The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The First Collection by Frost, J (great novels .txt) π
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Emily shifts and yawns into my shoulder, then whispers, βGood, Sable. Good boy.β
I donβt say anything and neither does the cat, which is reassuring. You never know with cats. Sable lets me pet him for a minute, then unfolds his paws from that weird position cats sit in and sinks what feels like a hundred needles into my chest.
βOw,β I say mildly.
βNo, Sable, no. Thatβs not nice.β
Sable gives a creaky trill and thumps the tip of his tail against my chest but doesnβt move.
βYour catβs trying to top me, little girl.β
She giggles.
Sableβs ears go back at the sound, then he starts purring again and kneading my chest. Feels like a lot more than five claws at a time.
βYou picked a sadistic cat, Emmy.β
βI think all cats are sadists, Daddy. Is he hurting you?β
βLittle bit. But itβs okay, as long as heβs getting comfortable with us.β
βWhen heβs settled in, Iβll trim his claws so theyβre not so prickly.β
βThatβd be good. This is like getting a massage from a cactus.β
βDo you want me to take him off you?β
βNo, itβs good heβs come out of hiding. Letβs let him do his thing for a little while.β
Emily shifts back against the couch cushions and lifts her arm from around my waist to stroke the cat. Sable squints and rumbles and kneads. My chest is going to look like a pincushion before heβs done.
Happily, the cat tires of puncturing me before I bleed out. He stands, stretches, and sinks twenty claws into me, before he jumps down and ambles off into the kitchen, meowing.
βHe hasnβt eaten anything. Maybe I should feed him.β Emily sits up and watches the cat as he twines through the legs of the three barstools at the kitchen island.
βI thought I saw some dry food in his dish.β
βI did. I mean, I put out some dry food, but maybe he doesnβt like it.β
βBritney said he eats both. Letβs wait and feed him some wet food at dinner time. If heβs hungry now, he can have the dry food.β
βOkay, Daddy.β As we watch, the cat flops onto his side in a patch of sunlight. Only a cat could want to lie in the sun when itβs nearly a hundred degrees. Once sheβs confident the catβs not in imminent danger of starvation, Emily snuggles back down. βDid you get a good nap?β
βUh-huh.β I check my phone. Three missed calls. One from a California number. Thatβs the fucking debt collector. One from an unknown mobile, which is probably one of the Fire Island party guests returning my call. And one from Miranda.
I let the phone flop face down on my chest. I might as well bite that bullet.
βEmmy, I need to call Miranda back. Iβm pretty sure sheβs calling about the paternity test.β
My little girl lifts her head, then starts to push up from the couch. βThe results?β she asks.
βNo, she hasnβt taken the court-ordered test yet.β
βOh.β Emily sits back on her heels, somehow fitting into the narrow space between my thigh and the couch-back. Sheβs such a little thing. βDo you want me to go upstairs?β
βNo, I want you to lie back down and put your hand over my heart and keep me grounded. Itβs going to be a challenge for me to have this conversation without shouting at her.β
Emily already knows that because she was with me in the hospital when I discovered Miranda was flying out to San Diego to βhelpβ Emily take care of me, against my very express wishes. To say I lost my shit at Miranda is a vast understatement. Since that transatlantic shouting match, Iβve let my lawyer in Manchester handle communications, which have all been in the form of legal briefs and court orders. That Mirandaβs contacting me directly after six weeks of silence tells me sheβs either going to try to convince me not to pursue the court order, or sheβs flying to New York to take the test. Or both.
However it goes, itβs unlikely to be a pleasant conversation.
I could shield my little girl from the unpleasantness. If it seems like Emilyβs getting upset, I will. But until it begins to distress her, I want Emily with me; her touch will help keep me calm. And I want her to know Iβm not hiding anything from her.
Emily stretches out beside me and nestles her hand over my heart. She doesnβt say anything. Doesnβt offer any false platitudes. Just gives me her soft, sweet comfort. A pet and a day in bed giving her orgasms donβt really begin to repay her for everything she gives me.
I pick up my phone and thumb it to return Mirandaβs call. It rings several times and it occurs to me that it might be too late to call. I check the time. Sixteen-thirty. Thereβs a five-hour time difference. She should answer, unless sheβs on shift.
βLo,β she says as she picks up after the sixth ring. No greeting. I suppose I shouldnβt expect one after turning her husband over to the police and dragging her into court.
βMir. Iβm returning your call.β
βYes, thank you.β She blows out a breath. βI suppose youβve seen the court order?β
βI have. Did my solicitor give you the list of labs?β
βYes, she did. Darling, this is so unnecessary, donβt you think? A lab here is perfectly competent to do a routine paternity test. Canβt we just agree on one in London?β
βNo,β I say flatly. Mirandaβs a doctor herself, although her specialty is oncology. Still, sheβs seriously plugged in to the British medical community. Every time I visited, she dragged me to another dinner or charity event where she fawned all over the administrators of every major hospital in London. So, no, Iβm not letting her have the paternity test where she might be able to influence the results.
Surprisingly, the British judge
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