Page 58 of Enemies in Paradise

I stare at the TV with Willy’s mournful meows providing the appropriate background music for my life at this exact moment. A knocking sound adds to the discord until I realize it’s coming from the front door.

“Come in,” I say without thinking, still staring at the destruction surrounding me.

Bear pokes his head inside. “Hey, I heard noise. Everything…” He stops and looks around. “Whathappened?”

I shake my head. I don’t even know how to explain it. I’m asking myself the same question.

“Wait here,” he says over his shoulder before closing the door.

I hear voices outside, but they’re drowned out by Willy’s meowing and the squirrel… chirping? Is that what they’re doing? It’s a sound I’ve never heard before and so loud I can’t believe it’s coming from something so little.

“What is that noise?” Bear asks, walking slowly towards me.

“The squirrels,” I whisper, enunciating each syllable.

Bear stops. “How did they get in the bathroom?”

“I heard a noise. I went to investigate. They attacked.” At some level, I’m aware the words are coming from my mouth, but they sound as if they’re coming from somewhere else.

From someoneelse.

Some other person whose apartment has been destroyed and whose scalp still stings where squirrel claws dug in. Because I’m having a hard time believing I’m that person.

“The squirrels did all this?” Bear scans the entire studio, but I can’t look again.

Instead, I scoop up Willy and carry him away from the bathroom door. He fights me to get back to his post, even getting a few swipes at my face, but I hold him tight.

“They had some help from Willy.” I nod toward the Tasmanian devil in my arms.

“I thought you took him back to Harvey.” Bear sneezes.

“I decided to keep him,” I answer.

“I told you I had baby squirrels in the shop. Why would you let a cat in there?” Bear listens at the bathroom door, his face twisted with frustration and worry.

“You didn’t tell me they were running loose in there, and I didn’tletWilly in.” My voice rises as I defend myself from both Willy’s claws and Bear’s accusation.

I wrangle Willy Wonkat into his carrier, then face Bear. “He came to my defense when one of your squirrels jumped on my head.”

“He could have killed the babies,” Bear shoots back.

My mouth gapes. “Willy isnotthe most pressing problem right now, you know, since cats are actually indoor animals. Squirrels arenot.You shouldn’t have had them in the shop.”

“Lynette thought they’d be safer from wild animals in here. Clearly, she was wrong!” Bear yanks his phone from his coat pocket and tells it to call Georgia.

“You thought the shop would be a good place to keep them? Now that it’s not occupied by mice?” I ask over the ringing of his phone.

“What are you implying, Cassie? You think I planned all of this … I don’t know… to torture you or something? That’s your area of expertise, not mine.”

Before I can respond, he sneezes, then says into his phone, “Cassie needs you to pick her up. It’s an emergency.”

Georgia’s voice comes through the phone in a mumble, and I can’t make out her words over my own.

“I don’t need her to pick me up! I’m fine.” It’s bad enough he’s accusing me of torturing him again. I don’t need him acting as if he’s my protector or something. “Just get your squirrels out of my studio!”

Bear ignores my protest, nodding into his phone before ending the call.

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” he says, shoving his phone in his pocket. “But I can’t get the squirrels out with your cat here, and you don’t lookfine. Georgia can help you get cleaned up.”

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