Page 13 of Whiskey Wednesdays

“Of course I do. It’s nice to see you again.” I looked down at Elodie. “You must be Connor’s mother.”

The little girl’s eyes went wide. “No.”

“His grandmother?” I tried again.

“No. They’re dead. And I’m little.”

“Oh. Then who are you?”

“Elodie. He’s my dad.” She shyly swayed back and forth.

“Aw, that was my next guess. Come in.”

Harley handed me what looked like a tin of shortbread cookies and Christmas chocolates.

“We’re regifted-ing,” Elodie informed me. Harley slapped her forehead.

I laughed. “Thank you! I think you already knowmydad. He’s the one who gives you Skittles.”

She smiled for the first time. “Yeah, and you know what?”

“No. What?”

“Sometimes he gives me cookies too. And you know what? He said I could pet his cat. Can I?” She looked around.

“Sure. If you can find her.”

Harley turned to me as Elodie wandered around the living room, looking under the furniture for Shawnda.

“I’m sorry to come over on Christmas, but she needs help.”

“We know. My dad and I were already planning an intervention with Mr. McCoy.”

Elodie stood up. “Where is the kitty?”

“She’s a little scared of strangers. Let’s see if we can coax her out with treats.”

“What’s her name?” Elodie asked.

“Marshawnda, but we call her Shawnda for short.”

Harley raised her eyebrow. “Marshawnda?”

I grinned and shrugged. “Yeah. My dad thought ‘she’ was a ‘he’ at first and named her after his favorite football player, Marshawn Lynch. But then he had to improvise.”

Harley grinned. “The football player who kept answering interview questions with ‘I’m just here so I won’t get fined’? That guy?”

“Oh, he’s so much more than that. I grew up in Seattle, and I love football. He’s a freaking legend.” I turned to Elodie. “Let’s draw her out with some turkey.”

We spent the next few minutes coaxing Shawnda out of her hiding spot.

When the cat finally came out, Elodie looked at Shawnda’s face and gasped. “Belly, your cat is hurted!”

Shawnda sat next to Elodie, eating tiny bits of sliced turkey.

“No one’s ever called me Belly before. Can I call you Ellie then?” I asked.

She pointed frantically at Shawnda’s eye. “Your cat!”

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