Book was first confounded and then relieved by the reply from the “cat.” Persian, if he remembered right, was a breed of cat. Fluffy sort of thing. Here he’d been worried that this might not be a joke, but there was confirmation. The outerspace cat was talking about missing a common house cat.
Very amusing. This would make a good story. Once he sorted out exactly what had actually happened.
When the prankster offered lunch, and meeting someone named Jennifer, Book was sure he had another piece of the puzzle. This Jennifer must be one of the pranksters. Or it was a random name. At this point, it was all speculation. But the shepherd wasn’t really willing to drag this joke out any further. He did have things to do with his day.
“That’s a kind offer,” Book replied, “but I think I’ve taken up enough of your time. Have a nice lunch, Jake. I hope we meet again.” If only to have another chance to see this joke up close. But for now, he gave a slight bow of his head before going on his way.