We all laughed at the not-so-distant memory.
“I'll drink to that,” Mags said with a giggle.
“Wait. Just you wait one second,” Nan clucked. “I want your resolutions. That's right, all of you.”
Mr. Gable stood. “I resolve that this year no one will get injured on my watch.”
“Does that mean the Holiday Spectacular is returning to Glendale?” I asked hopefully.
“Not quite,” he answered with a small sigh. "We’re moving it to Cooper's Cove, but the remaining committee members, those who haven't gone to jail, elected to keep me as the head. And I of course was happy to accept.”
Cheers rose around the table.
“That's awesome!” Mags enthused. “But I hope you don't mind that I probably won't be going next year.”
We all laughed again. My heart remained light, mostly because I knew I'd be seeing lots more of Mags in the months to follow. In fact, we'd already begun planning a family reunion for the coming summer.
“All right, who's next?” Nan asked, looking between Mags and me and waiting for one of us to volunteer resolutions.
“Mine's easy,” I said, shooting to my feet and lifting my glass. “This will be the year I get my private investigation firm off the ground.”
“Our,” Octo-Cat corrected, though only I understood. “And when do I get my lobster roll?”
Mags drummed her fingers on the tabletop. “I don't know what I want out of this year other than to try new things. New things are what brought us together, after all, and I don't think I've ever been happier than I am now.”
"That’s a bold proclamation given what happened on Christmas Eve,” Mr. Gable quipped.
“It is,” she agreed, “but it also speaks of just how much I love my new cousin and my new Nan.”
Nan and I both awwwed.
When the table grew quiet again, Nan rose with her drink in hand. “I live every day like it's my first, my last, my everything. That's how you make life fun, you know. But this year I'm going to be a bit more careful about who I let into my life, and maybe this year I'll even find love again.”
She glanced coyly toward Mr. Gable, who blushed and looked away.
My heart did a giant happy somersault. I never would've pictured the two of them together but seeing it now made perfect sense. I wondered if they felt it, too. If they were already well on their way to something wonderful together.
Yes, the next year was looking pretty good as we dove into our meals, chatting and drinking happily enjoying the good company.
“Ahem,” my cat said, jumping onto the table and flicking his tail ominously. “Aren't you forgetting something?”
Ugh. I had forgotten his lobster roll in all the excitement over Nan and Mr. Gable's possible forthcoming relationship.
“Off the table,” I told him, taking half of my lobster roll and setting it on the ground so that he would leave me in peace.
He jumped down after it, joy sparking in his amber eyes. He moved quickly but not quite enough.
As if from thin air, Paisley appeared and snatched the treat away, racing back toward E.B. with the giant hunk of food protruding from her impossibly small mouth.
“Unhand my sandwich, thief!” Octo-Cat cried.
“I'm sorry, Octavius,” she said, blinking slowly, as she regarded him. “I've been looking forward to this ever since I first smelled these things at the festival. You didn't share then, but it's okay. I forgive you.”
“Angela!” my cat cried, staring at me in horror. “She took my sandwich! She stole it!”
I laughed, unable to hide my amusement any longer.
I tossed him a large shrimp, which he pawed at morosely.
“It's not the same” he mewled.
No, it wasn’t the same.
Nothing was the same as it had once been.
But you know what? Ever since Mags and Mr. Gable had joined our lives, it was better.
I couldn't wait to see what the next year would bring.
What’s Next?
Nobody does the holidays like small-town Maine, and my particular small town just so happens to be the very best at decking the halls and rocking around the big Christmas tree downtown.
Yes, every year, Glendale puts on a Holiday Spectacular that’s grander and greater than the one that came before. Unfortunately, the only thing everyone’s going to remember this year is the two dead bodies that show up in the center of the ice sculpture garden.
With the whole town having come out to play, everyone’s in close proximity to the crime scene—and everyone’s a suspect. A great many fingers are pointed my way, too, since it was me and my cat that discovered the deathly duo. With only my whacky Nan, recently discovered cousin, overly optimistic Chihuahua, and snarky feline to help me, can I clear my name and save Christmas all in one perfectly executed investigation?
Hold on to your jingle bells, because it’s going to be a wild ride.
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Sneak Peek: Retriever Ransom
My name is Angie Russo. I live in the Blueberry Bay region of Maine, and I can talk to animals. Thanks to this unique—but mostly secret—skill, I’ve taken to solving mysteries around town.
Usually my involvement happens because I have a tendency to wind up in the wrong place at the wrong time, but now I’ve also hung out my hat as a private investigator. And just because I don’t have any clients, that doesn’t mean I’m not good at what I do.
Or more accurately, that we’re not good at what we do.
Yeah, my cat is my business partner, and we also get help from my quirky nan, her sweet Chihuahua Paisley, my lawyer boyfriend Charles, and even the handful of animals that live near our property—most notably, Pringle the raccoon who lives in a luxury tree fort in our backyard and is a tad addicted to reality TV.
Nan and Charles can’t talk to the animals like I do.
In fact, I’ve never met another living soul who can, and I still don’t know why I was blessed with this particular ability. All I know is that I got zapped by a faulty coffee maker, knocked unconscious, and woke up with a talking cat on my chest.
At first, I could only understand that one cat, but over time, my powers grew stronger. Now I can understand most animals, but occasionally I do still find a dud.
That same crabby tabby, Octo-Cat, wound up with me after we worked together to solve the murder of his previous owner. He came with a generous trust fund, a large coastal manor, and an endless string of color commentary about my life.
He has a girlfriend, a former show Himalayan named Grizabella. Their relationship is long distance and mostly sustained through my Instagram account. It’s equal parts adorable, hilarious, and groan-inducing.
But, hey, a happy cat means a happy me.
And I have a lot to be happy about lately, especially since my bad luck often results in good outcomes. First there was the zap that gave me Octo-Cat, then Nan’s impulsiveness landed Paisley in our lives, but those are nothing compared to the fact that a huge family secret had recently been cracked wide open.
Mom and I found out that Nan hadn’t been completely honest about our family’s origins even though she’d had more than fifty years to come clean. And, well, as awful as that whole thing was to discover, it also meant we were able to connect with long-lost family in Georgia, and thus I found the sister I never had in my cousin Mags.
She came for a visit over the holidays and that went well…
Mostly.