Page 26 of Dining for Love

“Can’t have animals in the station,” he states flatly.

Betty turns to glare at him. “Ted Thompson, you hush your mouth. It’s a kitten, not some gorilla on the loose.”

He looks affronted. “There are rules…”

“And if we had a police dog?” I interrupt, unwilling to let his douchery continue.

“Well, that’s…that’s different,” he sputters.

“Is it, though?”

His ruddy complexion gets even more maroon. “No animals.” He turns and leaves, and Betty rolls her eyes at his departure.

“I think he needs a hug,” she says.

“He needs more than that,” I mutter, keeping my voice low.

Betty laughs. “You’re probably right. I’ve got an idea. Take this sweet thing, and I’ll be right back.”

I cradle Midnight against me, and moments later, Betty returns with some kind of super-long fabric.

“It’s a baby sling,” she declares.

“A what now?”

She gestures me toward her, then proceeds to wrap the fabric around me and secure it with a plastic loop thing that I’d not noticed before. Then she holds it open, a little pouch magically appearing in the front, and I nestle Midnight in there.

“Well, if that’s not the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Betty coos again.

“What the hell is going on?” Chief Mac asks as he walks in. “Are you wearing a baby?”

“She’s a kitten,” I correct. “Not a baby.”

“Thank God. You’ve not been here long enough to cause that kind of trouble,” Chief smiles. He reaches in and pets the kitten’s head. “Cute little thing.”

Midnight blinks up at me and meows, then kicks a purr into gear so loud that Chief and Betty can hear her.

Chief chuckles. “Guess you’re taking her on duty?”

After only a moment’s hesitation, I nod. “Pretty sure I’ll fitright in.” Nothing else about me in this town is normal, so why not take the next ridiculous step? I can’t fathom my chief in Miami being okay with me waltzing around with a kitten strapped to my chest.

“I was gonna tell you that you were on your own today since Ox is needed for something else, but it looks like you’ve got a partner after all.”

Betty giggles with delight. “Officer MacKinnon, you’re gonna turn all the heads.”

Ted grumbles from behind his desk but says nothing. I may have only been here two weeks, but even I know better than to cross the ChiefandBetty. And the both of them have clearly given me the green light to police while cat-wearing.

My buddies in Miami would have a field day with this. Good thing they won’t see me.

Of course, the whole idea of not being seen goes down the tubes when I amble into the town square. I’m swarmed by tourists, most of whom are older ladies ogling me and using the kitten as an excuse, but some are indeed there for the cat. A couple of people ask to pose near the infamous clock tower since it’s got the town’s name on top of it. And while part of me wonders if it’s a good idea posing with Midnight for random photos with tourists, I can’t imagine that it’s a big deal. As cutthroat as the Bunnies are, there’s no point in them worrying about anything this far north, even if it is on the coast. Nothing I learned about them in my years working undercover would lead me to believe they’d bother with a town this tiny.

My stomach growls just as I near the Dash In Diner, and Midnight pokes her head out with interest, her little whiskers quivering as she scans the front of the building.

“You wanna see your mom, little one?” I ask.

I swing open the door and am not three steps in before Goldie is cooing and darting toward me.

“Oh my gosh, is that the kitten? Aw, look at her,” she says,leaning in and reaching to give her scratches. She barely spares me a glance before turning her attention back to the kitten. “I heard all about this little one and how Matty conned the two of you into co-parenting.” She laughs. “You two never had a chance. Once Matty decides on a pet pairing, it’s over.”

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