Purrfect Roast: A Dragon Cozy Mystery by Verena DeLuca (the giving tree read aloud TXT) 📗

himself up to continue receiving scratches as Aubrey stood. I giggled at him, realizing she finished.

"Woah now, slow the tea down. Let's grab coffee first," I suggested, pointing to the downstairs cafe.

That was their trick.

Offer free, undrinkable coffee in the room, so we had no choice but to come downstairs and drink their overpriced, acceptable coffee. Azure's beans had spoiled me. I was a coffee snob, and proud to be so. Coffee gave life color.

"Did you just wake up?" Aubrey followed me to the counter.

"Yes . . ." I forced down a yawn.

Why is it that any time you are tired, and someone points it out, your body instantly responds with a signal, sleep now, through yawning!?

"Two espressos with a splash of cream, please," I ordered.

"I don't think I need one," she said.

"What made you think the second one was for you?"

We broke out in giggles and took a seat at the counter.

"But seriously, you'll need a pick-me-up for the awards ceremony," I said. "It's going to be dull. But this afternoon will be fun. We're going to do Austin right."

"Heck, yes!"

We clinked our small mugs of coffee, careful not to spill on one another, and then took large sips. The burning of my mouth was worth the pep the coffee hid inside. Tongues heal, but energy levels fade after twenty.

"Before I tell you anything, you've got to try this." I handed her the German chocolate cupcake. "It's literally the best cupcake I've ever eaten."

She took a small bite, and her eyes widened as a smile spread across her face.

Yup. She was hooked. Now if only I could get her to figure out a way to add coffee cupcakes to our menu. Having a baker as a friend should have perks.

"Also, the name on my shirt isn't spelled wrong, it's the bakery. Hayley's Cakes and Cookies." I showed her the full logo. "Funny, right?"

She rolled her eyes, unamused by my antics. I stuck my tongue out and took an obnoxiously large bite of the cupcake.

While we wasted time before the ceremony, I did my best to summarize the weekend, hitting only the highlights of Azure being overly cute as he pranced around on stage with his fluffy tail in the air. In retaliation, he nipped at my ankle, causing me to nearly spill the beloved coffee.

"Award wise," I said. "Today they will announce Best in Show, which is winning the overall competition. It has a first, second, and third place prize associated with it. The next tier of trophies are for Best in Division—Kitten, Altered, Unaltered, and Household. After that are the smaller awards, like Best in Breed and such within each division, but they are more about adding points to the final score for Best in Show, than anything else."

"Altered?"

"Whether or not they are spayed or neutered."

"Oh, right."

"Only unaltered or altered really have a chance at winning the overall competition," I said between bites. "Because after all of the rounds of judging, they are ranked against each other and awarded a final set of points that kittens and household can't receive."

"Guess they're sending a message?" she asked, then followed up with another question before I could get into the politics of the cat show circuit. "Do you think he's going to take Best in Show?"

"He's in the running," I admitted, relieved she asked an easier question.

Azure had been right—he was better than most of the other cats here. Even better than the dragons pretending to be cats, who were scattered into all of the categories as to not take a sweeping win in any one spot. It was still unclear to me how they decided which category a dragon was entered into though.

"Neat." She took a sip of her coffee.

"I can't say for sure, though. Each judge ranked the cats to an insane degree throughout the weekend, so we know we are in the top tier point-wise, but they haven't announced any sub totals for scores yet."

"Fascinating," she said. "Who would have thought cat shows would be so intricate."

"Right," I said with a smile, then looked down at my mug to think of a way to change the subject. She had exceeded my knowledge base for the show aside from dragony stuff, which I was forbidden to share. First two lessons of being a protector—do not talk to anyone about being a protector. I shook myself out of my thoughts, realizing a silence had fallen between us.

"But enough about us," I said. "Where are the kids?"

"Left them with William's parents," she said. "They love spending time together, and I thought it would be more fun if we turned today into a no kids adventure."

"After the awards, we'll separate ourselves from the other ladies," I said. "I already told Skylar we were going to ride back with you."

"Ladies?" she asked mid-sip, as if I had blindsided her with the news.

"The Hill Country Aristocats," I said, already dreading her response. "It's a group my aunt started. They're ladies from around the area who love to come to this cat show."

"That's cute," Aubrey said, suppressing a giggle. "I bet Tona was a real treat at this thing. She always loved to meet new people at the cafe. I imagine she would have loved coming here."

"Love doesn't cover it," Azure transmitted.

"I think you're right," I said. "But she never spoke about the show with me. Maybe she thought it was a bit silly, or thought I would make fun of her?"

"I mean, it definitely screams old cat ladies . . ." Aubrey started with a slight cringe and then thought for a moment. "It is a bit over the top, and I will for sure be making fun of you for months. But I'll admit, these women look happy."

She gestured around the downstairs to all the passersby walking cats—many of whom were on leashes. Azure had made it clear, under no condition would he wear the leash off stage. It was a performance prop, nothing more. But he sure was cute in it.

"Are you calling Skylar and