Kitten Kaboodle Read Online Free Page B

Pinkella. ‘“Purrfect Heaven” it’s called. It’s just off the high street, behind that hairdresser’s with the lovely fuchsia
curtains. Of course, poor Pusskins has gone to the real purrfect heaven in the sky now . . . Anyway, I’m getting off the point,’ she sighed and blew her nose again.
    We re you ever on it? I wondered.
    ‘I was so desperate for darling little Kaboodle here to go to the same cat hotel, where I know they would treat him most royally, but to my utter despair, when I
phoned them this morning, they told me they were fully booked! Well, I simply cannot cancel this trip. I’m auditioning for the leading role in a new romantic comedy by that gorgeous
man Richard Elton – Love, Don’t You Know? , I think they’re calling it – and the auditions are in Scotland of all places.’ She made a noise that sounded
rather like a shudder. ‘So,’ she continued, ‘how much do you charge?’
    It took me a moment to realize that Pinkella had stopped wibbling and that she had asked me a question, and then it took me another moment to realize that she was offering me actual, real
money.
    ‘I – er . . .’ I hadn’t given one single thought to how much I would charge for this Pet-Sitting Service – what an idiot! Some Business Wo man of the Year I was
turning out to be. I could just see the angry potato man saying, ‘YOU’RE FIRED!’ in a booming voice, and it was not a picture that did much for my self-confidence or ability to
think clearly under pressure.
    ‘Erm – sort of a pound a day?’ I said.
    ‘My goodness, you do come cheap!’ she trilled. ‘Well, I think you’d better come round and be formally introduced to Kaboodle as soon as possible. He can’t wait to
meet you, can you, little kitty-kins?’
    ‘I’ll have to check with my dad,’ I said, my head still spinning, even though I actually had no intention whatsoever of checking with Dad.
    ‘Good girl,’ said Pinkella. ‘You can pop by any time. I’ll be in – I’ve still not packed my suitcases yet and I must practise my lines. Toodle-oo!’
    Toodle-what?
    I said goodbye and pressed the red button on my phone.
    ‘Yes, yes!’ I cried, thumping the air, and doing a little victory dance. My first customer! I had to tell Jazz.
    The doorbell rang, jolting me out of my cheery prancing. I jumped and dropped my phone, narrowly missing the loo.
    ‘Ber-tie!’ Dad was calling me.
    I unlocked the bathroom door, opened it and peered out. ‘Ye-es?’ I said, feeling a bit sick. What if it was Pinkella, come round right away to talk to me in person?
    ‘Are you still on the loo?’ Dad yelled. This immediately made my sick feeling turn into a grumpy one. That man has made being an embarrassment into an Olympic sport, I thought.
    ‘Hey, Bertie!’
    Phew! That didn’t sound like Pinkella.
    ‘Jazz?’ I said, coming down the stairs.
    ‘Mum thought you might like to come round to ours for tea.’
    ‘Yay! Dad – can I?’ I looked at him with my most pleading face. This would solve all my problems at once! I could say I was going to Jazz’s, but just pop in on Pinkella
on the way. Plus I loved going for tea at Jazz’s. It was so full-on and noisy, with her little brother, Ty son, zooming round the place making aeroplane noises and the rest of the family all
talking at once. Quite a lot different from my silent-as-the-tomb-type house.
    Dad didn’t look as though he would even be able to say what day it was, let alone take much notice whose house I was at, I realized as I inspected his face. He had his Deadline Head on,
which meant he had an article that needed to be handed in to the Daily Ranter very soon and it was stressing him out. Poor Dad. He looked terrible – as if he had not slept for more
than about ten minutes all week. Why hadn’t I noticed this when he picked me up from school? I thought guiltily. I had been too wrapped up in my own thoughts about pet-sitting and
money-making. I chewed my lip.
    His hair