“Plaster fatigue,” Ted murmured as he went on his way. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
And as Tex turned, a smirk on his face, he encountered the gaze of his mother-in-law, who stood wagging her finger.“You naughty, naughty boy, Tex Poole.”
Tex’s grin widened. “Takes one to know one, Vesta.”
Gran, too, was dressed in blue coveralls, a high-vis vest, hard hat and safety goggles. And much to our surprise, they started clearing away the rubble that had once been the garden house. Not the fact that they were clearing the site was surprising, but the fact that they were collaborating and not at daggers drawn.
I guess miracles do happen, even in Bumpkin Cove.
CHAPTER 25
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The moon rose radiant and serene on a peaceful world below. Hampton Cove was silent and not a creature stirred… or did it? Five cats slowly made their way to the park, where we were met by a striking scene: dozens more cats, all chattering excitedly and enjoying this meeting of the minds as they hung out at the playground. No happy kiddies gliding down the slide or clambering up the jungle gym now, but the collected cat population of our small coastal town.
“This is just… magical,” said Prunella in hushed tones as she witnessed the amazing scene. “And you guys do this every night?”
“Every night,” I said.
“At least when we’re in town,” said Harriet airily. “Like yourself we have so many international obligations that sometimes it’s hard to find the time, but we feel it’s important to give back to the local community, which is why we keep coming back as often as we can.”
Prunella gave Harriet a sideways glance, then gave me a knowing wink.“So who is Shanille and why is it important I talk to her?”
“Because she’s in charge of cat choir,” I said. “She’s our director.”
“A role she’s still getting accustomed to,” said Harriet. “But I have to admit that she’s gradually improving—with a lot of assistance from her first soprano, of course.” She tapped her chest self-importantly and threw her head back. “Moi.”
This time Prunella had to laugh, then quickly suppressed her mirth when Harriet gave her a scathing look. Of course when it comes to dealing with divas Prunella had probably seen it all, since half the divas of the world had at one time or another taken place in front of her human.
“And there she is now,” said Harriet. She waved a deft paw. “Shanille, oh, Shanille. We have a guest tonight. And she’s going to sing the soprano part.”
Shanille, who’s Father Reilly’s cat, came walking over. As always she looked grave. Shanille takes her role very seriously. She gave Prunella the once-over. “You have to audition first, of course,” she said, tapping her chin as she circled Prunella and studied her from every angle. “Is this your firstexperience as a singer? Because let me tell you, little missy, it’s not as easy as it looks.”
“I make it look easy,” said Harriet with satisfaction.
“Many are called but precious few are chosen,” Shanille clarified.
“Prunella is Opa—“ I began to say, but Shanille cut me off with a gesture.
“Silence! This is no trivial matter, Max. This is cat choir, and we have standards—standards I adhere to very rigidly.” She narrowed her eyes as Prunella’s lips twisted into a smile. “Well, let’s hear it,” she snapped.
“What do you want me to sing?” asked Prunella.
Shanille shared a look with Harriet and said,“Why don’t you sing Harriet’s part for tonight? Hello.”
“Hello to you, too,” said Prunella with a grin.
“Don’t get smart with me, young lady. I meant the songHello by Adele.“
“Not Adele!” said Prunella in mock shock.
“Only the best can join my choir,” said Shanille. “The best of the best.”
“In other words, the very best,” said Prunella, then sighed. “Okay, so I guess I’ll give it a shot. Don’t judge me too harshly, though, Miss Shanille. I know I still have a lot to learn.”
“Go on, then,” said Shanille, slightly mollified. “We’re all here to learn. The important thing is to try and be open to honest criticism. And be willing to work hard and improve.” She closed her eyes. “Just give me your best shot.”
Prunella took a deep breath, and launched into the well-known song. And even as she hit those first few notes, we knew we were in the presence of greatness. Harriet’s jaw dropped, Shanille’s eyes flew open, and Dooley and I shared a look of surprise. Even Brutus, who’d been straining at the proverbial leash to join his friends and shoot the breeze, stopped twitching. And when Opal’s sweetheart got to the chorus, and belted out those high notes as if she’d never done anything else her entire life, we were all stunned. All around us, conversations halted, and soon all eyes were fixed on Prunella.
And when finally the song was at an end and the last notes drifted off into the night, for a moment you could hear a pin drop, then all of cat choir burst loose into a raucous applause and loud cheers.
“Amazing!” Shanille gasped. “I’ve never heard anything like it! You’re a natural, Priscilla.”
“Prunella,” said Prunella.