“And why not? It’s a beautiful evening.” He ushered me to one of two low chairs. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back.”
“Um . . .” But he’d already ducked back inside. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees and my chin in my hands. More than nice, really. The view was spectacular. From here I could see every boat in Uncle Chip’s Marina, half of Janay Lake, and over the line of trees and to Lake Michigan. Seagulls wheeled about, ducks scurried, sailboats fluffed. It was late summer in Chilson and all was well with the world.
Rafe came back laden with two of the biggest picnic baskets I’d ever seen.
“How hungry do you think I am?” I asked, laughing.
He plopped both baskets near my feet. “Basket number two contains your favorite meal from your favorite restaurant, and no, I’m not talking about Fat Boys. This is courtesy of a certain chef from a restaurant that is getting almost too popular for its own good.”
“But I just talked to Kristen. She didn’t say anything about this. And it’s lunch hour. They don’t serve that whitefish until evening.”
“If you know the blonde like I do,” he said, “anything is possible.”
The undeniable smells of whitefish stuffed with crabmeat wafted my way. “The blonde can be sneaky.” I smiled. “What’s the occasion?”
“Ah. That calls for basket number one.” He dragged it closer, and I heard a faint “Mrr.”
“Eddie?” I opened the basket and saw the cat carrier. Half of Eddie’s whiskers and his nose were visible through the wire door.
“Mrr.”
I looked at Rafe, who was looking extremely pleased with himself. “Eddie’s fine with heights,” I said, puzzled, “but why on earth did you bring him up here?”
My beloved leaned forward and pulled the cat carrier out of the basket. “Mr. Hamilton,” he said, “I love your Minnie very much and I would like your permission to marry her.”
“You’re asking my cat for my hand in marriage?”
“No interrupting,” he said. “I have this all memorized.”
“You do not.”
“No, but I’m on a roll. Mr. Eddie, yesterday your Minnie told me she wanted a marriage proposal we can tell our kids about. I’m not the most creative guy in the world, but I can’t think of anyone who’s been proposed to on a roof. So what do you think? Will this fit the requirement? And do I have your permission?”
“Mrr!” Eddie said. “Mrr!”
“Double yes.” Rafe patted the carrier. “Thanks, buddy. You’re the best.”
“Rafe,” I said softly. “You don’t—”
“Minnie.” He took my hands in one of his and kissed them. “You are the love of my life, holder of my happiness, and keeper of my dreams. You make the sun shine when clouds are gray. We are better together than we are apart. Though you have horrible taste in music—”
“Hey!”
“—we laugh at the same things, and since we laugh a lot, nothing else really matters. So. Minerva Joy Hamilton. Will you marry me?”
Crying and laughing at the same time, I said, “Of course I will.”
Rafe kissed me soundly. Pulled away, then came back for another one. “Double version for Eddie’s double yes.”
It was classic Rafe from top to bottom, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing, not the roof, not the food, and certainly not the cat. After we ended the Second Kiss, Rafe opened the picnic basket and I glanced at Eddie.
He was sitting meatloaf-style and looking directly at me. When our gazes met, he opened and closed his mouth in two silent “Mrr’s.” More doubles. And then my eyes opened wide. In all the fuss after last night, I’d never had the chance to think about the implications.
“You know what? Eddie saved me and Kate last night. Twice.”
“How’s that?” Rafe handed me a china plate from Three Seasons laden with whitefish, roasted Brussels sprouts, and redskin potatoes.
“The nail in the shed,” I said. “If Eddie hadn’t pushed that back inside, we would have been still in there when Courtney and Luke came back. And if he hadn’t distracted them by running through their flashlight beams, they might have looked closer at the trail we’d left.”
We exchanged a glance, then Rafe stared at Eddie and slowly said, “He really did, didn’t he?”
I leaned forward and kissed the tip of his furry nose, which was still poking out through the wire door. “You’re the smartest cat in the whole wide world,” I said. “Anything you want, all you have to do is ask. We’ll get it for you. Anything at all.”
Eddie looked at me. At Rafe. Back at me.
Then closed his eyes.
And fell asleep.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laurie Cass is the national bestselling author of the Bookmobile Cat Mystery series.
What’s next on
your reading list?
Get personalized book picks and up-to-date news about this author.