Karl laughed loudly. “What a cat!” He turned to Gladys. “Do you like animals?”

  “Sure,” she said. “Vannie’s cat can be a bit much sometimes, but yes, I like most animals.”

  “What else do you enjoy?” he asked.

  “Oh…um…I belong to a book club. The meetings are interesting.”

  “What do you do at a book club meeting?” Karl asked. “Does everyone sit around and read books?”

  Gladys chuckled. “No. We all read the same book prior to the meeting, then we get together and discuss it. It’s fascinating to hear all the different impressions from each member. I always learn something new.” When no one spoke, she added, “Oh, and I dabble in genealogy.”

  “And she’s going to learn how to make pottery,” Savannah said. When her mother looked at her rather blankly, Savannah reminded her, “You were just saying the other day how you’d like to take a pottery class.”

  “Yes, that’s on my bucket list,” Gladys agreed.

  “And what better time than the present,” Savannah pushed.

  Gladys seemed embarrassed. “Well, I guess I could start looking into it.”

  “Hey, as luck would have it, I happen to have a potter’s wheel that needs a new home,” Karl said.

  Gladys’s eyes lit up. “Oh? Well, isn’t that a coincidence! But I should probably take a class before I start investing in supplies. I might not like it as much as I think I will.” When he didn’t respond she asked, “So is it your potter’s wheel? Do you make pottery?”

  “It was my mother’s.” Karl cleared his throat. “She and I spent some enjoyable hours together making pottery when I was a boy. I actually thought about keeping it, but I doubt I’ll ever use it again, so I included it in the estate sale. It hasn’t sold yet. If you can use it and want it, it’s yours.”

  “Oh…my goodness, how generous of you,” Gladys said sounding a little flustered. “That would be wonderful. Then I’ll have to learn how to use it, won’t I? No more procrastinating.” She smiled at Karl. “But I want to pay you for it.”

  “Do you bake?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “I see that you have fruit trees.” He winked at her. “I’ll bet you make cobblers and pies.”

  When Gladys seemed unable to respond, Savannah said, “We sure do.”

  “I’d love something home baked. One of the many things I miss about my mother and my wife are their home-baked goodies.”

  “Okay,” Gladys said, enthusiastically. “What’s your preference?”

  “Surprise me,” he suggested. He stood up. “Thank you for the refreshment; I should get back to the house. The estate company’s there running the sale, and I want to grab that wheel before it walks out the door.” He nodded toward Gladys. “I’ll clean it up a bit and get it to you.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “And thanks for bringing our cat home!” Savannah called after Karl. She gazed at her mother and noticed she had a smile on her face.

  ****

  “Janet’s here!” Savannah called from the living room three days later.

  “Oh, good,” Gladys said. She scooped up Teddy, who’d been playing with some of his toys in the living room, and asked Lily, “Want to come see Cousin Janet?” The child took her grandmother’s hand and walked out onto the porch with her. Savannah moved past them to help Janet with her things.

  After hugging Savannah, Janet said, “Want to usher Pauline in?”

  “I sure do,” Savannah said, reaching into the car for the cat. She snuggled with Pauline. “Hi, sweet kitty. You’re as beautiful as ever. It’s so good to see you, gorgeous,” she cooed. She stopped Janet from lifting her suitcase out of the trunk. “Leave it. I’ll get it in a minute. Let’s go inside and let you relax.”

  “Good idea,” Janet said. “That was a long drive.” She reached behind the suitcase and picked up a gift bag, then walked with Savannah toward the porch steps. “Look at you children,” Janet said, standing back and admiring them. “She leaned over and hugged Lily. “Hi, princess. You are as pretty as ever?” When Janet noticed Lily staring at the bag, she held it out. “Here, why don’t you carry this in for me?” She laughed when Lily enthusiastically took the bag and ran toward the front door with it. When she saw Teddy staring at her through big blue eyes, she kissed him on the cheek. “Look at this big boy. You are such a cutie.”

  “So good to see you,” Gladys said, giving Janet a one-arm hug.

  Janet wrapped her arms around both Gladys and Teddy. “You too, Cousin. You look well.”

  “Thank you. And so do you. Did you have a good trip?”

  “Piece of cake,” Janet said. “I fretted for nothing about making that drive all by myself.” She smiled at her cat. “Pauline is very good company.”

  “She’s a good traveler, isn’t she?” Savannah said. “We had no problem when we drove with her from Big Sur to Southern California.” She cuddled with Pauline, then said to Janet, “Well, come on in.”

  Janet stalled. She gazed at the house. “What a beautiful place. It’s quite grand, isn’t it?”

  She motioned toward the corrals and asked, “Lily, are those your horsies out there?”

  The child nodded. “Peaches and Gypsy.”

  “I hope you’ll excuse the mess out here,” Savannah said. “We boarded a friend’s horses for several weeks and we’re just starting a major re-landscaping project to repair the damage. It’ll be a showplace once we’re finished.”

  “I imagine so,” Janet said. “There are a lot of possibilities here.” She followed the others inside. “Oh, this is wonderful—just as I imagined. It’s refreshing to visit a vintage home where the residents have maintained the integrity of its elegance.”

  “Nicely put,” Gladys said.

  “And a very nice compliment,” Savannah said. “Thank you.”

  Janet smiled. “Certainly. I can’t wait to see the rest of the house.” When she became aware that Lily still held the gift bag, she said, “But first, I think Lily would like to see what I brought her, wouldn’t you, sweetie?”

  Lily nodded. “Teddy, too?” she asked.

  “Of course. I brought Teddy something, too. Here, let’s sit down and I’ll show you, okay?”

  Meanwhile, Savannah removed Pauline’s harness. “What did Cousin Janet bring you, Lily?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” Lily said, trying to peek into the bag while Janet removed her sweater and sat down.

  Finally Janet reached into the bag and pulled out a small doll wearing a bathing suit and sunglasses. “She reminded me of you, Lily, when you were at the beach visiting me.”

  Lily’s face lit up. She took the doll, looked it over, then ran to Savannah. “Look, Mommy, my beach doll.”

  “Yes, isn’t she cute?” Savannah said. She laughed. “She does look a lot like you, punkin. See her big blue eyes and blond pony tails, just like you.”

  “And my bathing suit and sunglasses,” Lily said. “I’ll go get my sunglasses.”

  “Wait,” Savannah called. She whispered to the child, “Did you tell Cousin Janet thank you?”

  Lily faced Janet, leaned against Savannah, and said quietly, “Thank you.” She ran down the hallway, returning wearing a pair of red-framed sunglasses. “Look, Grammy,” she said, approaching her. “See my beach doll? She’s like me.”

  “Yes, she does look like you, and she’s all ready for the beach, isn’t she?”

  When Lily saw Janet reach into the bag again, she moved closer and watched intently, crimping one arm around her beach doll.

  This time, Janet pulled out a stuffed dog dressed like a fireman, and held it out to Teddy.

  “I’ll give it to Teddy,” Lily chirped, reaching for the toy.

  “Lily, let Janet give Teddy the toy,” Savannah said. “You have your toy.”

  Lily stepped back against Gladys and pouted.

  Meanwhile, Teddy took the toy and began chewing on it.

  “Well, I guess it tastes good,” Janet quipped.

  Teddy held the toy out in front of him and smiled at it.

  “Do you like your little fireman doggy?” Gladys asked him. “Can you give your doggy love?” she prodded.

  Teddy looked at her, then wrapped his pudgy arms around the dog and held it tightly. Everyone laughed.

  Suddenly they heard another voice. “Hi,” Margaret said, stepping in through the front door. “Is she here?”

  Gladys stood up. “Yes. Come in, Maggie. Janet, this is my sister—your cousin—Maggie.”

  “Janet, nice to finally meet you,” Margaret said, holding out her hand. “Welcome to the family.”

  Janet stood and smiled widely at Margaret. She bypassed the handshake and went in for a hug. “So nice to meet you, Cousin Maggie.” She pulled back. “So you live close by?”

  “Right next door,” Margaret announced. “I saw you drive in.”

  “Auntie,” Lily interrupted, “Cuzzie Janet gave me this. It’s a beach doll,”

  “Well, isn’t that cute?” Margaret remarked.

  Janet responded. “It looks like Lily did the first day I met her, all decked out in her bathing suit and sunglasses.”

  With that, Lily picked up her sunglasses from the floor and put them on again. “Mommy, can I wear my bathing suit?” she asked.

  “Well, I guess it would be okay. Come on, I’ll help you,” Savannah offered.

  “Yay,” the child cheered as she ran and skipped ahead of Savannah down the hallway.

  Margaret looked around. “Where’s your cat? I’ve heard a lot about your cat. I understand she’s another klepto.” She added playfully, “Like we needed another one in this family.”

  “Yes, where is she?” Janet asked, looking around.

  “It’s a big house,” Gladys said, “Sometimes we don’t see a cat for days.” When Janet looked concerned, Gladys put a hand on her arm. “I’m exaggerating, of course.” She pointed. “There she is, snooping around Buffy’s bed. She’s just getting to know the territory.”

  “Oh,” Margaret gushed, “she’s beautiful.” She approached the cat. “She was a stray?”

  “I guess she was, before Savannah and Michael rescued her,” Janet said. “Can you imagine someone turning her out?”

  “Well, if she gets into as much trouble as Rags does, then yes,” Margaret said.

  “She hasn’t been any trouble since I’ve had her,” Janet insisted.

  “What about when she…” Gladys started.

  Janet waved a hand in front of herself. “Oh, there have been a few tiny incidents where she got away from me. Nothing serious.” She smiled. “Mainly she’s just a delight.”

  When Janet noticed Margaret staring at her, she asked, “Is something wrong?”

  “Uh…” Margaret hesitated. “I don’t know; there’s just something familiar about you.” More seriously, she said, “I think we’ve met before.”

  Janet looked surprised. “Really?” She tilted her head. “You’re a little bit familiar to me too, but I think you just remind me of someone. Who, I don’t know off hand.” She laughed. “I wonder if we met at a family reunion or something like that. Or maybe we saw each other’s pictures at the genealogy site.”

  Margaret stepped back and huffed, “Oh, I don’t do that stuff. Don’t have time.” She studied Janet. “No, the more I watch you and listen to you, the more I’m pretty sure we’ve had some sort of encounter. But I don’t remember when or where.” When Savannah returned to the room, Margaret asked, “Are you about ready to go check the traps, or…”

  Before Savannah could respond, there was a rap on the front door. She glanced at the others, who seemed not to hear it, then opened the door. “Karl!” she said, smiling.

  He saw the three women behind her and asked, “Oh, is this a bad time? Gladys said I should come by and get some cobbler today while it’s still warm.”

  “Yes,” Savannah said. “We just pulled two of them out of the oven. Come in and meet more of our family members.”

  “If you’re sure I’m not interrupting anything.”

  “No, come on in,” Savannah coaxed.

  “Oh, Karl,” Gladys said when she saw Savannah usher him in, “good timing. I just pulled them out of the oven. Come in and meet my sister and our cousin.” She put one hand on Margaret’s arm. “Maggie Sheridan, this is Pastor Sanders’s son, Karl. He’s here handling his father’s estate. Karl, my sister.”

  “Hello,” Margaret said, offering her hand. “Sorry to read about your father’s passing. He lived a long and full life, didn’t he?”

  “He certainly did,” Karl said.

  “And this is our newfound cousin, Janet,” Gladys continued. “She just arrived from Southern California.”

  He nodded and offered his hand.

  “Well, hello,” Janet said, her voice a little huskier than usual. “My, my, they grow ’em handsome in these parts. So you live nearby, do you?”

  Obviously embarrassed, Karl said, “Actually, I live in Arizona now. I came to take care of my dad’s affairs.”

  “I should have known,” Janet said. “My late husband was from Mesa, and he was a looker, too.”

  A little rattled now, Gladys scurried into the kitchen and returned with a peach cobbler. She handed it to Karl. “I wrapped it in a heavy towel so you don’t burn your hands on your way home. I hope you enjoy it.”

  He sniffed the air and swooned. “I’m very sure I will. It smells delicious.” Gladys walked with Karl to the front door and said again, “Thanks for coming by. Do enjoy the dessert. It’s really good with ice cream,” she suggested. She started to step inside and close the door, but Karl stopped it with an elbow.

  “Wait,” he said. He glanced at the other women and spoke more softly, “I wanted to tell you I’ve set up the potter’s wheel, and I even took an online refresher course in how to use it. I’d like to invite you over some evening for a demonstration.” He lowered his voice even more. “…and maybe dinner.”

  Practically speechless, Gladys stammered, “Well…I mean…um…gosh, I’ll have to check.”

  Having overheard the invitation, Savannah joined her mother at the door, put her arm around her, and said, “Karl, she’d love to. Her guest will be leaving in a few days. Friday or Saturday night should work.”

  Karl stared at Savannah for a moment, then looked at Gladys. “Okay, that sounds good. I’ll check back with you after your company leaves, then.”

  “Uh…okay, I guess,” Gladys said.

  “Thank you again for the cobbler,” he called while walking away.

  “Where did you find him?” Janet asked excitedly once Savannah had closed the door. “He’s dreamy.”

  “Oh, well,” Gladys started to explain, “Rags got out and…”

  Margaret smiled at Gladys. “Say no more. So Rags dragged the handsome man home, did he? Unbelievable.” She turned to Savannah. “Ready to go trapping?”

  “Mom,” Savannah said, “will you be here for a little while? I’d like to go out and help Auntie check the traps. If you have plans, the kids can go with us.”

  “What kind of traps?” Janet asked, frowning.

  “We’re managing a feral cat colony and we’re trapping the cats to have them spayed, neutered and—you know, inoculated and all,” Savannah explained.

  “That sounds fascinating,” Janet said. “Maybe I can go out there with you and help while I’m here. I’d love that.”

  “Sure,” Savannah said. “We can do that.” She addressed Gladys again. “Want me to take the kids?”

  “Oh no, we’ll just stay close to home so Janet can rest this afternoon. I made us a nice shrimp salad for lunch. There’s enough for everyone, if you want to join us later.”

  “Thank you,” Savannah said. “Be back shortly.” She thought of something. “Janet, let me go get your bag before I leave, so you can start unpacking if you want to. Mom, want to show Janet to her room?”

  ****

  “I don’t like her,” Margaret barked as she drove out of Savannah’s driveway minutes later.

  Savannah was stunned. “What?”

  “That supposed cousin. I don’t like her.”

  “Why? You just met her.”

  “I don’t think so, Vannie. I know her or else I know her kind. I’m not sure which it is, but she gives me a bad taste in my mouth. Did you see how forward she is—asking to go with us to set traps, bringing the children expensive toys… There’s something up her sleeve. You can’t trust a person like that.”

  Savannah frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “She can’t even control her cat—says she gets out sometimes and causes trouble in the neighborhood. She doesn’t sound very responsible. She’s kind of an airhead—a pushy airhead.”

  “My goodness, Auntie, I can’t even begin to imagine how you came to that conclusion after a cordial first meeting of ten or fifteen minutes?”

  “Cordial?” Margaret questioned. “She’s a phony, Vannie. Can’t you see that?”

  “No, I can’t see that, and I don’t know why you think you can. You said she reminds you of someone. It must be someone you dislike an awful lot. Are you transferring feelings and impressions from someone you hate onto poor Janet?”

  Margaret thought for a moment, then said slowly, “I don’t think so. No, I have good intuition, and my gut tells me she’s trouble. We don’t want her in our family—no way, no how, and I’m going to tell my sister that.”

  “Don’t you do anything of the sort,” Savannah warned.

  This took Margaret aback. “Are you telling me what I can and can’t say to my sister?”

  “Yes,” Savannah spat. “I guess I am. She has a very nice relationship with Janet. They enjoy each other’s company. Don’t you dare do anything to spoil that.”

  “Even if I think Janet’s a danger?”

  “A danger in what way?” Savannah demanded. “In the way she makes Mom happy? In the way she has livened Mom’s life? In the way she expresses her love for us?”

  “Well…I…I mean…you know…well,” Margaret stammered, “I just don’t like her, that’s all.”