.
When I overheard their feline conversation, I feared how Delphine would react—until I saw her face. The way she looked at me, I knew instantly she knew the truth.
Delphine and I had no chance to speak of it then, and she and Khepeset had left soon after. I didn’t know how to proceed, but Aneksi had spent the next several days begging me to arrange another meeting with her sister.
Finally, I’d come up with what I thought was the perfect plan, and today was its result.
“Hi, Rebecca! We’re finally here!” Luna announced as she spotted me beside the cash register. “I can’t believe how hot it is out there. The forecast said we’d hit triple-digits this afternoon, but it must be ninety out there already. Thank goodness for air-conditioning.”
I had to agree. While the shop’s unit was keeping things cool, the one in my apartment had decided this late-summer heat wave was more than it could handle. Stirling was trying to get a technician out to fix it, but so far, everyone was already booked for at least a week. He felt terrible about the inconvenience and even offered to let me and Aneksi sleep in his guest room until it could be fixed, but so far we were managing with a fan and open windows.
As Luna lugged in the slate blue carrying case, Khepeset pressed her furry gray face against the mesh opening, probably searching for Aneksi.
Aneksi pranced and yowled, greeting her sister in the most catlike way she could manage.
When the larger cat’s tawny-colored gaze landed on the enthusiastic gray tabby kitten, I thought I saw her lips spread into a smile.
“Kheppy slipped away when I was trying to get her into the carrier.” Luna pushed back a corkscrew curl that had come loose from her lavender-print headband, which perfectly matched her bohemian sundress. “Then she refused to come down from the tree. I had to bribe her with cat treats to get her into the car. Gran said she’s been gaining too much weight, so she’s been limiting her to two treats a day. It took ten to get her out of the tree, so she’s on a strict diet for the rest of the day. I’ll feed her when I pick her up later.”
The smile on Khepeset’s face vanished. She apparently wasn’t a fan of diets.
I didn’t blame her.
Luna unzipped the carrier to release Khepeset as Aneksi jumped down from the counter and ran to the back of the shop. Khepeset slipped through the opening and chased her sister, evading Luna’s efforts to stop her.
“They’ll be fine,” I said when it was clear Luna didn’t stand a chance of catching the cat. “Stirling is in the office. He’ll keep an eye on them. Besides, it’s why Khepeset is here, right?”
Luna watched the kitty tails turn the corner. “I guess. I’m not sure why you think Aneksi needs the help, though. She seems fine.”
“You’re probably right. I’m just worried about her being separated from her mother so young. I looked into it, and the research shows abandoned kittens can really benefit from spending time with older female cats.”
If she asked for the source of that research, I’d be in trouble because it didn’t exist. I’d made it up so I could ask for what was basically a kitty playdate. It must have sounded reasonable enough because Luna hadn’t hesitated to ask her grandmother for the favor.
Since Luna’s Aunt Delphine hadn’t seemed as surprised as she should have been to overhear two cats talking, I suspected Luna’s grandmother knew about Khepeset’s ability as well. Maybe the cat had even told her about Aneksi.
Like Aneksi, however, I had to be careful about what I said to Luna.
As I went to prop up the King Tut mask Aneksi had knocked over, I tried to change the subject. “I made the appointment with Richland University’s admissions office to see if I can still get into that course. I’m going tonight, after work.”
Luna’s face brightened. “You’re doing it? Good for you! Their small-business program is fantastic. I plan to go back to finish once things slow down with the bakery.”
When the mask was back in the window, I brushed a layer of dust from the tops of the Moroccan lamps standing in the corner. “I wish you were still in the program. It would be a lot easier to do this with a friend.”
When I’d first met Luna, she was managing the memorabilia shop that used to occupy the next-door space during the day and attending the small-business program at night. She’d dropped out when she’d started the bakery, but it was her high praise of the program that inspired me to check it out.
She crinkled her nose. “If I was taking night classes on top of running the bakery, I’d never have time to see Hank. I’ve also been helping him with his dad, since it’s just the two of them. It’s been a challenging time.” She glanced away, but before I could ask what was troubling her, she shook it off and beamed a smile. “If things keep going well with the bakery, that could change. I might even be able to hire some help soon.”
No one worked harder than Luna, and her bakery was already popular with locals.
“If the line I saw in front of your place yesterday is any indication, I think it’s safe to say your customers aren’t going anywhere. By the time I got in, the blueberry supreme cupcakes were already sold out. I ended up with a lemon chiffon cookie, which was still delicious, but those blueberry supremes are my current favorite.”
“I’ll put them on the menu tomorrow and set one aside for you.”
“Promise?”
My phone vibrated on the counter. When I reached for it, the name on the screen made me smile.
Luna saw the name, too, and motioned for me to take it.
I tapped the button to accept the call and turned away for a little privacy. “Hi, Nick.”
Nick Devon and I had been getting together a few times a week for the past couple of months for dinner or to go to the movies, but it still felt strange to call him by his first name. My first instinct was to call him detective or Detective Devon. I kept waiting for that to change.
The other thing that hadn’t yet changed was the fluttering in my stomach every time he called.
“Kevin’s T-ball practice was canceled,” he said. “Half the team is down with a stomach bug.”
Kevin was Nick’s five-year-old son, which he shared with his ex-wife. I had little experience with children that age—or any age, for that matter—but I could imagine how unpleasant a stomach bug could be for one. Especially one as excited about his summer sports league as Kevin was. “That’s awful. Is he all right?”
“His mom stayed home with him today, so he’s in good hands. The worst of it seems to be over. The coach thinks it was the celebration pizza after yesterday’s game. Hard to say for sure, though. So, in a roundabout way, I’m asking if you’re free for dinner tonight.”
“Oh! Uh … I would, but I promised Stirling I’d hang out with him tonight.” Was I really lying to a police detective? Wasn’t he trained to catch that kind of thing?
“So, I’m losing out to another man?”
He sounded like he was joking, so I forced a laugh. “We’re still on for Friday night, though, right?”
“Of course. I grabbed the early shift, so I should be able to get away at a reasonable hour. I’ll swing by and pick you up about six thirty, if that works.”
“That definitely works.”
After I hung up, I took a deep breath. It wasn’t the smoothest recovery, but it could have been worse.
When I turned around, Luna was staring at me.
“You’re ditching Nick to stay at home with Stirling? What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m not ditching him.” When she kept staring and kept grimacing, I added, “I didn’t want to tell him why I’m not available.”
The shop phone rang, and I thought it might be my out. I wasn’t that lucky.
“I’ll get it,” Stirling yelled from the office.
Luna was still staring at me.
“I plan to tell him,” I said. “I just haven’t done it yet.”
“Why not?”
She crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.
I wish I had one. Nick and I had gone out twice since I’d made the decision, but both times I’d talked myself out of mentioning it. I told myself I was waiting to see if the admissions office accepted my transcripts and cleared me for registration. If they didn’t, then there was no point in mentioning it.
Still, I knew that wasn’t the real reason. I was afraid Nick might try to talk me out of it.
It was a silly fear and totally irrational. Nick Devon was not my ex-fiancé, Mason Morretti. Nick had done nothing to make me think he would dismiss or belittle my educational goals as Mason had, but I couldn’t bring myself to test that theory. It had been easier to avoid the conversation. It worked for me, but Luna’s disappointment made it clear she didn’t agree.
“Fine,” I said. “When I see him Friday, I’ll tell him.”
Her hard gaze softened. “Don’t keep secrets from him. Trust me. Honesty is always the best policy.”
Ordinarily, I would agree. But since arriving in Citrus Grove and learning about the cursed Egyptian artifacts my grandfather had stashed in a secret vault beneath the store—an unknown number of which he and I were still trying to locate after his previous shop manager stole them—not to mention the talking cat that now lived with me—my thoughts about complete and total honesty had changed to put it mildly.
Although these secrets could sometimes be a burden, I’d willingly accepted the responsibility that came with them, and part of that responsibility was protecting the people I cared about by not putting that burden on them. For that reason, I’d become more comfortable keeping secrets than I ever had before.
Keeping the night classes a secret, though? That was different. The only thing stopping me from telling Nick was my fear of how he might react.
“You’re right,” I said to Luna. “I shouldn’t have lied.”
She glanced up at the shop clock. “I should head next door to get the place ready for the lunch crowd.”
We heard a feline yowl in the back, then another in a slightly lower pitch.
“Are you sure you’re going to be all right with them?” she asked.
“I’m sure.” It was only for the day. What could go wrong? Besides, I trusted Aneksi.
When I closed the door behind Luna, I headed back to remind Aneksi that I’d cut the visit short if they didn’t follow the rules.
I could hear them in the washroom, which I hoped meant Aneksi was introducing her sister to the litter box.
On my way to check, I noticed my grandfather standing by the empty electric kettle. His palms were on the counter, and he wasn’t moving.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
For a man in his seventies, Stirling was in exceptionally good health. But something was troubling him. His shoulders slumped. “That call.” His voice cut off.
My heart sank. “Was it bad news?”
He glanced up, his eyes wide and dazed. “It was my cousin. He’s invited me to breakfast.”
“Is that bad?” I was failing to see the problem.
“I haven’t seen him in…” He rubbed his bald spot. “My goodness. It must be fifty years now.”
“You have family you haven’t seen in fifty years?” As someone who recently lost both parents, who had been the only family I’d ever known until I discovered Stirling after their death, that seemed unfathomable.
“He lives in England, and neither of us travel. At least I didn’t think he did.”
“But he’s coming to visit you? Aren’t you happy about that?”
The deepening lines around his mouth told me he was not.
“Can I meet him?” I asked.
His attention had drifted, but it snapped back. He nodded, slowly at first. “Yes, of course you can. He’ll want to meet you, too. You are a Cuthbert, after all.”
So, the cousin was a Cuthbert. The prospect of meeting another member of the family my father had kept hidden sent a shiver of excitement through me. “Great. Is he coming soon?”
“No.” Stirling frowned, and my heart sank a little. “He’s already here. He’s waiting for us at Malone’s.”
End of Excerpt
