Read Online Diva 04 _ Diva Cooks a Goose, The by Krista Davis - Free Book Online Page B

room abruptly and I could hear him tromping up the stairs to the second and third floors. He returned shortly. “I don’t see any signs of a break-in. Whoever brought those kittens had a key.”
    Mochie sat on the window seat and watched grumpily as my family passed the darling kittens around. I tried to pick him up to prove he was still loved, but he was having none of it. Determined not to let him see me with the kittens, I busied myself at the stove, putting on the kettle for tea and heating cider. I plopped cinnamon sticks into mugs and wondered who could have left kittens in my house.
    “Maybe they’re from Wolf,” suggested Mom.
    Wolf loved cats and dogs as much as I did, and swung by the shelter regularly to donate food. He was practical, though, and I couldn’t imagine Wolf giving anyone an animal unless he knew they wanted one.
    “He left town yesterday morning and won’t be back for a few days.”
    “Sophie, who has keys to your house?” demanded George.
    When did George become so protective? I almost resented the tone of his voice. “Not Wolf.”
    “Mars?” he asked.
    I chose my words carefully so I wouldn’t mislead anyone. If my mother thought my ex-husband had a key, but Wolf didn’t, she would jump to all kinds of incorrect conclusions. “Mars and Natasha have a key. They have to since we share custody of Daisy.” Daisy flapped her tail at the mention of her name.
    “Bernie still has a key from the time he stayed here, but he was at the restaurant.” Then I thought of my best friend and across-the-street neighbor, Nina Reid Norwood, who was used to letting herself in and out of my house. “Nina has a key, too, but she’s in North Carolina visiting relatives over the holidays.”
    “You’ve given a key to everyone in the neighborhood?” George scolded.
    “Just a few people. Don’t you have a key for some of your neighbors in case of emergency?”
    Thankfully, Hannah and Dad arrived with the food. I set the dining room table while Dad struck a fire in the fireplace. “Sophie, I don’t like this business about someone entering your home while we were out.”
    I wasn’t very happy about it myself, but we’d had enough aggravation, and I desperately wanted to change the subject. I opened takeout containers heaped with rosy, sliced roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, gravy, garlic mashed potatoes that smelled heavenly, and a festive salad of corn and diced roasted red peppers atop greens. It stood to reason that an Englishman would serve traditional holiday fare on Boxing Day, but I wondered if Bernie had given us the meal we would have eaten had we stayed at Bonnie’s party, and I said so aloud.
    Dad shrugged. “Looks good.”
    The last container brought a smile to my face, since I didn’t think Chinese eggplant with spicy curry was a British Boxing Day tradition. Bernie threw that in because he knew how much I liked it.
    Our noisy bunch finally sat down to eat. Daisy planted herself at my feet, and Mochie paced in the foyer, where he could watch us and the invading kittens. Laci tried to convince Jen to put the kitten down during dinner, but Jen wasn’t letting go. A compromise was reached when Marnie, who held the other kitten, suggested they were so small they would be very happy in Marnie’s and Jen’s laps. That appeared to satisfy everyone except Laci.
    “Since the kittens are so mysterious, I think we should call them Agatha and Edgar,” said Marnie.
    “Mother! Please! No names,” cried Laci. “Dear heaven, what have you done?”
    Dad asked innocently, “What’s the problem?”
    George cut a piece of roast beef on his plate. “Once you name them, you’re stuck with them.”
    “I think they should be Alice and Jasper,” said Jen.
    Mom smiled at her only grandchild. “Those are charming names, sweetheart.”
    George flashed Mom a look. “Don’t get excited, they’re from her favorite movie and they’re vampires.”
    “Vampires! I never let my children watch movies