Page 36 of A Christmas Mystery

I resist the impulse.

Claude and Ed are at our feet as we come inside and delighted by this unexpected reprieve from heartless abandonment. Theo leans over to pet Ed, who promptly rolls onto his side and stretches out to better enjoy the attention. Claude, predictably contrary, keeps himself just out of reach, walking suspicious circles around Theo to assess his intentions and quality.

Theo crouches all the way down into a squat, grinning at Ed and avoiding making direct eye contract with Claude.

Maybe it’s accidental and he’s simply focusing on the friendlier cat, but the show of respect works on Claude anyway. Slowly his circles tighten, getting closer and closer until he’s rubbing against Theo’s side.

Theo gently reaches over to scratch the cat’s ears. “Thank you. I was wanting to say hello to you, so I appreciate you letting me.”

Claude gives a deep, approving purr and then climbs in a series of graceful leaps onto the high shelf where he likes to perch.

I smile up at him. “He doesn’t like a lot of pets like Ed does, but you got his mark of approval.”

“Did I?” Theo is still smiling as he shifts his gaze up to me. “He strikes me as a hard sell.”

“He is,” I reply, unable to keep from smiling back. “Unlike Ed, who would gladly trade me for the first stranger who passes by with treats and pets.”

“That’s not true, is it, buddy?” Theo is still running his hand back and forth across Ed’s thick fur. “You love Maya the best, don’t you? Of course you do. And why wouldn’t you? She’s your person.”

Ed meows in pleased agreement.

I’ll admit it. My smile gets rather sappy as I witness this interaction. Part of me wants to withdraw like Claude and get some distance from the feelings, but I don’t. Tee and Daniela are right. There’s no reason to run away from this.

After all, it’s not like Theo and I are even dating. Absolutely nothing romantic has occurred between us. Falling asleep together on the couch doesn’t count.

“I didn’t take you for a cat person,” I say at last.

“I’m not.” Theo stands up, his eyes resting on me for the first time since we came inside. “At least, I’ve never known myself to be. I’ve always liked animals though. All animals.”

“Your family had a dog, didn’t they?”

“Yes. I love dogs, but I love cats too. Does it have to be either dogs or cats and not both?”

“No. Of course not. But sometimes it is.”

He scans the interior of my house, taking in the small kitchen, the compact living area, and the lofted bed.

“Well?” I prompt at last. “What do you think?”

“I like it. There’s more room than I was expecting for the square footage. It would be a tight squeeze for a family, but for one person, it definitely works.”

“Yeah. It’s worked very well for me.”

Ed is not pleased by Theo’s wavering attention. He sits at his feet and yowls up at him.

Theo chuckles. “I guess being named after artists accounts for your volatile artistic temperament.”

“Ed isn’t really volatile. He just doesn’t understand not getting attention when—” I break off my comment as I process what Theo said. “How did you know they’re named after artists?”

I’m positive I never mentioned that to him.

“Just a guess. I thought Claude was an unusual name, but then I thought about Monet, and that seemed to fit. Ed was harder, but I thought maybe Degas.” His eyebrows arch with an implicit question.

“Yes. It’s Edgar. Degas. That’s some good guessing.”

It makes me want to hug myself and hide my face at the same time. I don’t even know why. Theo is a smart guy and he’s probably good at solving puzzles. There’s no reason to assume his deduction has anything to do with knowledge of or attachment to me.

“Well,” I say with a nervous throat-clearing. “Should we head out?”

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