Old Dog New Tricks

by Roxanne St Claire

  All eyes shifted down to petite Darcy’s level, but the attention made her square her shoulders and look up at Daniel, and instantly he remembered the conversation they’d had the day she helped him with his Pinterest account, and he understood why his support had come from this surprising corner.

  “There’s nothing wrong with updating this room and bringing it into this decade.” She faced off with the whole lot of them, with a straight spine of fearlessness that made Daniel’s heart break with love for this young woman. “I, for one, think it’s a good idea.”

  Garrett arrived then, but obviously had heard enough of the talk. “But do you have to get rid of everything?”

  “I want a clean slate.”

  “The pictures, too?” Liam asked.

  All eyes moved to Annie’s precious wall. “You know the people in the room should be the focal point, not pictures on the wall,” Daniel said.

  “What are you going to do with them?” Shane asked.

  He cleared his throat before answering. “Katie said she’s worked with picture collections like that and might be able to come up with something better.”

  They were all dead silent.

  “I bet it’ll be beautiful,” Molly said after a beat. “I looked up Katie’s work on her website, and she’s really talented.”

  Daniel nodded his appreciation for the vote of confidence. “She is,” he agreed. “And I trust her to give this room a much-needed redo without losing the…” What had she called it? “The spirit of the home.”

  “You mean Mom,” Shane mumbled. When the attention shifted to him, he added, “Mom is, you know, the spirit of the home.”

  “Our family is the spirit of this home,” Daniel said, making no effort to soften that response. When he had all their attention again, he took a step forward, letting go of Darcy’s shoulder to make his point. “That hasn’t changed, nor will it.”

  Except…the family would get larger, but not the way they expected.

  They all stared at him, and not a single man, woman, or child in the room had the nerve to contradict him. Knowing he had that attention and respect, he decided to make a few things clear.

  “At this time in my life,” he said, quietly enough that they had to stay still to hear him, “I plan to make some changes. Some will be small and inconsequential, like changing those drapes to shutters or painting the walls something Sherwin-Williams appropriately calls Comfort Gray.”

  That made Molly’s lips lift a little and Shane’s big shoulders drop. Liam crossed his arms and gave the slightest nod, too.

  “But other changes might be bigger.”

  Garrett’s eyes flickered, and Darcy looked up at him, biting her lip, but everyone stayed silent.

  “Like, I might add some people to our circle of life.”

  Liam shifted from one foot to the other, and when he did, Daniel saw his tiny mother standing in the center entry hall, on the outskirts of the small gathering, as riveted as the rest of them.

  Daniel took a slow breath and continued. “A very wise person once said that you don’t have to let go of what’s in one hand to hold something in the other,” he said.

  “Ten bucks it was Gramma Finnie,” Pru muttered.

  “You’d lose that bet,” Gramma called out.

  Daniel nodded. “The point is, I can change this room and still treasure the memories it holds.” Just saying it made the idea possible, and seeing a few of them nod slowly gave him even more confidence. “I can live a new kind of life and know that the years that preceded it made me exactly who I am.”

  “And who we are,” Liam added softly.

  Daniel gave him a quick smile. “Exactly. And…” He looked down at Pru, who gazed back with unabashed admiration, making his heart squeeze with love. “I can celebrate special days even if they are difficult for me.”

  Her whole face lit up. “Really? I promise I’ll plan everything, Grandpa! You don’t have to do a thing. It won’t be difficult.”

  He reached down to brush her head with his knuckles, touched by her misunderstanding of why a Saint Patrick’s Day party would be difficult. “I know you will, General Pru,” he whispered, before looking back up to the other faces around the room.

  He knew they were going to take the next statement differently than he intended, but that was okay. He was laying the groundwork for the hard road ahead, and as their father and leader, he had to do that.

  “I can also bring good people into this home and family and still deeply and totally love the ones that are, or were, in it.”

  “Oh.” Molly let out a little whimper and let her head drop onto Trace’s shoulder.

  “Dad.” Darcy whispered his name on a sigh.

  Shane gave a slow, honest smile, and Aidan struggled to swallow. Garrett nodded in agreement, and Liam held his father’s gaze with a look of support and approval.

  True, they all thought he was talking about Katie, but the principle was the same. He would bring a new person into the family soon, and they needed to be mature and graceful enough to accept it.

  “We’re starting on Sunday,” he announced, getting some surprised looks in response.

  “She’s coming for Sunday dinner?” Garrett guessed. “I hope Junior hasn’t been born yet.”

  “If he has, we’ll celebrate his birthday,” Daniel said. “But yes, Katie, two of her sons, and Cassie are coming after they spend the afternoon at Heroes & Hoagies—”

  “They must really hate your cooking,” Shane joked under his breath.

  “They’re thinking about renting the space and turning it into a Santorini’s, like the two they have in Chestnut Creek. And if they do, they’ll need our help. Maybe some muscle, maybe some construction work, maybe some marketing and word of mouth. Some catering business would be good.”

  For a moment, they were silent, processing that, glancing at one another. Then Shane held up his hand. “I’m sure you can count on Chloe for the marketing, and I’ll help them build.”

  “I’m happy to help with construction, too,” Trace chimed in. “We can do what we did for Friends With Dogs.”

  “You did a great job transforming a travel agency into my grooming studio,” Darcy said. “And I could offer discounts to my customers, and we could put flyers at Bone Appetit,” she added, referring to the dog-treat business his sister, Colleen, and niece Ella owned.

  “I’m sure we could do some kind of reciprocal marketing with my uncle’s pizza parlor,” Beck said, looking up at Josh. “He’s been looking for an opportunity like that.”

  “And they could cater our Saint Patrick’s Day party!” Pru added with a clap of delight. “Two birds, one stone. I love it.”

  Daniel took a step back from the sheer force of what happened every single time the Kilcannons put their heads together to solve a problem. He didn’t even have to answer them as the ideas flew, along with jokes and chatter. Every drop of tension evaporated in the face of a challenge.

  “Okay, awesome,” he said, but they were all talking, planning, and scheming ideas. “I really appreciate the enthusiasm,” he added with a laugh to a roomful of people basically ignoring him.

  He looked past them at his mother, who leaned against the doorjamb, her gnarled knuckles wrapped around the collar of her cardigan, her eyes dancing with the truth that only she knew.

  Pru stood up and looked from him to her great-grandmother, gasping softly, but staying silent.

  Daniel’s heart kicked up, and his mother’s smile instantly disappeared. He’d forgotten those two had some kind of bizarre mental telepathy. If Gramma knew something, it was only a matter of time before Pru did, too. And Gramma was itching to share the news.

  “I need your help, General,” he said in an effort to distract Pru. “This group forgot why they’re here. Help me?”

  She gave him a metal-mouthed smile. “I got this.” She raised both hands and snapped her fingers, making Rusty stand up and bark, but no one else even noticed. “At least one of you pays attention,�
�� Pru lamented, looking up at Daniel. “Whistle for me, Grandpa?”

  He put his fingers in his mouth and brought them to complete silence with the same ear-piercing whistle he’d used when he wanted to call a bunch of Kilcannon kids in from the lake or the fields for dinner.

  Pru giggled into the sudden silence. “I gotta learn how to do that.”

  “Just run this show, General.”

  She gave him a playful salute and stood up on a small footrest in front of one of the wingbacks to get close to even with the tall men in the room. “Attention, Kilcannons! Chairs and sofa to the truck for donation. Rolly drink cart?”

  “Donation also,” Daniel said.

  “You heard the man. Bookshelf gets emptied. Pictures go into those bins?” She glanced at Daniel, and he nodded. “Everything else…Grandpa will tell you.”

  And they were in motion, picking up chairs and taking down books and carefully unhooking the pictures, leaving empty pale yellow squares and circles on the wall.

  “There better be beer at the end of this,” Shane ground out through clenched teeth as he and Garrett hoisted the big sofa.

  “There better be food,” Garrett shot back.

  “I’ll order pizza,” Gramma said as she came over to Daniel and slid her arm through his, her gray head barely reaching his chest as the years made her tinier and tinier. But when she looked up at him, he saw nothing but strength in those eyes. “Well done, lad.”

  He tipped his head in acknowledgment of the compliment. “We’ve got a long way to go.”

  “Not really, Grandpa.” Pru set a framed picture in a plastic bin. “We’ll have this room ready for painting in no time.”

  But he shared a look with his mother, who knew that they did, indeed, have a long, long way to go. As he looked at his sons, daughters, and extended family in action, he knew he had the best team possible on his side.

  Next, they had to work on the Greeks.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Katie stretched out on the painting tarp, using the edge of her brush to get the curved edges of the baseboard a pure, bright white. The position was made a little more complicated by the fact that Goldie and Rusty decided the canvas made a perfect bed, and they were both lined up next to her.

  When they moved, her brush slipped.

  “Be still, kids,” she whispered as she dragged the brush. “Or Mommy’s gotta do this twice.”

  “Mommy?” Daniel, looming above her on the stepladder with the roller, snorted softly. “And she says she doesn’t want to adopt a dog.”

  She glanced up at him, stealing her third—fourth?—look at the way his slightly paint-splattered T-shirt fit over his broad shoulders as he moved the roller. “I thought you said she could only go to someone special.”

  “You’re special,” he replied without hesitation. “And you don’t have other dogs.”

  “Or a yard.”

  “Is that what’s stopping you?”

  She sighed and pushed up, rubbing her shoulder. “Fear of the unknown, I guess.”

  He looked down at her and smiled. “You’ve splattered enough Comfort Gray in your hair to make you look like me.”

  She laughed, reaching up to touch her hair and making a face when she hit some paint.

  “It’s on your cheek, too.”

  She wrinkled her nose and looked around for a clean cloth, but there was none. So she pushed up to a stand. “I think I need a cleanup break.”

  Rolling out a crick in his neck, Daniel nodded. “And I need a coffee break. Also a massage, Jacuzzi, and a couple of Advil.”

  “Amen to that.”

  He started down the ladder. “Old people painting.”

  “Speak for yourself, old man. I can do coffee and a cookie. Will that work?”

  “Not as well as the massage, but I’ll take it.”

  She narrowed her eyes in a tease that had become familiar and comfortable this past week. “Friends don’t give friends massages.”

  He lifted a brow, and for a split second, she thought he might reconsider his stance, but then he nodded. “Point taken.”

  “I’ll be right back, and after our break, let’s tackle that last wall.”

  He shot a quick glance at the one solid wall with the ghostlike shadows of at least thirty frames. It wasn’t the first time that day she’d seen a slightly uneasy expression on his face when it came to the wall. But it disappeared quickly when he nodded and slid the brush out of her hand. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “You want to come with me, Goldie?” She snapped her fingers twice, like she’d seen Daniel and others around Waterford Farm do, but Goldie sidled up to Rusty, who was not moving from his nap position. “See?” she said to Daniel. “She prefers him to anyone.”

  “I know,” he said. “I just wish Rusty could teach her how to get along with everyone that way.”

  A moment later, after using the powder room in the hall and getting rid of the paint on her face and lashes, Katie headed toward the kitchen, taking in the serenity and comfort of the oversized farmhouse.

  She rounded the corner that led to the kitchen, coming to a complete stop as she almost plowed right into tiny Gramma Finnie.

  “Oh!” Their exclamations of surprise came out in perfect unison.

  “I didn’t realize you were here,” Katie said, suddenly feeling like a prowler in the woman’s house.

  “I came home a wee bit early and was on my way to the living room to check on your progress.” She slipped off an overcoat, revealing a deep purple sweater that had a stunning effect on her white hair. The outside air had put a pink tone in parchment-soft cheeks that crinkled when she smiled. “Didn’t the Kilcannon clan do a magnificent job of cleaning out that room for you, lass?”

  “They did,” she agreed. “All we have to do is paint, and as you can see…” She held up her hands, which were still a little splattered despite the soap and water she’d used in the bathroom. “We’re working on that. But taking a coffee break,” she added to explain her presence in the kitchen.

  “I’ll make your coffee, lass.” She gestured for Katie to come all the way in. “Sit a bit while I do.”

  “That’s not necessary,” she said. “You just got home.”

  “But I need a private moment with you.”

  “Oh, okay.” They hadn’t yet had one of those, and they should. “I’d like that.”

  The older woman’s face slipped into a smile that easily reached her blue eyes, which might be dimmed by her bifocals, but were as sharp as the day Katie had met her so many years ago.

  Gramma guided her to a seat at the island counter with a featherlight touch that belied the strength Katie knew the older woman had in spades.

  “Daniel likes his coffee strong,” Gramma commented. “Will that work for you?”

  “The stronger the better,” she said on a laugh. “Oh, and I brought these cookies.” She gestured toward the Tupperware she’d left on the counter. “They’re called kourabiedes. Greek butter cookies.”

  “How wonderful. Did you make them?”

  “My son Alex. He’s the master in the kitchen in our family.”

  “Like his father,” she said, pouring the water into the coffeemaker with a steady hand.

  “Yes, he definitely inherited a love for food, especially anything Greek.”

  “I’m looking forward to meeting the lads tomorrow.” Gramma Finnie turned from the coffeemaker after hitting the start button, taking a few tentative steps closer to Katie. “All of your family, really.”

  Katie held her gaze for a beat and made a quick decision. This wasn’t a woman to be coy with, or a moment to pretend they both didn’t see the elephant in the room. “I don’t know when you’ll meet Nick,” she said.

  Gramma nodded, listening like her son would before jumping into a response.

  “Or if you’ll ever meet him,” Katie added on a sigh. “I have no idea how he’ll take this…news.”

  “Oh, lass.” As if the ice broke, the little old woman�
�s face crumbled, and she came around the counter with both arms outstretched. “He’ll accept it.” She folded Katie into her narrow body, squeezing gently.

  Katie eased back with a shaky smile. “I’m sorry to do this to your family, Gramma Finnie.”

  “Hush! Another Kilcannon is never anything but a cause for celebration.”

  “He’s not a Kilcannon,” she said softly. “He’s a Santorini. They’re as proud of the name as you are of yours.”

  “It’s a beautiful name,” Gramma said. “I’ve seen pictures of the city by the same name.”

  “Nico’s grandfather was born there and came here as a child,” Katie told her. “Actually, their last name was something else completely, but when they arrived at Ellis Island, the person who registered them couldn’t pronounce or spell it, so he used the name of their home city on the papers. They were too scared to change it back, so they kept Santorini, and that’s how it became the family name.”

  Gramma’s eyes twinkled. “Why, what a lovely story. My parents and brothers came through Ellis Island as well, though I wasn’t on the same boat myself. Seamus and I came later.” She leaned in and gave Katie’s arm a squeeze. “One of these days, I’ll take you aside and tell you the whole story. The long version.”

  An unexpected warmth rolled through her, along with equally unexpected tears.

  “Oh, no cryin’, lass. Ask any Kilcannon. The long version means I like you.”

  She had to laugh. Otherwise, she’d cry. “I’m not used to…this. To you.”

  Gramma’s gray brows lifted. “I’m like any other old lady, only not scared of technology. Or history.”

  “You’re not, though,” she said. “You’re not like my mother, who literally died mad at me, or my mother-in-law, who actually once told me she liked me, but didn’t love me because I’m not Greek.”

  Gramma looked a little horrified. “My love has no strings, lass.”

  “Which is amazing.”

  She smiled, crinkling her face. “’Tis normal around here, I promise. So ye got nothin’ to worry about. It’ll all work out as it should. Surely you know that by now, lass.”