Page 48 of Dash of Bryce
"How so?"
"It's a long story, but basically, he watched my aunt's cat for a few days this past summer and brought along his own cat without permission. Long story short, my aunt's cat ended up pregnant."
I had to laugh. "So that's where the kittens came from?"
"It's not funny." But then her lips twitched like she wanted to smile. "Okay, maybe itwouldbe funny if the guy hadn't been so awful to Aunt Celia."
I wasn't laughing anymore. "So the guy got hostile?"
"I'm not sure aboutthat, but Idoknow that he wasn't very nice about it. And now, this same guy is lurking around Gwen, and she's too nice to tell him to take a hike."
I considered the story. "And you're sure it's the same guy?"
"Almost positive." Harper shifted on the couch and reached into the front pocket of her jeans. She pulled out a silver engraved tag and held it out in my direction. "Look at this."
I took it from her hands and read the engraving out loud. "Tango?"
"Yeah, it's the same name of that guy's cat."
"So, where'd you get this?"
"That's the worst part. I found it on the front porch. And Iknowit wasn't there when we moved in."
"So how'd it get there?"
"Well…the guy must've left it as a joke – you know, to taunt my aunt or maybe even us."
"Or maybe," I countered, "the guy just dropped it."
She let out a scoff. "Oh, come on."
"Itdoeshappen, you know."
"Oh, please. Doyoucarry around a pet tag?"
I smiled. "No, butyoudo."
"Yeah, butI'monly carrying it to make a point."
"To who?"
"Well…if you want the truth, I've been meaning to show it to Gwen, but I'm waiting for a picture."
"A picture of what?"
"Of the guy who watched the cat. When I found the tag, I sent a text to my Aunt Celia, asking her what the guy looked like. Andshesaid he looked like a big jackass, which describes the guy perfectly."
I cocked an eyebrow. "Thatdescription? Hell, it could beme.MaybeIdropped the tag."
She drew back. "You're making fun of me."
"Yeah, because you deserve it. That description of yours, it's not very specific."
"Hey, it's specific enough."
"Not the wayIsee it."
"But you didn't meet him," Harper said. "The guy was a total weasel. He tried to blame the whole thing on his grandfather. He claimed Tango washisinstead."
