Can she save the Happy Endings Bookstore and have the happy ending she deserves?

Olivia is back in her hometown to reopen the bookstore her grandmother left her. She has a whole plan mapped out for the Happy Endings Bookstore. Just one problem – she finds out the bank is ready to foreclose on the bookstore’s mortgage.

Gabriel, the bank manager, is as drop dead gorgeous as he is grouchy. Olivia hates the guy, but her cat Chili seems to love him. Now Olivia has three months to save the bookstore and rub it in Gabriel’s face.

Olivia tries everything to save the bookstore, but with a quest to find out the identity of an anonymous romance writer, her mother wanting to find her a husband, and her grandmother’s grouchy neighbor making her life hell, Olivia has a lot on her plate.

The tension between Olivia and Gabriel escalates as the deadline to save the bookstore approaches, but as the two slowly begin to let their guard down, they might learn that sometimes stepping outside one’s comfort zone can lead to the greatest reward.

Single with Cat is a feel-good romantic comedy perfect for readers who love cats, books, and happy endings.

PRAISE

READ AN EXCERPT

CHAPTER 1

“You finally got a boyfriend? Is that the news?”

Olivia looked at the anxious face on the video-call and felt like hanging up. For the past six months her mom kept nagging her to get a boyfriend. Olivia was fed up.

“No, Mom. Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m still single,” Olivia said, curling a strand of hair on her finger.

The face on the video-call frowned, highlighting the wrinkles around the eyes and upper lip. The dark blue eyeshadow and red lipstick popped out on the screen. Olivia’s mom usually wore a ton of makeup, and that day was no exception. A simple trip to the grocery store or the coffee shop was good enough reason for her mom to overdress and put tons of makeup on.

“I still don’t understand why you broke up with Gustavo,” her mom whined. “He was such a good guy!”

Olivia rolled her eyes. Her mom couldn’t leave it alone. She seemed determined on making her feel guilty about ending the relationship. Good guy… Gustavo was anything but a good guy, Olivia thought, bitterly. It took her way too long to find out what a bastard he was. Olivia knew it was her fault that her mom thought he was the perfect man, but she still hadn’t had the courage to tell her the truth. She felt ashamed of what had happened and kept putting it off. Her mom wasn’t the most understanding person in the world and Olivia didn’t want to hear another lecture.

“Olivia, you’re turning thirty-five today and that means you’re not getting any younger! Getting a boyfriend should be at the top of your list,” her mom said, ignoring her daughter’s annoyed face. “Your dad and I want grandchildren!”

Olivia adjusted the glasses on her nose and took a deep breath. Besides boyfriends, her mom’s next favorite subject was grandchildren.

“I already have a baby,” Olivia said, turning the camera to the cat lying next to her on the couch.

Her mom frowned. She looked like she was about to have a fit. Olivia tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t, and burst out laughing.

“Happy birthday, kiddo!”

Her dad’s bald head showed up on the screen and Olivia felt relieved. He always made her smile. Sometimes she wondered how her dad could put up with her mom. Her mom was always worrying about stuff like an argument with a friend about the best grocery store, or the blouse she couldn’t buy because they didn’t have her size, or the end of her daughter’s relationship… drama was a constant in her life. Her dad was the opposite; relaxed and laid-back.

“Thanks, Dad!”

Dad disappeared from the screen, and the blue eyeshadow and red lipstick popped up again. Her mom looked upset.

“You’re thirty-five, you’re single, and live alone with a cat! The way things are going, you’re on your way to becoming a spinster!”

“Stop it, Maria!”

“I won’t stop, Zé! If we don’t do anything, in a few years our daughter will be just like Elvira: a spinster living with dozens of cats!”

Olivia felt like hanging up, but she didn’t have the guts. If she was only talking to her mom, she would have no problem, but she couldn’t hang up on her dad.

“Elvira doesn’t have dozens of cats,” her dad said.

Olivia smiled. Her dad always had her back.

“You know what I mean, Zé!”

“I only have one cat and I’m very happy being single.”

Her mom was silent for a few seconds, but then Olivia saw the dark blue eyeshadow and the red lipstick pop up on the screen again. Her mom wanted to keep the conversation going, but Olivia had had enough of it.

“I have to go,” she said. “I’m going out to dinner with my friends, and I don’t want to be late.”

Her dad’s bald head showed up on the screen again.

“Happy birthday, kiddo! Have fun with your friends and don’t listen to your mom’s nonsense. I love you!”

“Bye, Dad! Bye, Mom!”

“Wait!” her mom asked. “What did you want to tell me earlier?”

After the lecture her mom had given her, the last thing she felt like doing was sharing the news with her. Her mom already thought she was on her way to becoming a spinster; if she knew what Olivia had decided to do, she would think her daughter had lost her mind.

“I’ll tell you about it later. Bye, bye!”

“Bye, kiddo. Love you!” she heard her dad say, before hanging up.

*
When Olivia arrived at the restaurant, she peeked through the window before going in. Ju, Sofia, and Ana were already sitting at a table waiting for her. Sofia and Ana were laughing at some story Ju was telling them. Watching her friends made her realize how much she was going to miss them. She was going to miss the late-night dinners, the trips to the theater and the movies, and especially the long conversations. For a moment, she wondered if she was making the right decision.

She stood there, at the restaurant’s door, trying to get the courage to go in. The wind began to pick up, and she regretted not wearing a coat over her black polka-dot dress, and not putting on boots instead of red ballerinas. It was March, and although the days were beginning to warm up, the nights were still cold. A couple came out of the restaurant and Olivia sidled over to let them pass. It was getting too cold to be standing there. She had to go in before she lost her nerve.

When her friends saw her, they got up and hugged her.

“Happy Birthday, Olivia!”

Olivia felt tears coming to her eyes, but she refused to let them out and blinked them back down. It was too early to tell them the news.

She sat in her usual place, by the window, overlooking the Tagus River, and realized that she would miss, not only her friends, but also the city.

Ju started telling them a story about another one of her dates, this time with a plastic surgeon who drove a red Porsche. Ju stood out from the group, as usual. She wore a tight cobalt blue dress that accentuated her curves and a pair of sky-high heels. Ju had a management position in a digital marketing company and was a total bombshell. On the other hand, Olivia, Ana, and Sofia were the typical nerds. They all worked at the University as temporary research fellows. They had met Ju in a Pilates class shortly after they started college in Lisbon, and they had become good friends.

“You look a bit down,” Ju said, after she finished telling her story. “Let me guess…” Ju put her index finger on her temple and squinted her eyes, as if in deep thought “… your mom is still nagging you about having kids, isn’t she?”

Olivia adjusted the glasses on her nose and sighed. It was impossible to hide anything from Ju.

“Yes,” Olivia admitted. “You know my mom. She still hasn’t gotten over my breakup with Gustavo.”

Ju had followed the end of Olivia’s relationship closely. When Olivia broke up with Gustavo, she stayed at Ju’s house for a couple of weeks. Olivia would spend her days crying and Ju would do anything to cheer her up. Ju had been amazing; she took Olivia out, brought her the best cream pies in town, sent her funny cat videos, and listened to her venting.

Olivia wouldn’t admit it, but the truth was that she still hadn’t gotten over the breakup. A year ago, she and Gustavo were talking about marriage and children. She had all her life planned out: to get married, have children, and become a research associate at the University. Now she needed a new plan.

“I don’t understand why there are still women who think that our only function is to procreate!” Ju complained, rolling her eyes. They all laughed. They knew her opinion about this subject. “I need to have a serious talk with your mom,” Ju added.

“Good night!”

The waiter stood by the table with the menu, and Olivia was glad he interrupted their talk. They focused their attention on choosing the sushi and there was no more talk about her mom.

The conversation, washed down with a tasty red wine for Ju and green tea for the rest of the group, flowed throughout the evening as the tasty pieces of sushi disappeared from their plates. The restaurant was full, as usual. Getting a table at that restaurant on a Friday night was almost impossible. Ju had used her best contacts to get a reservation. Her best friend’s birthday deserved a restaurant to match.

While they were waiting for their coffees, Olivia looked out over the river. There had been no cake, or no Happy Birthday singing, because Olivia didn’t like that. From where she was sitting, Olivia could see the bridge over the Tagus River and the lights of the buildings on the south bank. It was beautiful. During the entire dinner she had been thinking about telling her friends the news, but always put it off. Now that dinner was almost over, Olivia had to tell them.

“I need to tell you something,” she began, folding the napkin in her hands.

“You met a hot guy?” Ju asked, taking another sip of red wine.

Ana and Sofia giggled.

“No, it has nothing to do with men,” Olivia replied, laughing. “I’m very happy with the male that’s waiting for me at home.”
They all burst out laughing. They loved Olivia’s cat, Chili. He was a friendly and playful cat, who always greeted them with headbutts and purrs. Chili had always been a great companion, but since Olivia broke up with Gustavo, the cat was even more affectionate.
“What do you want to tell us?” Ana asked.

“You know I love Chili, but” Ju interrupted, putting a hand on Olivia’s arm, “you should have some fun. There’s nothing like a hot guy to boost a woman’s morale.”

Sofia, and Ana burst out laughing. That conversation was so typical. Ju didn’t want serious relationships, but she loved men. Every time they got together, she always had a new “friend”, who mysteriously disappeared after a few dates. Apparently, Ju didn’t seem to care about the coming and going of “friends”.

Since Olivia broke up with Gustavo, Ju had been trying to convince her to join Tinder, but Olivia always refused. She didn’t want to pick men out of a catalog and have casual one-night stands.

Olivia, Sofia, and Ana were the typical nerds, who preferred to spend hours in the University libraries instead of going out on dates. The three of them met in their first year of college and they all ended up working at the University as fellows. Ana and Sofia worked in the Linguistics Department and Olivia in the Literature Department. Ju was the card out of the deck.

When they stopped laughing, Olivia had a serious look on her face. Ju realized that her friend had something important to tell them and decided to shut up.

“I decided to quit my job at the University,” Olivia began.

Ju put the glass of wine down and stared at her.

“I decided to go back to my hometown,” Olivia took a deep breath and adjusted the glasses on her nose, before continuing.

The waiter showed up with the coffees, interrupting them. Ju waved him to hurry up and leave them alone. She was eager to hear the rest of the news. Olivia could see the anxiety on her friends’ faces and didn’t want to keep them waiting any longer.

“I’m going to reopen the bookstore that belonged to my grandma!” Olivia said, with a big smile on her face.

It was the first time she had ever said that sentence out loud. I’m going to reopen the bookstore. Saying it out loud in front of her friends, made her feel even more confidant. All the doubts and insecurities went away, as if announcing it to the world had made it real. It was no longer a dream; the bookstore was her new life project.

They were all silent for a moment. Olivia knew that Ana and Sofia would back her up because they loved books as much as she did, but she didn’t know how Ju would react. Ju kept stirring her coffee, while she processed the news. Then she put down the spoon, took a sip of coffee, and looked at Olivia.

“I thought you were going to say that the University finally made you a research associate; that you met an interesting guy; that you won the lottery…” Ju put down the cup and took a deep breath. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

Olivia swallowed hard.

“I’ll miss you terribly, but if that’s what you want, you can count on me!”

Olivia squeezed Ju’s hand tightly.

“Damn it, don’t make me cry! I don’t want to smear my makeup,” Ju said, wiping away a tear.

“I’m going to miss you all so much!” Olivia said.

“You won’t get rid of me that easily!” Ju warned. “I have lots of ideas on how we can promote your bookstore on social media. I’ll be your marketing manager!”

CHAPTER 2

“I’ll be coming to visit you all the time!”

Olivia laughed. Ju had come to help her with the moving, or better yet, Ju had come to check out the buff guys from the moving company. While Olivia was unloading some smaller boxes that she had in her car, Ju was throwing orders around. Manual work was not her forte, and besides, she didn’t want to ruin her nails.

“You can come whenever you want. You’re always welcome, Ju!”

Olivia looked at the tight black jeans on her friend’s long legs and the white shirt that looked killer on her tanned skin. Even though she was dressed more casually than usual, Ju looked stunning as always. A pair of red stiletto pumps, totally inappropriate for a moving day, completed the look.

Olivia had chosen a comfortable outfit. She wore white jeans paired with a black t-shirt with the word “Bookaholic”. An illustration of a sleeping cat on top of a stack of colorful books added a touch of color to the t-shirt. On her feet she wore a pair of comfortable white sneakers, perfect for a moving day. Olivia hated high heels. She couldn’t understand how some women could subject themselves to such torture. She preferred to be comfortable.

Earlier that morning, when the movers arrived at Olivia’s apartment in Lisbon, they thought she was Ju’s daughter. Dressed like that, Olivia looked much younger. Ju had been so upset by the comment that she threatened to leave a one-star review on the company’s Facebook page, but after a guy with a Celtic tattoo had told her that she was a very sexy “mom,” Ju forgave them.

“I can’t believe it’s been three months since you told us you were moving back to your hometown.”

“Neither can I. Time passes by so quickly.”

“I’m surprised your mom accepted this move so easily. It’s not like her at all,” Ju said, looking at the outside of the house, a typical Portuguese white villa with a blue painted border.

They went into the house. There were men, boxes, and furniture everywhere. The house was a mess.

“I was surprised too, but I think I know why she reacted so well.”

“And why was that?”

“She’s wants to set me up with someone from town. She thinks she’s some sort of professional matchmaker,” Olivia said, rolling her eyes.

Ju started imagining the dates Olivia would have to go to and burst out laughing. Olivia could prepare herself for a series of awkward dates with former schoolmates.

“What’s dating like around here?”

“I don’t want to date anyone right now, Ju. I came back to reopen the bookstore, not to find a boyfriend!” Olivia muttered. It was bad enough that her mom was always nagging her. She didn’t need her friend to nag her too.

“Why can’t you do both? You can be a bookseller and date hot guys too.” Ju said, winking at the guy with the Celtic tattoo.

Olivia ignored her and started showing her the rooms in the house, trying to change the subject. Ju finally took a closer look at the interior of the house and was surprised. The interior had been totally remodeled and had a rustic yet chic atmosphere that she didn’t expect. Once furnished and decorated, the house was going to be very cozy.

“Your dad is the best! I can’t believe he paid for the remodeling. My dad would never do that.”

“You know I didn’t want to, but he insisted. He said it was a gift for my new life.”

“Your mom is a pain in the ass, but your dad is a sweetheart.”

Olivia smiled. She loved her father. She was a daddy’s girl, and she wasn’t ashamed to admit it. She loved being spoiled by him.
“What do you have inside these boxes?” one of the men asked. “They weigh a ton!”

“Books!”

“You could have gotten rid of some of them.”

“Are you crazy, Ju? You know how much I love my books!”

“You’ll kill the poor men with so many boxes crammed with books!” Ju said, casting a cheeky glance at the tattooed man.

“Come on,” Olivia pulled her by the arm. “Let’s go get Chili from the car.”

Olivia took the carrier out of the car and set it down on the grass in front of the house. Chili began to meow. The black cat was tired of being inside the carrier and wanted to explore the neighborhood. One of the men called Olivia to ask her where they should put a piece of furniture and she walked away, leaving Ju next to Chili’s carrier.

“Meow! Meow!”

“Poor kitty. Come here!”

Ju crouched down to open the carrier and pick up Chili. When the cat caught the carrier door open, he dodged Ju’s hands and started walking away. He wanted to check out the neighborhood.

“Chili!” Ju called, trying to balance her heels on the grass.

Ju soon realized that her heels were too thin to walk on the grass. She took two or three steps and tripped, landing face down on the grass. Still on the ground, she looked around and sighed with relief. No one had witnessed her ridiculous fall. When she got up, she saw that the cat had was walking away towards a tree on the sidewalk in front of the lawn.

She took off her shoes and began to run barefoot on the grass. She wanted to get the cat back in the carrier before Olivia found out what was going on. But Chili had other plans. The cat jumped on the tree and started using his sharp claws to climb up.

“Chili, come down!” Ju whispered.

“Chili?!” Olivia shouted.

Ju heard the panic in her friend’s voice and swallowed hard. Chili wasn’t used to being outside. Olivia would never forgive her if anything happened to the cat.

“What did you do!?” Olivia cried.

Ju lowered her eyes and was silent.

“Come here, Chili!”

The cat looked down at Olivia and ignored her. He settled comfortably on one of the branches and began to groom himself. Olivia kept calling him, but fifteen minutes later he was still up in the tree.

“Get a ladder!” Olivia ordered the movers, who had approached when they saw that something was happening.

The men looked at each other, laughing. Then they looked at Olivia. She was standing in front of the tree with her arms crossed. Her face said it all: it was no time to joke around. They decided to do as she told them and walked away to go get a ladder.

Olivia saw some movement down the street and looked away from the tree. That’s when she saw him coming around the corner at high speed. He was wearing black shorts and a white T-shirt, which highlighted his tanned skin. Tall and well-built, but not too buff, the man was a feast for the senses.

Ju whistled.

“Hallelujah! What a hunk!”

“This is no time for distractions, Ju!” Olivia grumbled, unable to look away from the runner.

He continued to approach. His strong legs devoured the asphalt and his toned arms swung in perfect coordination. He was in excellent shape and had strong, manly jaws. A real knockout, Ju thought.

The runner seemed indifferent to their presence, focused only on running.

“Chili, please come down,” Olivia begged, turning her attention back to the cat.

Olivia looked at the runner again. He saw them and realized that something was going on. When their eyes met, Olivia looked away. She didn’t want him to notice that she was staring at him. Ju didn’t look away. He must have been in his mid-thirties, had brown hair and was over six feet tall. Ju was officially stunned.

“Move aside!” The man with the tattoo had brought a ladder.

They obeyed promptly. Olivia noticed that the runner kept staring at them, while the man with the tattoo tried to position the ladder safely. The man started climbing up the ladder, and when Chili saw him, he decided to jump down and ran across the street.

“Chili!” Olivia shouted, running after the cat.

Olivia heard the sound of an engine but didn’t slow down. The cat wasn’t used to being outside. She needed to catch him. She reached the street and started crossing it. A car honked its horn.

“Olivia, stop!” Ju shouted.

Olivia heard tires scraping on the tarmac and felt the smell of burning rubber. She turned her head just in time to see the car right in front of her. She put her arms in front of her face and closed her eyes, trying to prepare for the crash. Suddenly she was hit from behind, and before she knew it, she had landed on a nearby lawn.

It took Olivia a while to realize that she was okay. She was a little sore, but she was safe. When she opened her eyes, she found the sweaty, panting runner on top of her. She, who had tried to avoid the opposite sex since her breakup, was now lying on the grass with a gorgeous guy on top of her. How ironic is this, she thought. Olivia could feel his panting breath and his strong arms around her waist. He was hot and sweaty. He turned her toward him, and she saw that he had beautiful golden eyes with thick lashes. He was so close that their lips were almost touching. Olivia felt a tremor run through her body and closed her eyes again.