A Purrfect Date

Book 2: Cat Yoga Mystery

by Alex Erickson

Genres: Amateur Sleuth; Animal Cozy Mysteries; Mystery

Synopsis

Up-and-comer Ashley Branson usually aims to keep both feet placed firmly on the ground—unless she’s instructing a class at her trendy cat yoga studio. But she soon finds herself caught in a downward spiral when a stretch beyond her comfort zone leads to murder . . .

Ashley Branson is sure of one thing after experiencing a disastrous blind date—she would much rather enjoy the single life and hang out with playful felines at her studio, A Purrfect Pose, than ever compromise her inner peace like that again. When the mysterious guy makes a late arrival then has the nerve to dine and dash, it’s embarrassing. But when he winds up dead in his apartment that same night? Ash suddenly finds herself thrust into a twisted murder investigation and questioning if she might be shaping up to be the suspect . . . or the next victim.

Ash races to claw through a web of lies, hidden identities, and love lives even more complicated than her own to uncover the truth. Adding to the chaos, she believes her shifty neighbor—covered in unexplained injuries and rumored to harbor a crush on her—could be connected to the crime. Now, with more leads than she needs, Ash must take a deep breath, pull on her big-girl leggings, and move faster than the cunning killer who wants to put her in corpse pose for good . . .

Release date: June 24, 2025

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 256

Sample

A light misting rain caused me to hunch my shoulders as I hurried from my car to the doors of Market Inn. The restaurant was designed to be old-timey, with a wooden exterior, and a big wooden sign hanging above the massive barnlike doors that fronted the place. A wide awning above the doors gave me relief from the rain. I paused there, considered my next move, and then pulled out my phone.

“Uh-oh, Ash. What’s wrong?” my best friend, Sierra Wahl, said by way of answer.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said. “I’m just calling for a refresher. This was your idea, if you recall.”

“A refresher, huh?” Sierra sounded skeptical. She’d set me up on this blind date, something I should have refused the moment she’d brought it up, but hadn’t because, quite frankly, I could use a little romance in my life.

I stepped away from the door to let a small group of people pass. “Yeah, a refresher on . . .” I frowned. “What was the guy’s name again?”

“Grady Richards,” Sierra said. “He’s probably already waiting for you inside. I made the reservations for you, so just go in and tell them who you are and they’ll take you to him.” When I didn’t say anything right away, she asked, “You’re not getting cold feet, are you, Ash?”

“My feet are kind of cold. It’s raining.”

“Ha-ha. You know what I meant.”

I did. And, if I was being honest, she was right; I wasn’t sure I wanted to do this. The last time I went on a date was months ago and the guy had left town soon afterward. No, it wasn’t my fault that he’d bolted from Cardinal Lake, but it was hard not to feel responsible. Let’s just say that a lot had happened around that time and very little of it was good outside the opening of my cat yoga studio, A Purrfect Pose.

“I’ll be okay,” I said, huffing out a breath. “I’m just nervous.”

“Don’t be. He’s excited about this. You should be too.”

“Maybe if you told me something about him, I’d feel better about it.”

Sierra tsked. “If I did that, it wouldn’t be much of a blind date, now would it?”

I could have argued about that, but I’d delayed long enough. The date didn’t officially begin for another five minutes, so it wasn’t like I was late, but I was cutting it close.

“All right.” I steeled myself as I turned to the door. “I’m going in.”

“Good luck.” Sierra sounded like a worried mother about to let her teenaged daughter leave for her first date. “Tell me how it goes.”

“I will.”

“Here’s hoping that I won’t be hearing from you until after tomorrow morning’s walk of shame!”

Sierra clicked off chuckling before I could respond.

With a groan—and a bit of a smile—I pocketed my phone and entered Market Inn.

A light buzz of conversation filled the dining room of the restaurant, which was decorated much like the outside. There was a lot of rustic wood fixtures around the place. Lights that looked like old oil lamps were attached to the wall near the tables. Hanging lights of similar make hung above the central tables, casting a muddy yellow glow over the diners.

A currently unmanned podium stood just inside the doors and had a PLEASE WAIT TO BE SEATED sign written in an aged script hanging from it. I approached and waited there, eyeing the diners, searching for my date, though, thanks to Sierra’s stubbornness about not telling me anything about him, I had no idea what he looked like.

“Ash?” George Wilkins’s voice came from behind me. I turned to find him standing next to a man with a similar cherubic face, but with a full head of hair, rather than George’s thinning pate.

“George?” I said, relieved to see someone I knew. “How are you doing?” I reached out and shook his hand. George was one of my regular yoga students. I rarely saw him outside of class. From what I gathered, he was a private man, who rarely got out.

“I’m okay.” He shook and then stepped back, making room for his companion.

“Edward Wilkins.” The man presented his own hand. “I’m George’s cousin.”

“Ash Branson,” I said, shaking. His grip was painfully firm. “I run A Purrfect Pose. George is—”

“I know,” Edward said with a tight smile. “George has talked at length about you. You’ve made quite an impression on him.”

George’s face flushed as he looked away, clearly embarrassed that his cousin was sharing that tidbit of information, though I was flattered.

“I’m glad he’s enjoyed the classes enough to talk about them,” I said. “I hope that means I’ll be seeing you sometime. We’d love to have you.”

“Yoga’s not my thing.” He made a face. “Nor are cats. But I do appreciate all you’ve done for George. He could use more friends in his life.”

“Three?”

I turned to find a harried-looking woman in a food-stained apron waiting with menus in hand standing next to the podium.

“No, we’re not together. I’m Ash Branson. I have a reservation.”

The hostess tapped the tablet on the podium. I noted the nail of her index finger was chipped, and from the redness around her cuticle, it had happened recently. “Ah. I see here you are to be seated with a Grady Richards?”

It was my turn to blush. “It’s a blind date,” I said, not quite sure why I was telling her. “I don’t know him.”

The woman nodded, set two of the menus aside, and then motioned for me to follow her.

“I’ll see you in class,” I said, waving to George as I was led across the dining area to a table in the middle of the room. An empty table. Apparently, Grady had yet to arrive. I sat facing the doors, hoping to catch a glimpse of him when he entered, though, as I said before, I had no clue as to what he looked like, so it wasn’t going to be easy to pick him out.

The hostess returned to the front and gathered George and Edward. They were led past me and were seated in the corner behind me by the window. When I glanced back, both men were staring my way. While George hastily looked away, Edward continued to stare. He said something to George I couldn’t make out, flashed me a wink, and then turned around to face his cousin.

Okay then. I settled into my seat and turned my focus toward the front door to watch for any single men entering.

The waiter approached a moment later. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, and was of pleasant demeanor. “Hello, I’m Alan and I’ll be serving you this evening. Is there something I can get you while you look over the menu?”

“Could I get a water? I’m waiting for someone and don’t know what we’ll be drinking.”

“Certainly.” Alan bowed his head and then hurried away.

I picked up the menu and gave it a once-over. It was relatively standard fare, leaning more to the country-style side of things. I was glad Sierra had chosen Market Inn over a more expensive fancy restaurant where I knew I would have been uncomfortable. The Hop or Snoot’s on the Lake would have been better choices, but they were my usual haunts, which meant I was more likely to be seen by friends and family. I was happy to avoid that sort of drama.

My water arrived. I thanked Alan, took a large gulp, and then went back to studying both the menu and the door. Every so often, someone would enter, but they were almost always accompanied by a companion or two. I checked my Fitbit and noted that it was ten past the hour, meaning my date was officially late.

A man entered alone. He scanned the restaurant, eyes passing right over me, but I noted how they’d lingered on my face for a heartbeat longer than on anyone else. His hair was close-cropped and neat. He was clean-shaven, dressed in jeans and a nice button-up shirt. He was a bit older than what I’d expected—he was maybe thirty-five or so—but I could work with that.

The hostess approached him. They spoke briefly, and then they turned my way. My heart started pounding in my chest and worked its way up into my ears. They strode across the dining room, toward where I was sitting.

And then they walked right past me, to a table in the far back of the room.

I sagged, disappointment warring with relief.

I shouldn’t have come. I didn’t do blind dates. I barely did date dates. But I was here, and I was determined to stick it out, as much as the thought of going through with it made me feel like puking.

Another twenty minutes passed. In that time, I’d ordered a Coke, drank half of it in nervous agitation, and had watched as everyone around me ordered, including those who’d come in long after me. A look back showed George and Edward were already eating, with George shooting me worried glances every few moments.

I was half tempted to call Sierra and chastise her for setting me up with a guy who seemed to have ghosted me, but I remained seated, sipping my Coke, and watching the door. It felt like all eyes were on me and I could feel my ears growing warm. My glass was soon emptied and Alan silently brought me another. The pitying look he gave me as he whisked away my empty glass told me he was thinking the same thing I was.

My date wasn’t coming.

Indecision flooded me then. I was hungry and I was sitting in a restaurant, so I could order my food, eat, and then leave as if nothing had happened. I could also get up and walk out with as much dignity as I could muster and drive to Snoot’s where I could drown my sorrows in one of the numerous beers they had on tap.

Or, I could just go home to my cat, Luna, and bury my head under my pillow until everyone forgot that I’d ever been there.

Before I could make up my mind about what I wanted to do, George’s hissed voice came from behind me. “Edward, don’t!”

A heartbeat later and Edward was standing next to me, arms crossed. His face was flushed in a way that told me he’d had something alcoholic with his dinner, and quite likely, more than one. There was anger simmering in his gaze, and for a moment, I thought he was upset with me.

“Who is he?” Edward demanded, biceps flexing as his fists tightened under his elbows.

Behind him, George looked on, distraught.

I knew who Edward meant, yet I found myself asking, “Who do you mean?” as if the simple question might make him less aggressive, because right then, I was kind of scared of Edward Wilkins. Unlike his cousin, who I found pleasant, despite his penchant for correcting me whenever I misspoke during one of my yoga classes, Edward exuded menace.

“You know who I mean,” he said, voice slightly slurred. “The guy who stood you up.”

“I don’t know him. It was a blind date.” When that didn’t seem to appease him, I added, “My friend Sierra set it up. I don’t know anything about the guy other than his name.”

“See? Ash is okay,” George said. “We don’t have to make a sce—”

“Just a name,” Edward demanded, stepping closer to me. “Tell me his name and then I’ll go.”

All eyes in the place seemed to be riveted to us. I wanted to sink straight through my chair, the floor, and maybe all the way down into the Earth’s core, I was so embarrassed.

“Really, Edward. It’s all right.”

Those biceps of his flexed once again and I felt my resolve weaken and snap. I mean, why should I protect a guy who didn’t have the decency to show up? I didn’t want Edward to find him and beat him up or anything silly like that, but maybe a little scare would do him some good.

“Grady,” I said. “His name is Grady Richards.”

Edward grunted, dropped his arms. “Well, this Grady Richards character best be careful. George doesn’t have many friends—”

“Edward, please!” George begged, looking around. He was as painfully aware of everyone watching us as I was. “Not here.”

Edward plowed on, ignoring him. “Anyone who is George’s friend, is mine. And I’m protective of my friends.”

“Ash?” A man appeared at the table, dressed in faded jeans and a well-worn Cardinal Lake University T-shirt. I put him in his late twenties, which was close to my own age.

“Yes?” It came out sounding relieved. “I’m Ash.”

“I’m sorry I’m late. I’m Grady.” He checked his watch, pulled a face. “I got held up at work and I didn’t have your number so I could call to let you know. I came as quickly as I could.”

The words “Why didn’t you call the restaurant?” were on the tip of my tongue, but Edward butted in before I could speak.

“You’re the one who left her sitting here for over a half an hour?” He took a threatening step toward Grady, eyes narrowing.

“I am.” Grady placed a hand over his heart and lowered his eyes. “And I deeply regret it. If you want me to, I can go.”

Edward opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. “No, please, sit,” I said, gesturing toward the empty chair across from me. “I haven’t eaten.”

Grady hesitated and then pulled out the chair. He eased down, eyes never leaving Edward.

“Come on,” George said, putting a hand on Edward’s bicep, which was back to flexing. “Let’s leave Ash to her dinner.”

Edward’s nostrils flared before he leveled a finger at Grady. “You’d best not hurt her or else I will find you and make sure you never hurt anyone ever again.” He then stormed toward the door.

“I’m sorry about that, Ash,” George said. “Edward can be—”

I raised a hand and cut him off. “I understand. He’s only trying to help.”

George hesitated a moment, nodded once, and then hurried after his cousin.

“Whew,” Grady said with a nervous chuckle. “I thought he was going to hit me.”

I crossed my arms and sat back in my chair. Now that we were alone and most of the restaurant was no longer staring at us, some of my anger at being forced to wait had returned.

Grady saw it in my eyes and the smile faded. “Look, I truly am sorry. I should have called someone to make sure you were aware of the situation.” He ran his hands through light brown hair that was a little long and unkempt. No matter how he tried to brush it away, it kept falling into his gray eyes. “I was nervous and wasn’t thinking. I don’t expect you to forgive me right away, but I do hope I can find a way to make amends.”

The pleading look he gave me had much of the anger dissipating. There was a cute, almost boyish charm to Grady Richards that was rather disarming. The crooked smile helped.

“All right,” I said. “Let’s start again.”

Grady’s smile widened and he reached across the table. “Hello, Ash. My name is Grady.” He paused briefly. For dramatic effect or nerves? I couldn’t tell. “Grady Richards.”

I took his hand and noted how soft his grip was. It was a stark contrast to Edward’s own viselike hold. “Ash Branson.”

Alan approached the table with a faint frown on his face. It was almost as if he were disappointed that I was no longer alone. He met Grady’s eye and something passed between them before Alan plastered on his trained smile and took our order. He remained by the table for a heartbeat longer than he needed before he spun and hurried to the back.

As soon as he was gone, Grady heaved a sigh and then placed his elbows on the table, planting his chin in his upturned palms. “So. Tell me about yourself, Ash Branson. I know almost nothing about you.”

“Join the club,” I chuckled. “Sierra thought it best if we went into this thing completely blind.”

“It is a blind date, I suppose.” He laughed. It was, admittedly, a pleasing sound. “You do this often? Blind dates, I mean? This is my first.”

“No. I don’t really date, which I suppose is why Sierra decided to set one up for me.”

Grady flashed me a smile that asked about a million questions, but I wasn’t about to get into my love life . . . or lack thereof. The last time I went out on a date was almost five months ago. Before that, I’d had something of a dry spell that was more my doing than anything else. I’d had a long-term boyfriend, Drew Hinton, whom I’d been planning to marry, before I up and decided to make massive changes to my life. Those changes included breaking up with said boyfriend. Drew had been the only guy I’d ever dated up to that point, so to say my experience with dating was limited would be an understatement.

Our food arrived a short time later. Conversation was pleasant despite the rocky start to the evening, and I found myself smiling a whole lot as Grady talked. He didn’t say much about himself, which was okay. I wasn’t too keen on revealing too much myself at such an early stage in a possible relationship either.

By the time we were cleaning up the remains of our meals, I was starting to feel as if perhaps this might work out as something more than a one-off. Grady had a charm to him that made me almost forget his earlier gaffe.

Grady wiped his mouth with his napkin and set it aside. “I need to run to the restroom before I burst. Don’t you go anywhere.”

I flashed him a smile. “I’ll stay right here.”

Grady popped up and headed for the restrooms in the back as a rowdy group entered and were seated across the room. There were two women and a man, all in their twenties, and likely either in college, or fresh out of it. They still had that party vibe that a lot of college kids had, even though the local college here in Cardinal Lake wasn’t a party school. In fact, it mostly catered to locals, though the man-made lake that gave the town its name did bring in its own collection of rambunctious kids.

“Can I get you anything else?” Alan asked as he collected our plates. “Dessert, perhaps?”

“No, thank you. I’m stuffed.”

He produced the check, held it a moment, and then deposited it onto the table close to my hand. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to check on you.”

“Thank you.”

Another long hesitation, and then he turned and walked briskly away.

I glanced back toward the restrooms to make sure Grady wasn’t on the way back and noting his absence, I pulled out my phone and shot Sierra a quick text. Grady was late, but things are looking up. Don’t wait up for me. It was followed by a winky-face emoji.

Sierra’s party hat and thumbs-up response was quick to follow and had me grinning ear to ear as I repocketed my phone.

Minutes passed where I daydreamed about how the rest of my night might go. I wasn’t about to go home with Grady or anything like that, but heading to a local bar for a nightcap or perhaps a drive around the lake—it was too cold and wet to walk—might put a pleasant end to the evening. I was too old—funny that I thought of being in my twenties as old—to want to park at Lovers’ Perch, but the idea of finding somewhere where we could be alone and talk, somewhere where I wouldn’t feel the pressure to give up too much of myself, was a pleasing one.

Of course, Grady would have to want to spend more time with me. Once he was back, I’d have to find out his intentions without making my own too obvious.

Speaking of . . .

I looked back at the restroom doors, which were still closed with no Grady in sight. It was followed by a quick glance at the time. He’d been gone for a little over ten minutes now. While that was a long time for a quick trip to the restroom, it wasn’t unheard of. When another ten minutes passed and there was still no sign of my date, my nerves were hopping. The check lay there, almost accusingly, and I found myself snatching it up and perusing it, just so I had something to do.

Once again, I felt eyes on me, and I steadfastly refused to acknowledge them. I set the check aside, drummed my fingers on the table, and was half-ready to get up and go to the bathroom to check on Grady to make sure he hadn’t fallen in.

No, Ash. He could have some sort of intestinal issue, possibly caused by nerves. You wouldn’t want to embarrass him.

It took another fifteen minutes of me sitting there like a dope to realize that no matter how long I waited, Grady Richards wasn’t coming back.

Frustration and embarrassment had tears forming in the corner of my eyes as I fished out my credit card and set it atop the bill. Alan appeared quietly and took my card without meeting my eye. He returned a moment later, leaned in close and said, “I’m sorry. I took a little off your bill.”

Somehow, that only made me feel worse.

I gathered my things and hurried out the door. The misting rain was still coming down, but at least it concealed my angry tears as I hurried to my car. I climbed inside, feeling like a complete and utter fool, and then buried my face in my hands, fighting back a scream.

The jerk had indeed ghosted me.

I threw myself back into my seat, face wet from the rain, but my tears had dried up. There was anger, sure, and a small twinge of regret, but honestly, I wasn’t all that surprised. This was why I’d never considered going on a blind date before. You di. . .