Page 14 of A Class of Her Own

Also, my Betty was fuzzy and kept my lap warm.

My phone rang, interrupting my monologue to the cat, and I found it in my purse. It was my sister Willow, which didn’t really surprise me. Thanksgiving was only a few days away, and we hadn’t talked details yet.

“Hey,” I answered, flopping down on my bed next to Betty.

“Did you hear dad’s back on beef and off of poultry?” Willow said without greeting. “Poultry. As in turkey. At Thanksgiving.”

“It’s still a few days away; he’ll come around,” I replied.

“And Ash says her boyfriend . . . Jasper? Josh? Jake? . . . Whatever his name is, he’s vegetarian.” Willow sounded more tired than truly annoyed, something I couldn’t relate to as I was typically actually annoyed. “So, what does that mean for us? We’re doing a tofurkey, or whatever it’s called, and pretending we’re all happy about that?”

“His name is Jake, and how is he vegetarian? Doesn’t he run a fishing expedition, outdoor shop thing? People hire him to catch, gut, and cook fish.”

“Maybe he’s one of those people who doesn’t consider fish to be meat?” Willow offered.

I laughed. “Look, we’re still going to cook a turkey. We’ll make sure there are plenty of side dishes and other choices for Jake. Ash doesn’t expect us to cater to him.”

Now it was her turn to laugh. “I’m sorry, are we both talking about Ash? She absolutely expects us to cater. That’s all we’ve done, every day of her life. That’s what happens when you’re the baby with no mom. We spoiled her rotten.”

“Well, someone had to be spoiled,” I retorted lightly. “Might as well have been her.”

“I guess.” We were both lost in our thoughts and memories for a second before Willow pressed on. “So, assignments. Same as usual?”

“Yeah. Tell Ash to bring drinks. Those are easy with traveling. When will she be here?”

“Tomorrow night. She wants to stay with you.”

I was caught off guard by the request. “She always stays with Dad, though.”

“Says she doesn’t want to this year, with Jake and all.”

“What about you?” I asked.

Ash had always gravitated toward Willow. It made sense. Willow was like her name, flowing wherever the breeze blew with strong roots that kept her grounded. She was practically my twin in physical traits, small and dark with sharp edges and bright blue eyes, but my opposite on the inside. While I wore business clothing and kept my hair short and straight, she wore flowing pants and scarves, her hair hanging in beachy waves down her back. While I’d been busy making chore charts, paying bills, and keeping everyone in line, Willow had been Ash’s soft spot and place of comfort. She’d been that for me too when I’d needed it. Of the three of us, Willow had been the one with Dad’s artistic tendencies, but she’d never left reality to pursue them.

“I can clear out some space above my shop if you’d rather they stay with me,” she offered.

Willow owned a clothing boutique on Main Street called Willow Wood. Yep. That’s right. Dropping a few letters off our last name had produced a cutesy sounding store name. Go Mom and Dad. Anyhow, she lived in a studio apartment above the shop, which meant tight quarters.

“Sorry,” I replied, “I’m surprised, I guess, but they’re totally welcome here.”

“I think she’s hoping to ease Jake into the whole Forest Atwood situation, you know. Better to stay off site and give him some breathing room between interactions.”

“Yeah. I can see that. Hey, Jake isn’t allergic to cats, is he?”

Willow made a humming noise. “No idea. But even if he is, it’s like two or three nights; he’ll be okay.”

“Cat allergies can be rough, Willow,” I chuckled.

“So can staying with Forest.”

We wrapped up the conversation, and I turned off the lamp when we were finished.

“Well, Betty,” I said as I stroked her fur in the darkness. “Looks like we’re having guests this week. I hope they like you.”

CHAPTER FIVE

I should have been more worried about Betty hating Jake than about whatever allergies Jake might have had to cats.

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