Julie Kenner The Cat's Fancy

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female, Angela, any more than Maggie did. She'd told her brother that plenty of times, but Nicholas had
always managed to change the subject usually by teasing Deena about her own beliefs, like fairies and
the like. Nicholas always called her a free spirit. And wasn't that just the kind of help that Maggie
needed?
She opened her mouth, planning to spit it all out Old Tom, the magic, the television lessons, and her
real identity but Deena spoke first.
"Okay. I figure you aren't the housekeeper. So who are you?" She bounced on the cushions. "Oh, oh,
I know! Please, please, please tell me he dumped that bitch, Angela."
Maggie opened her mouth, but Deena cut her off in an embarrassed rush. "Oh, no. Did I just say
something stupid? Is the bitch your sister or something? Are you in town visiting and she put you up here?
Or maybe she's your best friend."
"No "
"Well, I gotta tell you the truth, even if she is, I just really can't stand her." She leaned back against the
armrest and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's just the way I feel. So let me have it, baby. Just lay
into me for being a reverse snob myself."
Maggie swallowed. "I I don't like her either."
Deena practically launched herself across the couch and planted a kiss on Maggie's cheek. "Baby doll,
you just made my day." She settled herself back in place, hiking her gauzy skirt up so she could curl her
legs under her. "Well?"
Maggie just stared, wide-eyed and unsure. Well, what? "Urn?"
"So are you the new girlfriend? Lord, I hope so. Please tell me old Angela's out of the picture. She's
hardly sister material."
"Um, yes and no."
Deena looked wary. "You're not telling me my big brother's two-timing the smarmy witch, are you?"
"Oh, no. Nicholas would never do that. He's too ... too ..."
"Dull?" offered Deena.
"Honorable," Maggie announced.
"You think he's honorable?"
"Oh, yes. He's perfect."
"I'll admit he's a great brother. Hell, he's practically a parent for that matter. But perfect? What a
crock. I'd snort, but my brother raised me to be ladylike."
Maggie frowned, not at all sure what she was supposed to say to that. True, she was new to being a
lady, but she was pretty sure that Deena was missing the target by slumping on the couch, her skirt
arranged not nearly as modestly as Maggie's revealing pants, spouting the kind of language Maggie had
only recently come to associate with television.
But if she was a lady or not, Maggie liked Deena. A lot. If anyone could help make Nicholas fall in
love with her, his sister could. And nothing in Old Tom's rules prevented her from telling the truth to
Nicholas's family. She just couldn't tell Nicholas himself.
Once again, Deena spoke before Maggie had the chance. "So, you said 'yes and no,' but you're not his
part-time plaything. So who are you, honey? And why are you running around the house in boxers?"
"I'm Maggie," she said, sitting up a little straighter. "And I'm in love with Nicholas."
"Maggie! Oh, my goodness. I completely forgot." She scooped a huge canvas tote off the floor, turned
it upside down, and dumped the contents on the couch between them. Immediately, the cushions were
covered by cosmetics, paint brushes, crumpled menus, various scraps of paper, a dozen or so pens,
earrings, and, there in the middle, a bag of tuna-flavored chewy snacks.
Maggie's mouth watered.
"Do you know where the cat is? I brought treats."
"I'm not sure," Maggie finally said. On second thought, she wasn't completely sure about Old Tom's
rules and didn't want to push her luck. More than that, she was afraid Deena wouldn't believe her. Or,
even worse, that she would believe her and would hate the idea of fixing her brother up with a woman
who was not really a woman.
Deena pitched the kitty snacks onto the coffee table and started stuffing the junk back into her tote
bag. "Well, she can't have gotten outside. She's probably hiding somewhere." Deena smiled at Maggie.
"She's not too crazy about strangers."
"Really?"
"Mmm." Deena shifted around in her corner of the couch, settled down, and stared at Maggie. "So
what were you saying? Your name's Maggie, and you're in love with my brother?"
Maggie nodded, not really sure what else to say.
Deena stared at her for what seemed to be an eternity. Just as Maggie was sure Deena was going to
tell her to get out and go bother someone else's brother, a huge grin split the woman's face.
"Well, you've got at least two things going for you."
"I do?" Maggie asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"Sure. You've got the same name as that cat he loves so much. And you're not Angela. In my book
that makes you okay."
Nicholas loved her. She'd known all along, but to hear it from Deena made it so much more real. A
tentative smile tugged at Maggie's mouth. "Thank you."
"But how do you know Nick? And how'd you get in his house?"
Oh, my. She really hadn't planned this out very well. Maggie wracked her brain, trying to remember all
of Nicholas's little details. Something about Hoop coming inside one day . . .
Then she remembered. "Nicholas keeps a key on the back patio. For emergencies."
"He told you about that?"
"He showed me," Maggie said, dodging the question.
"So you're in love with him, huh?"
"Oh, yes. So much."
Deena smiled. "Yeah, he's a good guy. He needs a vacation like you wouldn't believe. But he's a
prince, my big brother is." She shifted in her seat, rested her elbow on her knee and her chin on her fist,
and squinted at Maggie. "So what's your story? You're here in Nick's boxers. You sure I didn't wander
into a secret little love nest?"
Maggie shook her head, trying to find words, but Deena was so fast and so loud, she wasn't sure her
words could be heard over all that energy. "I'm . . . he's not. . ."
She took a breath and tried again. "He doesn't know I'm here."
"Aha! Yes! The old secret-love-from-afar. This is great. So how did you meet him?" Deena's leg was
tapping out a rhythm on the cushion, and her head was bobbing up and down along with it.
Maggie leaned over and grabbed the kitty snacks off the coffee table. She wanted something in her
hands so she wouldn't fidget with her fingers. Deena was so perceptive, she'd probably be able to tell
right away that Maggie wasn't used to fingers. And then the gig would be up. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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