Софи Келли - Paws Аnd Effect

Maggie sat next to me on the bed. “I can’t believe John tried to kill you and Hope and that he did kill Dani. I thought he was a nice guy.”

“You and me both,” I said.

Roma had heated up the last of the soup. Elliot and Brady had arrived and Elliot and I sat at the table each with a bowl. Hercules jumped onto my lap and breathed sardine breath in my face. After Owen had determined that I was okay he had turned into Maggie’s shadow.

There was a knock at the back door. “I’ll go,” Brady said.

He came back after a minute with Rebecca. She took one look at my hands and her face paled. “Oh my word, Kathleen,” she said. “What did that awful young man do to you?” I pushed back my chair and went over to her, giving her a hug.

“He didn’t do anything that a little antibiotic cream and a few days won’t heal,” I said.

“I’m so sorry, dear,” she said. “I should have said something earlier.” Her expression was troubled.

I shook my head and patted her shoulder awkwardly with one hand. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. Because of you the police caught John. Because of you Dani gets justice.”

“Because of me you were hurt. And Hope.”

“No,” I said firmly. “Because of John Keller. Not you.”

I noticed then that she was carrying a small bag. “Is that for me?” I asked.

That at least got a smile out of Rebecca. “Lemon tarts,” she said. “They’re still a little warm.”

I peered at the bag. “Can I have one right now anyway?”

The smile got a little bigger. “You can have two,” she said. And then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a tin of sardines. “And these are for Hercules.”

I laughed and hugged her again. “I love you,” I whispered against her ear.

“I love you, too,” she whispered back.

Brady had made coffee and we sat around the table eating Rebecca’s lemon tarts. The conversation turned to the development.

“I wish after all of this that it wasn’t happening,” I said.

“Oh, that’s right. You don’t know,” Rebecca said.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Know what?”

“To use my mother’s expression, Ernie Kinsley was cooking the books. The IRS got a tip. He’s being investigated and someone else has bought the land as of a couple of hours ago. The development—at least this one—is history.” She smiled.

I looked across the table at her. “Everett?” I said.

Rebecca shook her head. “No. Oh, he would have if he’d had the chance. He’s come around to our way of thinking when it comes to that development idea at least. But someone else with deep pockets beat him to it.”

Maggie raised her cup of tea. “A toast to our mysterious benefactor with deep pockets.” We clinked cups and mugs and there was another knock at the door. I got to my feet.

“I’ll go,” Maggie said, shaking her head at me. She headed for the porch and I trailed her because I was feeling restless. I need to move around.

Simon Janes was at the door with a take-out order of food from Eric’s. “Come in,” I said, gesturing to the kitchen.

He shook his head and handed the two paper shopping bags to Maggie. “I can’t stay.”

“I’ll stick these in the fridge,” Maggie said, heading for the kitchen.

“You’re all right,” Simon said. He didn’t phrase it as a question.

I held up my hands. “Just some scrapes.”

“And Detective Lind?”

“She has a broken ankle and a concussion but she’s okay.” Brady had called the hospital and thanks to some connection he had there had gotten an update on Hope.

“You bought the land,” I said.

“I’m sorry, what land?”

I looked at him without speaking. Finally he smiled and gave an offhanded shrug.

“Why?” I asked. I had an idea of what that land must have cost. I also had an idea about who had tipped off the IRS.

His eyes never left my face. “I know a good thing when I see it and when I do, I go after it.” There was something uncomfortably intimate about the moment.

Simon smiled then. “Take care of yourself, Kathleen,” he said, and then he left.

Roma came out to the porch. “Maggie said that was Mia’s dad.”

I nodded.

“That was nice of him, bringing that food.”

“He’s a nice man,” I said. And a complicated one , I added silently.

I went back to the table and ate another lemon tart. Rebecca came and gave me one more hug. “I have to go,” she said. “I think you’re in good hands, but if you need anything . . .”

“I know where you are,” I said.

Marcus arrived as Rebecca was going out the door. She gave his arm a squeeze and said, “Take care of our girl.”

“I absolutely will,” he said with a smile, wrapping me in his arms. His clothes were damp.

“Why didn’t you go home and change?” I said.

“Because I didn’t want to spend one more minute away from you,” he said. “I hope it’s okay that Eddie’s going to get me some dry clothes. I don’t want to make it hard for Roma.”

“It’s okay,” I said.

Maggie got a bowl of soup for Marcus and by the time he’d finished it Eddie had arrived with his dry clothes. “Go take a shower,” I told Marcus, patting his face with my padded hands.

He leaned down to kiss me. “I won’t be long.”

“I’m really glad you’re okay,” Eddie said to me.

“Stay,” I said.

He looked over at Roma, who was making a fresh pot of coffee. She couldn’t stop hovering, watching me, feeding me, trying to make me sit down.

“It’s okay,” I said. “Stay. Please?”

Eddie sighed softly. “All right.”

There was an empty chair at the table next to Elliot and I sat down beside him. Roma immediately came over. “Is there anything you want?” she asked.

“Marry Eddie,” I said.

She just looked at me. I could see how close to the surface her emotions were. I took her hand awkwardly with my two bandaged ones. “You’re one of my best friends and you know I love you, don’t you?”

She frowned. “Of course I do.”

“I learned something today,” I said. “I learned that no one has the right to tell another person who they’re supposed to love. And that includes you. You don’t have the right to tell Eddie who he should love. And by the way, that’s still you.” She tried to pull her hand away but I wouldn’t let her. “You love Eddie and he loves you and the rest doesn’t matter. Life is too short to waste happiness.”

“What if it turns out to be a mistake?” she asked in a shaky voice.

Elliot had been listening to the conversation. “Then you do everything in your power to fix it,” he said.

“You asked what I wanted,” I said. “This is what I want.”

“Me too,” Roma said softly.

I let go of her hands. She looked across the room “Eddie,” she said.

He turned to look at her.

Roma took a deep breath and let it out. “Eddie Sweeney,” she said. “I love you. Will you marry me?”

Eddie looked at her, stunned.

I bunched up my napkin and threw it at him. “Hey,” I said. “This is the part where you say yes.”

“Yes!” Eddie said, a huge grim splitting his face. He grabbed Roma and swung her around, almost taking out Maggie and my toaster oven.

Elliot tipped his head to one side. “Nice work, Ms. Paulson,” he said.

He held up his hand and we high-fived—very gingerly. Marcus was in the kitchen doorway. He smiled at both of us. I smiled back and nudged Elliot with my shoulder. “You too, Elly May,” I said.

If you love Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cats Mysteries, keep reading for an excerpt of the first book in Sofie Ryan’s New York Times bestselling Second Chance Cat Mysteries . . .