Molly Fitz - Chihuahua Conspiracy (Pet Whisperer P.I. Book 6)

I sighed again. “However, given your stance, it would probably be best if I brought your litter box up here as well. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

After pushing myself back into a standing position, I left my tower bedroom, careful to latch the door fully behind me. As much as I didn’t want to trap Octo-Cat inside, I was also incredibly worried about what might happen to Paisley if she nosed her way in there. She was half his size at most and clearly didn’t have an aggressive bone in her whole body.

My cat on the other hand?

He had a whole skeleton’s worth.

I found Nan in the kitchen setting out a pair of dog bone-printed ceramic bowls for Paisley in a spot just to the left of the pantry. “Sorry about Octo-Cat,” I muttered, ignoring the fact that he would be upset that the dog’s bowls were so near his stash of Fancy Feast.

“That cat was mean,” the Chihuahua whined as she rubbed at the fresh claw wound on her nose.

“He didn’t mean to hurt you. He’s just difficult sometimes,” I offered with what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

The little dog jumped up and pawed frantically at my leg, wiggling her whole body as she cried, “Hey! Hey! Hey! Did you just talk? Do you know how to talk? You’re a very good, very smart girl!”

I bent down and scooped her up, and Paisley immediately set to licking my face as if it were covered in gravy or bacon grease or some other irresistible treat. “Yes, I can talk to both animals and people,” I explained. “I don’t know why, though. It’s kind of just the way things are. Would it be okay if I talked to you?”

Paisley wagged her tail so hard her entire body shook, then she broke apart into a shivering fit. Whether she needed a sweater or some anti-anxiety medicine, I couldn’t say for sure. The shivering continued as she jumped into an excited monologue. “I’ve always wanted my own humans, and now I even have one that talks! The other dogs back at the shelter won’t believe it! When are they coming for a visit? Or, oh! Maybe they could move in with us, too. This house is plenty big, and there are lots of dogs that need homes.”

I laughed at her enthusiasm, even though her reminder of all the homeless pets that had remained behind following Nan’s impromptu adoption of Paisley made my heart feel heavy. “I’m sorry, Paisley. I wish I could adopt all your friends, but I already made a promise to take care of my cat the best I can, and he would be very upset if we filled our house up with dogs.”

As soon as I set Paisley back on the floor, she curled up against my foot and pouted. “He’s a very mean kitty.”

“Yeah, he kind of is, but he’ll grow on you, I promise. And I bet you’ll grow on him, too. He just needs time to get used to having you here. It’s a very big change.”

“It’s a big change for me, too.” The little dog ran in a circle to indicate the giant manor in which she now lived. “At the shelter I had to share a cage with two other dogs. It was very crowded. That’s why I thought we could give some of the others a home, too.”

Three to a cage?

I hadn’t spent much time at the local animal shelter, but from what I remembered, we’d never had an overcrowding problem in the past. Maybe things had just been a bit different for Paisley than the others due to her extremely small size.

I already felt guilty about not being able to adopt more animals. Thinking of them now all cramped together made me feel that much worse. Maybe a few volunteer shifts or a small donation were in order, both to help them out of a potentially tough spot and to ease my guilty conscience.

“Hey,” I said, crouching down so that Paisley and I were at closer to the same level. “How would you like to visit the shelter with me tomorrow? You can say hi to your friends, and I’ll see if there’s anything we can do to help them find new homes.”

Paisley let out a high-pitched cry and began to shake furiously once again. “You’re not making me go back. Are you?” the dog yelped. “Because Nan said this is my home now.”

This poor thing. No wonder Nan had been charmed enough to bring her home.

“Oh, sweetie. I promise I wouldn’t do that to you. Nan’s right. This is your home now, and nothing’s going to change that.”

Paisley stood on her hind legs and reached her paws up my leg. “I love you, new mommy,” she said. “This is the best day of my entire life.”

My heart swelled at the Chihuahua’s confession of love. It had taken me almost dying at the hands of a gun-toting psychopath to get Octo-Cat to even admit he liked me. Yet Paisley had only needed a single short conversation to forge the deepest of bonds. As much as I adored my Octo-Cat, it sure felt nice to be appreciated rather than insulted.

Hmmm. Maybe I’m not as much of a cat person as I once thought.

Of course, I immediately felt guilty for thinking that even in passing. It was our petaversary, after all, and I’d promised my feline overlord freshly grilled shrimp by way of celebration.

It was time to leave Nan and Paisley to celebrate their own adoption day together while I did my best to ease the poor, put-out kitty that sat waiting for me in my bedroom tower.

I closed my eyes tight and wished that one day we could all be one big happy family. I didn’t have a candle to blow out and it wasn’t anyone’s birthday, but I hoped the special wish magic I’d grown up believing in could save us now.

Honestly, we were going to need a miracle to get my stubborn cat to change his heart when it came to the poor, shivering dog that needed us.

Just in case, I said a quick prayer, too.

One way or another, we would find a way to all live peacefully together.

After all, we didn’t have any other option.

Chapter Three

When I returned to my room with grilled shrimp and Evian for both Octo-Cat and myself, I found him sitting on my pillow flicking his tail pensively.

The moment he saw me, he popped to his feet and began to pace the length of the mattress. “Well, did you talk some sense into Nan about the unappreciated monstrosity she has wrought on our house? On my house?” He didn’t even look at me as he spat each word. If he had, I’m sure my face would have given away everything he needed to know.

“Umm, a little,” I hedged, trying hard not to sigh yet again. “Mostly I talked to Paisley, though, and she is really happy to be here.”

Octo-Cat stopped pacing and stared at me with open disdain. “And I’d be really happy for her to not be here.”

I let out a groan and sunk down onto the bed beside him. “I know change is hard, but—”

The tabby diva lifted a paw and shook his head. “I’ll stop you right there. If you’re not for me, then you’re against me. And thus…” He paused and sighed heavily. “I bid you good night, Angela.”

I watched helplessly as he hopped off the bed and crawled back beneath it. “Hey, I didn’t ask for any of this, either,” I called after him.

But Octo-Cat refused to respond.

“We can’t just send her back. From what Paisley told me, the shelter is already pretty overcrowded, and that’s not a very nice way for her to have to live, especially when there’s a family who wants her. Our family.”

He still said nothing to acknowledge me or my arguments.

“You can’t just ignore me,” I huffed, throwing myself back onto the bed in resignation. “How are we supposed to solve our cases if we’re not talking to each other?” I asked while studying a smudge on the ceiling.

Octo-Cat didn’t answer, which was probably for the best regarding this last point. The truth was even though we’d opened Pet Whisperer P.I. for business more than one week ago, we still had yet to book our first case.