Legal Seagull

Chapter Eighteen

Octo-Cat ran straight to the front door, plopped his butt on the welcome mat, and waited for the humans to be done with their requisite greetings. His impatience provided a good excuse for me to get away from Christine and her desire to talk about my not-so-secret ability.

I charged ahead. She, Nan, and Paisley joined me on the porch, and then Christine pushed the door open.

Octo-Cat raced inside like a shot.

There, on the other side of the threshold, sat his lady love, a beautiful Himalayan wearing a Swarovski crystal encrusted collar and sporting a perfectly groomed coat. Her sparkling blue eyes matched Octo-Cat’s bowtie perfectly, and despite the difference in their pedigrees, it was easy to tell they belonged together.

She gracefully moved to her feet, glided forward, and rubbed her flat face all over Octo-Cat’s neck and chest. Both purred so loudly, no one would have been able to get a word in if we’d dared try.

“Oh, my darling Grizabella!” Octo-Cat cried, accepting an enthusiastic lick on the cheek, much as Paisley had predicted.

“Octavius, sweetest,” she chimed, lifting her fluffy tail straight into the air and giving it a happy quiver. “It has been far too long.”

Paisley trotted over, her tail wagging her entire body as she approached. “Hi, Grizzly-bella! I’m Octavius’s kid sister. Nice to meetcha!” She inserted herself right between the lovelorn cats, and I was certain Octo-Cat would hiss and swipe at her for the intrusion.

Instead he put a paw on her back and drew her in for a hug. “Darling, you’ve met Paisley on our video calls.”

“Nice to meet you in person at last, little sister,” Grizabella said with a small bow of her head. “Come. I’ll introduce you to my brothers and sisters.”

All three trod into the screened-in back porch where six other show quality Himalayan cats sat sunning themselves contentedly.

“This is Juliet, Viola, Ophelia, Oberon, Othello, and Hamlet,” she said by way of introduction. “They’re all still active on the circuit. I’m the only one with the distinction of being retired.” She laughed at this, and my pets joined in even though I’d be willing to bet that neither of them understood the joke—I didn’t either.

“C’mon,” Christine said, leading us back toward the entryway. “Let’s get you unpacked while these two lovebirds catch up.”

“Eck!” Octo-Cat screeched. “Being called a bird is even worse than being called a dog.”

“She means well, sweetest,” Grizabella purred at his side. “But we can’t all be blessed with the perfect human companion like you. Can we?”

I stopped in my tracks and jerked my head toward Octo-Cat in complete and utter shock.

“Yeah, I said it,” he growled and curled a lip at me. “And I can just as easily un-say it. Now get out of here while I’m still feeling generous.”

After that accidental confession of his, I didn’t stop smiling for the rest of that day. Despite all his complaints, Octo-Cat not only loved me, he thought I was the best human ever. That meant a lot, considering how difficult he was to please even on his best days.

Once Nan and I had unpacked, Christine offered us tea and cookies. More than once she tried to bring the conversation back around to my gift for talking to animals. And each time I deftly deflected. I needed to speak with Nan about her willingness to share my private business with near strangers before I included Christine in any such talks.

Charles continued to text throughout the day to update me on the non-progress of the seagulls’ case. All he had were the precedents he’d immediately found regarding squatter’s rights in Maine. Unfortunately, he still knew next to nothing about what had happened to the missing flock whose territory was now up for dispute.

Given that Pringle failed to return to my property the night before, we also had no idea whether he’d found something of value or whether he was even still okay… For all we knew, he could have taken a wrong turn and wound up as roadkill. If that had happened because of something I’d asked him to do, I would never forgive myself.

But right now I needed to stop worrying about what could happen and focus on what already had.

Mainly that Nan was sharing my secret with the world… Why?

We both begged off early that night, tired from the long drive and eager to sleep in actual beds again for a change. Christine’s guest room comprised two twin beds, the perfect setup for the conversation we needed to have.

At last, I broached the topic once we’d both changed into our pajamas and settled beneath the hand-made quilts that adorned the matching beds.

“Nan? Why does Christine know about what I can do?”

“It just seemed easier to let her in on it,” my grandmother confessed after turning on her side to face me. “Otherwise this trip would have been quite awkward trying to hide the truth the whole time. And I know Octo-Cat would have driven you crazy with his complaints if we had to spend our nights in a hotel instead of here with his girlfriend.” She shrugged again. “I guess this just seemed like the best option for everyone involved.”

Her answer did not comfort me. In fact, it seemed as if she believed she’d done me a favor. That was definitely not the case. I didn’t want this to turn into an argument, but I did need to make sure she understood.

I tried approaching from a different angle. “Okay, then why did you tell Melissa and her family?”

Nan’s face twisted into a grimace, proving I’d gotten through to her this time. “Oh, that. I’d forgotten I had. It just came up in conversation one day. Sorry about that.”

“Why are you telling people at all? Shouldn’t this be my secret to share?” I watched as her face fell.

She blinked hard. “Oh, dear. You’re right. Of course, you’re right, and I’m sorry if I overstepped. I really didn’t tell that many people, and I made sure none of them lived anywhere near to us. I know how awkward that would make things for you if people we saw every day at the supermarket or the bank or post office knew.”

I sucked in a slow, shaky breath. Confrontation was never easy, least of all with Nan. I needed to say this next part with gentle words but a firm tone. “But, Nan, I don’t want anyone to know, other than the ones I’ve trusted enough to tell myself.”

“Of course not, I’m so sorry. I guess…” She sighed. “I guess I just spent so many years hiding this big important truth that once it was out there I couldn’t help but share everything.”

I smiled to show her I understood, and that even though I definitely didn’t like her actions, I’d already forgiven her for them. “You may have overcorrected there.”

“You’re right, and I’m sorry.” She pulled the quilt up close to her chin and offered a sad smile.

We both lay silent for a couple moments until Nan suddenly popped up in bed and turned to face me with wide eyes. I could practically see the cartoon lightbulb appear over her head. “Tell you what. First of all, I hereby solemnly swear that I won’t tell another soul. You have my word.”

I let out an enormous sigh of relief. “That’s a good start. Thank you.”

She clasped her hands together in her lap and giggled. “And if it ever comes up again, I’ll just tell people that I’ve gone senile. You can toss me in the worst nursing home you can find, and that will be that.”

I gasped. “Nan, you know I would never do that!”

“Okay, fine. I’ll toss myself in.”

“You’re not going to a nursing home.”

“Well, no, because I’m not going to share your secrets anymore. See, it works out for everyone?”

“Love you, Nan.” I said, snapping off the bedside lamp with great satisfaction. If only all conversations went this smoothly, we’d be living in a very different world.