Kitten Kaboodle (Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 20) by Kathi Daley Page A

She even has a chart that shows the number of months it takes for the average couple to conceive once they begin trying, the gestation period of the average fetus, and the ideal length of time between each pregnancy.”
    Zak actually laughed.
    When I’d decided to distract him with the story of the ridiculous conversation I’d had with his mother I’d thought I was past my own irritation. Apparently, I was wrong. “Why are you laughing? Not only am I furious that your mother has arranged for a nursery to be built in our house without even asking either one of us first but when she started asking whether my cycle was regular and if I’d discussed the ideal sexual position for conception with my doctor right in the middle of the restaurant I thought I would die.”
    “I’m so sorry,” Zak said in a somewhat more serious tone. “Really. If I could be there this minute I would. It’s Wednesday night; I’ll be home Friday. Please just try to avoid my mother as much as possible until I get there.”
    “Trust me, after tonight’s dinner I plan to.” I was tempted to hang up, but the last thing I wanted to do was hang up mad, and I had after all been the one to bring up the subject of the nursery in the first place. “Did you talk to Alex today?”
    Alex, who was in South America with her archeologist parents, was due to return to Ashton Falls within the next couple of weeks, and Zak had informed me during a previous conversation that he’d arranged to speak to her about her plans the next time she was in cell phone range.
    “Yes.”
    “How did she seem?”
    “She said she’d had a nice visit, but she missed us and was ready to come home. I spoke to her mother, who agreed the visit had run its course, so I sent Coop to get her.” Coop was the private pilot Zak used. “After he picks her up he’s going to come get me, so we both should be home on Friday.”
    “Really?” I grinned. I’d missed all the kids, but especially Alex. Suddenly my irritation with Zak’s mother and my fear over Nona’s part in Edna’s murder was replaced with pure, unadulterated joy. “That’s wonderful news.”
    “I thought that might bring a smile to your face. I really need to get a few hours’ sleep so I can finish this project tomorrow. I’ll call you in the morning if I get the chance.”
    “Okay. I can’t wait to see you. I miss you.”
    “Yeah,” Zak said in a tired-sounding voice. “Me too.”
     
     

Chapter 7
Thursday, August 11
     
     
    When I woke up on Thursday morning I decided to take the dogs out for a run. A glance at my bedside clock confirmed it was early yet, so I quickly dressed in a warm pair of sweats and shepherded the dogs outside before anyone else awoke and waylaid me.
    I headed down the beach toward the boathouse. Even in the summer mornings tended to be cool in Ashton Falls, but it was actually quite pleasant in the sun today. Maybe if Ellie was awake I could talk her into breakfast on the deck overlooking the lake. When I lived in the boathouse Charlie and I enjoyed many breakfasts looking out over the crystal-clear blue water. We had a great deck off the back of the house Zak and I now owned, but the little deck behind the boathouse faced the east, providing the earliest sun along this particular stretch of beach.
    Luckily for Charlie and me, Ellie was both awake and dressed when we arrived. She was sitting in the sun with a blanket wrapped around her, staring blankly into space.
    “It looks like I’m not the only early bird on the beach this morning,” I greeted her as my dogs greeted Shep.
    “Couldn’t sleep, so I decided to come out for some fresh air. Can I get you some coffee?”
    “I’ll get it,” I offered. “There’s no reason for you to get up. Do you need a refill?”
    “No. I’m fine.”
    When I went in through the side door of the boathouse I noticed Ellie had created a play area for the kittens where they had room to wander and yet were contained so as not to toddle