“Let’s see. I think the community center is still open, so we can start there and then go over to the Willowbrook Inn,” Marley instructed.
“You got it, boss.”
Marley laughed. Jake didn’t miss the way she preened under the praise.
“Okay, so I found a chart that might help us figure out our GP,” Marley announced as they pulled up to the community center.
“GP?” Jake asked as he pulled the car into a front-row parking spot.
“Yeah. Game plan. GP. Duh.” Marley shook her head in disappointment.
Jake suppressed a smile. “Right. Okay, what did you find?”
“Okay, so according to the internet, Gia is actually in her prime years if we’re going by the kitten equivalent of her age.”
“Prime years?” Now he was definitely lost.
“Yeah, so, she’s what?” Marley’s lips pursed thoughtfully, her fingers moving as she did some calculations. “Twenty-eight years old? And in this chart, that’s the same as being a three-year-old cat. The life stage she’s in is called prime. So, yeah, she’s in her prime years. Got it?” She turned to Jake with eyebrows raised hopefully.
“Got it.” Jake nodded. “How is this helpful?”
“Great question. I’m glad you asked.”
Jake smiled and turned the car off. Turning to Marley, he gave her his full attention and gestured for her to continue.
“Okay, so I also found this cat socialization guide.”
“You found all of this information on the short drive?” His finger tapped against the steering wheel as he waited for Marley to get to her point.
With a finger raised in the air, Marley stated matter-of-factly, “The internet is a powerful tool, my friend.”
Jake bit back another smile. “I guess so.” He loved it whenMarley latched onto a subject. She went into everything with all of her energy. “Okay, so what does this guide tell you?”
“The skinny is you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you.” Marley’s face turned serious, as if imparting a warning.
“Yeah, I know the odds are stacked against me.” His lips pressed together in a grim line. “But I’m ready to do whatever it takes.”
“Good.” Marley nodded in satisfaction. “Okay, so the younger a kitten is, the easier it is to socialize them. With Gia being in her prime, it’s going to take more work.”
“Right. You mentioned that.”
“It says here older cats will be fearful, stressed, and anxious, especially in an unfamiliar environment and with unfamiliar people. I’ve never seen Gia around town before, and it seems like she’s been gone a long time, so Willowbrook is basically unfamiliar to her. We need to get her comfortable in the town. Butter her up.”
“Okay…” Jake nodded. It made sense, of course.
“So, you need to remind her why she loved Willowbrook.” Marley whirled her finger in the air. “Show her around town and what’s changed since she left.”
“Sounds easy.”Maybe too easy.
“Now, the other part is we’re all practically strangers to her, so we need to desensitize her to us.”
Desensitize? Sounds difficult.“And how do we do that exactly?”
“Easy.” Marley clapped her hands together. “You always show up wherever she’s going to be.”
Like a stalker?“Right…”
Marley gasped, vibrating with excitement. “Oh my God, I just thought of something.”
