Both cats paused for a moment to stare up at the tabletop and then they raced off again. Hannah heard them go into the laundry room and she turned in her chair to watch as they came out and barreled back down the hallway to her bedroom.

“Is that it?” Delores asked when there were two thumps from the bedroom as the cats jumped back on Hannah’s bed.

“Once more,” Norman said, still holding the pizza boxes. “I was watching Cuddles and I saw that crazed look in her eyes. She’s not ready to give up the chase quite yet.”

“And I noticed Moishe’s tail,” Hannah added. “It was flicking at the very tip and that always means at least one more circuit around the food table.”

“You’re both right,” Delores said, tucking her feet up again. “I just heard two thumps from Hannah’s bedroom.”

When the cats barreled into the living room the second time, Cuddles was in the lead and Moishe was chasing her. They raced around the table, barely missing the legs of Hannah’s standing salad bowl, and then they exited the room.

“Are we done now?” Delores asked.

“As far as Moishe is concerned we are,” Hannah replied. “His tail stopped flicking.”

“And Cuddles looked tired instead of crazed,” Norman added. “I think we can eat the rest of our meal in peace.”

Delores looked over at Doc and gave the little giggle that Hannah found both surprising and endearing. It was the joyful laugh of a woman in love and she was glad that her mother had found someone who could make her so happy. “This may sound crazy,” she told Doc, “but every time we go out to the Lake Eden Inn for dinner, I miss the cat races.”

Hannah laughed. “Sorry, Mother. The feline speedway is only open at Norman’s house and my place.”

“She actually tucked her feet up the last time we had dinner out there,” Doc told them.

“Simple reflex,” Delores explained. “One of the cooks dropped something in the kitchen and I heard it.”

“Back to the pizza,” Norman said, opening the boxes and placing them in the center of the table again.

“I think I’ve had enough,” Delores announced, turning to Doc. “You’re almost ready for dessert, aren’t you?”

“Not yet. I haven’t had a piece of the Hawaiian pizza yet. I wouldn’t want to eat a whole pizza like that, but it’s nice for a change.”

“Oh, I just thought we were all through and we could have dessert. Or maybe we could talk before dessert while our dinner settles.”

“The rest of us are still eating, Mother,” Hannah said, knowing precisely what was on her mother’s mind. Her great-grandmother had always said that curiosity killed the cat, but in this case, it was almost killing the mother!