Whiskers and Lies by Sofie Kelly

Author:Sofie Kelly [Kelly, Sofie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2022-09-13T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

It was a quiet evening. Either everyone had all the books they needed or no one felt like reading. The sky was an inky blue dome shot with stars as I drove up Mountain Road. Marcus’s SUV was already parked in the driveway. I pulled in behind him. Happily, there were no bones or dog toys on the back step. Maybe Hercules had gotten the message.

Marcus was in the kitchen making popcorn with two furry helpers, each sitting on a chair. “Hi,” I said, kicking off my shoes and then standing on tiptoe to give him a kiss. I looked over at Owen and Hercules. “What are you doing?”

Their heads swiveled in Marcus’s direction.

I shook my head. “No. Don’t try to con me into believing he gave you permission.”

Neither one of them twitched so much as a whisker. Marcus, on the other hand, gave me a sheepish look. “I did tell them they could help,” he said. “And they couldn’t see well from the floor.”

“You didn’t feed them any popcorn, did you?”

Marcus was very particular about what kernels and seasonings he used and my kitchen already smelled amazing. He turned back to the counter, where he had taken out two pots and three bowls. His popcorn making also made a lot of dirty dishes. “No. I did not feed Owen or Hercules any popcorn.”

I saw a look pass between him and the cats. “So what did you feed them? Specifically.”

Owen suddenly began studying the floor while Hercules began to wash his right front paw.

“Just a few crackers,” Marcus said. “The ones Roma’s vet friend makes.” He tipped his head in the general direction of the toaster. There was a small brown paper bag partially hidden behind it. “They’re organic,” he added, a tad self-righteously.

“You spoil them,” I said sternly. Then I stood up on tiptoe and kissed his mouth.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around me. I felt the tensions of the day drain out of me.

I gave him another kiss and then gestured at the array of dishes on the counter. “How long before the popcorn is ready?”

“Give me about ten minutes,” he said.

While Marcus went back to measuring and frowning at a package of butter, I headed upstairs to change. No cats followed me. Butter was more interesting than watching me wash my face and pull on a pair of leggings.

When I came back down the pot was on the stove and the aroma of popping corn filled the kitchen. I stood by the table and watched Marcus work. Some people were wine snobs or cheese snobs, he was a popcorn snob. Since Halloween was coming up soon, we were watching the 2016 version of Ghostbusters. Some of the location shots had been done in Boston and I liked watching for landmarks I knew.

“How was your day?” Marcus asked.

“Hugh Wyler came to see me,” I said.

He shot a quick glance at me over his shoulder. “What for?”

“He wanted to thank me for trying to save his wife.

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