“Tell me something I don’t know,” I said. “But you’re probably right. Luck had nothing to do with it. Shawn has told me before how people are always dropping off dogs and cats in the dead of night. I could never do what he and Allison do. I’d be too furious with the people who’d abandoned the animals to think straight.”

“Not everyone believes that cats are the most wonderful creatures on earth,” Candace said.

“Wonderful? That reminds me.” I took my phone from my jeans pocket and pulled up the live feed on my personal “cat cam.” I laughed out loud at what I saw going on in my living room across town. My three cats, Chablis, Syrah and Merlot, were tearing apart a roll of toilet paper. Syrah was sitting like a king in his own special shredded pile. I handed the phone to Candace. “Check this out.”

Her blue eyes widened, and she grinned. “I think they want you to know exactly how mad they are that you left them alone all night.”

“This shredding thing is nothing new. I might have to put a child safety lock on the bathroom cabinet. Both Syrah and Merlot can open anything, though. They’d figure it out eventually.”

Candace handed the phone back. “Knowing your cats, I’d place bets on that. But exactly why did you volunteer for night duty here? I know you’re a sweetheart and when Shawn asked you couldn’t say no-just like I couldn’t say no to keeping you company-but you’ve never done this before, have you?” She stood as the wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the office. The pot was sputtering and beckoning now.

“No, but with Allison driving to Clemson a couple days a week for classes, she needs her sleep. And leaving the kittens at the vet was too expensive. Contributions to the shelter are way down.”

“I forgot about her starting school,” Candace said. “What’s she studying, again?”

“Preveterinary medicine.” I took the cup of steaming brew that Candace offered. “In a few years they won’t need to pay the vet. She’ll be the vet.”