Read Online Kitten Kaboodle (Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 20) by Kathi Daley - Free Book Online
Authors: Kathi Daley
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“Help?” I felt my heart drop clear down to my feet.
“Darlene is home from college and Twyla and the kids weren’t busy, so they offered to come along. Isn’t that nice?”
“They’re all here?” I know my voice sounded high and squeaky. Zak’s cousins Twyla and Darlene were sisters. Darlene was single, but Twyla had two very undisciplined children who’d almost destroyed the house the last time they’d visited.
“They are and they have all given up three weeks of their summer to help out, so be sure to give them nice rooms. Preferably overlooking the lake.”
“Three weeks!” At this point I’m pretty sure I blacked out. Well, maybe not physically but definitely mentally. The cousins had all stayed at the house the previous summer when they’d come for Zak and my wedding, and if I remembered correctly, they’d all spent their time lounging around while Zak and I waited on them. If the cousins had returned you could bet it had more to do with a free vacation than a rescue operation.
I wanted to say something that would make this all go away, but I knew there wasn’t anything I could say, so I closed my eyes and counted to twenty.
“You look a little pale, dear,” Mother Zimmerman commented. “Are you feeling all right?”
Not by a long shot. “I’m fine. Are the others here already?”
“Yes, we came together. They are all in the pool.”
“And Nona?”
“She left shortly after we arrived. She said something about an appointment.”
Smart woman. Leaving sounded like an excellent idea. “I also have an appointment,” I announced as firmly as I could manage.
“You should poke your head in to say hello before you leave again. It is the polite thing to do.”
“I would, but I’m really late. I’ll say hi to everyone when I get back.”
With that, I ran up the stairs with Charlie on my heels. I transferred the kittens into a travel crate and then Charlie and I headed back to the car. Knowing Mother Zimmerman would find a reason to detain me if I dallied in the least, I headed toward the main highway and then pulled over when I felt it was safe and tried to call Zak again.
“Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up,” I chanted as I waited for him to answer his cell.
He didn’t pick up.
I left a rather abrupt and slightly less than loving message before hanging up and deciding what to do. The only thing I could do was to continue on to the veterinary hospital and hope the reason Zak hadn’t picked up was because he was flying home. I was about to restart the car when my phone rang and Zak’s number flashed across the screen.
“Donovan here.”
“Ouch. I guess you got the flowers.”
“I did, just before I came home to find out your mother and cousins had settled into our house for the remainder of the summer.”
“Didn’t you get my message?”
“What message?”
“I tried to warn you. I called and left a message on both the house phone and your cell after I received my mother’s message this morning.”
I glanced at my cell. There was a message I hadn’t yet checked, and I hadn’t been home to retrieve the message from the house phone. “I didn’t get the message. I was busy playing with the kittens.”
“Kittens?”
“I’ll explain later. Please tell me you’re on your way home because if I have to deal with your relatives on my own in addition to keeping an eye on Nona, blood is going to be shed.”
“I’m trying to get home as soon as I possibly can, but I’ve run into some problems and I really can’t get there any sooner than Friday. When I found out what my mother planned I tried to call her back to tell her to check into a hotel, but she didn’t pick up.”
“Of course she didn’t. Did she know you’re out of town?”
“She did.”
“So the timing of her visit was intentional.”
“It looks like it. I’m so sorry.”
“She said she was here to help with Nona. How did she even know what
“Help?” I felt my heart drop clear down to my feet.
“Darlene is home from college and Twyla and the kids weren’t busy, so they offered to come along. Isn’t that nice?”
“They’re all here?” I know my voice sounded high and squeaky. Zak’s cousins Twyla and Darlene were sisters. Darlene was single, but Twyla had two very undisciplined children who’d almost destroyed the house the last time they’d visited.
“They are and they have all given up three weeks of their summer to help out, so be sure to give them nice rooms. Preferably overlooking the lake.”
“Three weeks!” At this point I’m pretty sure I blacked out. Well, maybe not physically but definitely mentally. The cousins had all stayed at the house the previous summer when they’d come for Zak and my wedding, and if I remembered correctly, they’d all spent their time lounging around while Zak and I waited on them. If the cousins had returned you could bet it had more to do with a free vacation than a rescue operation.
I wanted to say something that would make this all go away, but I knew there wasn’t anything I could say, so I closed my eyes and counted to twenty.
“You look a little pale, dear,” Mother Zimmerman commented. “Are you feeling all right?”
Not by a long shot. “I’m fine. Are the others here already?”
“Yes, we came together. They are all in the pool.”
“And Nona?”
“She left shortly after we arrived. She said something about an appointment.”
Smart woman. Leaving sounded like an excellent idea. “I also have an appointment,” I announced as firmly as I could manage.
“You should poke your head in to say hello before you leave again. It is the polite thing to do.”
“I would, but I’m really late. I’ll say hi to everyone when I get back.”
With that, I ran up the stairs with Charlie on my heels. I transferred the kittens into a travel crate and then Charlie and I headed back to the car. Knowing Mother Zimmerman would find a reason to detain me if I dallied in the least, I headed toward the main highway and then pulled over when I felt it was safe and tried to call Zak again.
“Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up,” I chanted as I waited for him to answer his cell.
He didn’t pick up.
I left a rather abrupt and slightly less than loving message before hanging up and deciding what to do. The only thing I could do was to continue on to the veterinary hospital and hope the reason Zak hadn’t picked up was because he was flying home. I was about to restart the car when my phone rang and Zak’s number flashed across the screen.
“Donovan here.”
“Ouch. I guess you got the flowers.”
“I did, just before I came home to find out your mother and cousins had settled into our house for the remainder of the summer.”
“Didn’t you get my message?”
“What message?”
“I tried to warn you. I called and left a message on both the house phone and your cell after I received my mother’s message this morning.”
I glanced at my cell. There was a message I hadn’t yet checked, and I hadn’t been home to retrieve the message from the house phone. “I didn’t get the message. I was busy playing with the kittens.”
“Kittens?”
“I’ll explain later. Please tell me you’re on your way home because if I have to deal with your relatives on my own in addition to keeping an eye on Nona, blood is going to be shed.”
“I’m trying to get home as soon as I possibly can, but I’ve run into some problems and I really can’t get there any sooner than Friday. When I found out what my mother planned I tried to call her back to tell her to check into a hotel, but she didn’t pick up.”
“Of course she didn’t. Did she know you’re out of town?”
“She did.”
“So the timing of her visit was intentional.”
“It looks like it. I’m so sorry.”
“She said she was here to help with Nona. How did she even know what
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