Ginger the cat is the centerpiece of a lucrative entertainment and merchandising empire. A blue Christmas seems certain when his owner Katherine passes away right before Thanksgiving.<br><br>Katherine’s will appoints her loving and loyal groundskeeper Baily as executor, leaving estranged grandson Del livid. Since Del wasn’t around, it’s stipulated he must spend thirty days under the same roof as Ginger and Baily to get to know the cat as a loving companion, not just a commodity, in order to share in any inheritance.<br><br>As the men bond over the weeks leading into Christmas, Baily is unaware Scrooge-like Del is sneaking around, searching out cash and other valuables. Will they be able to make nice once Baily discovers Del’s naughtiness? Which list does Ginger end up on? And what will Katherine’s last gift to each man mean to their future?

Ginger Bread

“Your closet is my grandmother’s closet,” Del said almost under his breath. “His eyes might not look like mine, Ginger, but I still wonder if he took my place in her heart more than you.”


Once Kelly Clarkson filled the house with Christmas cheer to which we might not have been fully receptive, Del headed for Baily’s room a few minutes behind him. Naturally, right on Del’s heels from the start, I followed, not trusting the guy as far as I could throw my favorite jingle ball.


I pretended to groom myself on Baily’s neatly made bed, while Del pretended to search for jeans or sweatpants under it. Once at the dresser, he pulled a couple of drawers all the way out to look behind them, just like he’d done in the den the night before.


“Fancy.” Nosy Del studied a gold watch he’d snatched up from in amongst Baily’s socks. “Did my grandmother buy him this?” he asked me.


Chapter 10