Page 151 of Key West Homecoming

“Jake.”

“You inherited a house on an island you've barely seen. I'm fixing that.”

Before Emma could answer, he added, “Are you allergic to cats?”

“What?”

“Cats. Are you allergic?”

“No.”

“Good. See you soon.”

He arrived at ten to ten.

Emma climbed into the truck and looked at him. “Are you going to tell me where we're going?”

“Does it really matter?”

He had a point.

They started with coffee from a window on Southard. The woman working there took Jake's order without asking what he wanted. A minute later, she slid two small cups of Cuban coffee across the sill with a guava pastelito cut in half.

Emma drank the coffee in three swallows and stood on the sidewalk with her eyes watering.

“That's not coffee.”

Jake laughed. “It's coffee.”

“Holy cow. That's incredible.”

“The good news is you'll have enough energy to walk the entire island.”

They took the Conch Train from Mallory Square. Emma discovered within the first few minutes that she was going to enjoy the open yellow carriages far more than she wanted to admit.

The driver's name was Roland. He'd been doing the loop for nineteen years and knew exactly where every laugh was coming.

Emma laughed at the joke about the cemetery. She laughed even harder at the one about the mayor.

Jake leaned closer. “You're a real tourist now.”

“I'm being educated.”

“You're wearing a hat, riding a train and laughing at Roland.”

“He's funny.”

“Roland knows.”

They got off at the Hemingway House and joined a tour through the gardens. Their guide had probably given the same tour thousands of times, but somehow he still sounded as though the stories amused him.

Emma counted eleven cats before giving up. A gray one with extra toes slept in a patch of sunlight at the foot of the master bedroom bed. It didn't acknowledge a single person who walked past.

“Now I understand why you asked if I was allergic to cats.”

Jake smiled. “It would've been an unfortunate surprise.”

Emma glanced at the brochure. “It says they're all descended from Hemingway's cat.”