Carolyn eyed Nick suspiciously. “I thought I saw something unusual hiding behind Henny’s couch. Nick, what’s going on here?”
Nick looked over at Carolyn, prepared to explain everything until he heard Myla’s low agony-filled moan. That moan did not bode well, not at all. Giving Carolyn’s things to the skinny brunette in red, he dashed toward the kitchen. The sight that greeted him caused him to echo the same low-pitched moan.
A tabby cat, scrawny and hissing, sat on a blade of the still ceiling fan, one paw extended in the attack position while a howling, barking Saint Bernard sat underneath, his tongue fairly hanging out of his big, toothy mouth as he waited for the next chase to begin.
Patrick sat in the middle of the counter, surrounded by what had once been the carefully arranged entrees for the dinner party. Now those entrees were not only arranged all over the counter, but also all over Patrick and all over the once white tile floor. Jesse hovered in the doorway leading to Henny’s apartment, her wails matching pitch with the cat’s. The Saint Bernard, tired of playing chase with the pitiful cat, turned and started lapping up what remained of the platter of roast that Myla had carved so lovingly and garnished with parsley and star-burst carved cherry tomatoes.
Myla’s eyes met Nick’s. Of their own accord, her hands came up to cover her face. He’s going to send all of us packing, she thought.
Nick’s face burned with a rage born of shock. “What happened here?” His voice grew deeper and more deadly with each word. “Would someone like to tell me what in blazes happened in here?”
The room, filled with twelve warm, curious bodies, remained silent, except for the occasional hissing from the ceiling fan and the melodious lapping on the tile floor.
“I’m waiting.” Nick circled the carnage, his eyes brown with a fire of rage. “I want some answers, now!”
Finally, a feeble voice rallied from the direction of Henny’s room. Jesse stepped forward, shivering with fear, her eyes bright with freshly shed tears. “Mamma, we forgot to tell you about the cat,” she said before she burst into another round of high-pitched sobs
Chapter Three
The door leading from the garage burst open. Lydia bounced into the room, wearing a black crepe dressy pantsuit, her blond bob shining as brightly as her diamond earrings.
Myla recognized her from the many pictures of Nick and Lydia hanging around the house. But Carolyn…was she Nick’s girlfriend? Nick had been busy doing a good deed last night and now look what it had caused him. Even Lydia’s upbeat mood didn’t help the situation.
“Sorry I’m late,” she began, her earrings twinkling like twin stars, “but I had to stop by—” Her eyes registered shock for a split second before she burst out in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. “Food fight? Nick, why didn’t you tell me? You know how I love to throw my food at you!”
“Not now, Lydia,” Nick said, his growl more pronounced than the drooling Pooky’s. “We’ve had a bit of an accident and I was just trying to get to the bottom of it.”
“Looks like Pooky here beat you to it,” Lydia countered, rushing forward to pet the massive Saint Bernard. “Hey, boy, what did you get into this time?”
“It’s not Pooky’s fault,” Carolyn said as she sidestepped a pile of shrimp dip to comfort the hyper dog. “I walked over for the party, so I brought Pooky with me. I had no idea that a cat and two strange children would attack us when we entered the back door.”
“Next time, try using the front door like the other guests,” Lydia replied sweetly, though her eyes indicated she felt anything but sweet.
“Ladies, please,” Nick said, raking a hand through his crisp dark curls. Turning to Myla, he watched as she knelt to comfort her sobbing daughter. Instantly, he regretted his anger from before. “Jesse, how’d we manage to acquire a cat?” he asked, his tone deceptively soft, his eyes centered on Myla as if to say this is your fault.
Jesse looked up to her mother for reassurance. Myla, stung by Nick’s anger and by Carolyn’s highhanded attitude toward her children, shot him a defiant look. Thinking she could kiss this new job goodbye, she patted Jesse on the shoulder. “Just tell the truth, honey.”
Jesse took a deep breath to clear away another round of sobs. “Mr. Nick, I’m sorry. But today when Momma was getting stuff ready for your party, me and Patrick went for a walk out in the backyard. We weren’t supposed to, ‘cause I’m sick and Patrick gets into stuff, but we snuck out…. Anyway, we heard a cat meowing behind that big building by the pool. Patrick came back in the house when Momma wasn’t looking and got some food for the cat. It was real hungry.” Sniffing, she looked up at Nick. “We wanted to help it so it wouldn’t freeze to death, like you helped us, Mr. Nick.” She wiped her nose again with her hand, her big blue-green eyes wide with the importance of her confession.
Nick looked uncomfortable, but Myla saw the touch of warmth Jesse’s innocent words had provoked in his eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the cat, sweetie?” she asked her daughter, her heart breaking. Jesse loved animals. She’d never let one starve or stay out in the cold, in spite of her allergies around certain animals. Hunger wasn’t pretty—in animals or humans.
“We were afraid you’d make us let it go,” Jesse said, dropping her eyes to the floor.
“Yeah, and we didn’t want Mr. Nick to kick us out,” Patrick piped up as he held out his dip-covered fingers. “I tried to catch it, Mamma, but it was too fast. And besides, I’m scared of that big dog.”
“Pooky wouldn’t hurt a flea,” Carolyn protested, looking from one child to the other accusingly. Then she turned to glare up at Nick. “You told me you helped some people out last night; you didn’t tell me they were staying in your home.”
Bristling, Myla shot Carolyn a proud look. “I’m working for Mr. Rudolph while his housekeeper is on vacation.”
“Working for Nick?” Carolyn whirled around. “Is that true—even after what you told me last night?”
Nick’s look warned her to drop it. “Things have changed since then. I’ll explain later.”
Myla’s eyes met his. He was embarrassed, but she saw the hint of an apology. He was too much of a gentleman to make a scene. Obviously though, he’d avoided telling Carolyn everything. Wondering if he was ashamed of her being here, Myla felt like a circus sideshow.
Deciding she’d really give them all something to talk about and try to save Nick’s reputation and her much needed job in the process, she pinned Carolyn with a level look. “Yes, it’s true. Mr. Rudolph was kind enough to help us out last night. You see, we’ve had a rough time lately. We’ve been living in our car.” That statement caused an audible rumbling through the room, but it didn’t stop Myla. “He found us stranded on the interstate during the ice storm, and he brought us here. Knowing I needed a job, he asked me to work for him while his regular housekeeper, Henrietta, is on vacation. And as long as he doesn’t have a problem with that, I don’t, either. I’m just very thankful that he was kind enough to care about my children and me.
“The Bible says, ‘Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.’ Yesterday, I was hungry and weeping.
