Debbie Macomber - Family Affair

Family Affair

Debbie Macomber

Dedication

To Denise Weyrick

for her love, kindness,

dedication to family and friends,

and courage

Contents

January 2010

Dear Friends,

Several years ago I was asked to write a story involving a cat. No problem. As it happened our children have owned several cats through the years. Waynes and my first pet was a cat named, appropriately enough, Kitty. For the first few years of our marriage it was Cats R Us. Then, along with the children, came the hamsters, guinea pigs, several dogs, a snake or two, an injured crow, and even a horse. That was when the household became Animals R Us. Four children, born within five years, and an entire menagerie of pets... oh, those were the days!

I titled my story Family Affair for reasons you will come to understand once you start reading. The book made a small blip in the publishing world and then was laid to rest in the out-of-print section of some computer database until now...

Apparently my cat Cleo, the heroine of Family Affair, has more than one life. Cleo is back and eager to share her story with you. As youll soon discover, love in the cat world is almost as complicated as it is with humans.

I hope you enjoy this romantic comedy, raised from the ashes like the phoenix to live and charm again. Pour yourself a cup of tea, cuddle up in a comfortable chair, and if one is at hand, put a cat in your lap to pet while youre reading. I always found it comforting to hold an animal in my lap.

I enjoy hearing from my readers. You can reach me through my web site at www.DebbieMacomber.com or by writing me at P.O. Box 1458, Port Orchard, WA 98366.

Warmest regards,

Debbie Macomber

I ve got the backbone of a worm, Lacey Lancaster muttered as she let herself into her apartment. She tossed her mail onto an end table and glared at Cleo. I didnt say a word to Mr. Sullivan, not a single word.

Cleo, her Abyssinian cat, affectionately wove her golden-brown body between Laceys ankles. Her long tail coiled around Laceys calf like a feather boa, soft, sleek, and soothing.

I had the perfect opportunity to ask for a raise and did I do it? Lacey demanded, kicking her feet so that her shoes sailed in opposite directions. Oh, no, I let it pass by. And do you know why?

Cleo apparently didnt. Lacey took off her bright green vinyl raincoat, opened the closet door, and shoved it inside. Because Im a coward, thats why.

Walking into the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator and stuck her head inside, rooting out some sorry-looking leftovers, two boxes of take-out Chinese, and the tulip bulbs shed meant to plant in her balcony flower box last October.

Im starved. She opened the vegetable bin and took out a limp stalk of celery. You know my problem, dont you?

Cleo meowed and wove her way between Laceys ankles once more.

Oh, sorry. Youre probably hungry too. Lacey reached inside the cupboard and pulled out a can of gourmet cat food. To her surprise, Cleo didnt show the least bit of interest. Instead, she raised her tail and stuck her rear end in the air.

Whats going on with you? Trust me, Cleo, this isnt the time to go all weird on me. I need to talk. Taking her celery stick with her, she moved into the living room and fell onto the love seat.

I work and slave and put in all kinds of overtimewithout pay, I might addand for what? Mr. Sullivan doesnt appreciate me. Yet its my decorating ideas he uses. The worst part is, he doesnt even bother to give me the credit. She chomped off the end of the celery and chewed with a vengeance. The stalk teetered from the attack and then slowly curved downward.

Lacey studied the celery. This might as well be my backbone, she muttered. Unable to sit still any longer, she paced her compact living room. I havent had a raise in the whole year Ive worked for him, and in that time Ive taken on much more responsibility and completed projects Mr. Sullivan couldnt or wouldnt do. Good grief, if it werent for me, Mr. Sullivan wouldnt know what was going on in his own business. By this time she was breathless and irate. I do more work than he does, and hes the owner, for heavens sake!

Clearly Cleo agreed, because she let out a low, wailing moan. Lacey had never owned a cat before, but after a devastating divorce shed needed someone. Or some thing. The thing had turned out to be Cleo.

Shed first spotted Cleo in a pet-shop window, looking forlorn. Cleos brother and sister had been sold two weeks earlier, and Cleo was all alone. Abandoned, the half-grown kitten gazed, dejected and miserable, onto the world that passed her by.

Lacey had been suffering from the same emotions herself, and once they met the two had become fast friends. No fool, the pet-store owner knew a sale when he saw one. Hed made some fast soft-shoe moves to convince Lacey what a good investment Cleo would be. If she bred her and sold off the litter, within a year or so, he claimed, her original investment would be returned to her.

Lacey hadnt been so keen on the breeding aspect of the deal, but it had sounded like something she should try. She wanted companionship, and after her disastrous marriage she was through with men. A cat wouldnt lie or cheat or cause hurt. Peter had done all three with bone-cutting accuracy.

Good ol Peter, Lacey mused. She should be grateful for all the lessons hed taught her. Perhaps someday she would be able to look back on her marriage without the crushing pain she felt now. Hed vowed to love and cherish her but then calmly announced one Sunday afternoon, without warning, that he was leaving her for someone else.

Someone else was a tall blonde with baby blue eyes and a voluptuous figure. Lacey had sized up the competition, decided she didnt stand a chance, and signed the divorce papers. Oh, thered been some haggling, but shed left that to her attorney and stayed out of it as much as possible. As soon as her divorce was final, shed uprooted herself, moved to San Francisco, located a job she loved, and started life all over again.

Sort of.

This time, she was playing it smart. Men were completely out of the picture. For the first time, she was supporting herself. For the first time, she didnt need anyone else. Because it could happen all over again. Another blonde with a Playboy figure could disrupt her life a second time. It was best to play it safe. Who needed that kind of grief? Not her!

Lacey wasnt discounting her assets. With her straight brown hair sculpted around her ears, and equally dark eyes, she resembled a lovable pixie. She was barely five feet tall, while her brother, who was five years older, was nearly six feet. Why nature had short-changed her in the height department, she would never understand.

After the divorce, Lacey had felt emotionally battered and lost. Bringing Cleo into her life had helped tremendously, so much that Lacey figured she could do without a man. Her cat provided all the companionship she needed.

Okay, okay, youre right, Lacey said, glancing down at her fidgeting feline friend. I couldnt agree with you more. Im a gutless wonder. The real problem is I dont want to quit my job. All Im looking for is to be paid what Im worth, which is a whole lot more than Im making now. Shed come out of the divorce with a hefty settlement; otherwise shed be in dire financial straights.

Cleo concurred with a low wail, unlike any sound Lacey could ever remember her making.

Lacey studied her cat. You all right, girl? You dont sound right.

Cleo thrust her hind end into the air again and shot across the room to attack her catnip mouse. Whatever was troubling her had passed. At least Lacey hoped it had.