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

“I hope I do,” he said. “‘Do nothing today’ is in there, so we can just appreciate the work we did all the other days and watch the birds outside or something. There’s Christmas movie day, write a story day…”


“Yeah. Mine are always about Ginger.”


Once the kitchen was all cleaned up, Baily and I spent the evening in one room, while Del hid out in another, maybe Katherine’s, for all I knew, sifting through her things, like he had Baily’s. That had been my first thought. On our way into bed, however, when Baily and I peeked into the den, we found Del curled up on the couch with the framed photo of me and Katherine against his chest again. Nothing was out of place. If he had been snooping, he’d tidied up this time. Snoring away, his glasses all askew, it looked as if he’d been out a while.


Chapter 15