Hot Under the Collar

by Roxanne St Claire

  “Of course,” he replied. “Anything you need.”

  “Would you take this little lady home for a few days?” As soon as he paused at the corner, Braden knew which “little lady” he meant.

  “Jasmine?” he guessed.

  Daniel put a hand on Braden’s back and led him the few steps to where the gorgeous black Lab stood staring out at them with her haunting blue eyes.

  “I’m pretty sure she was the one who got the big auction bid, not Connor.”

  Braden gave a soft laugh. “Safe bet.”

  “And she has the nose of a bloodhound. In fact, we’ve had a few offers to adopt her out, and I just can’t do it.”

  Braden frowned in question. “Why not?”

  “Jazz isn’t a family dog,” Daniel said. “Well, she could be, but this girl is not happy unless she’s on some kind of project or mission. She could be a service dog, but her scenting skill set is so exquisite, I—”

  “I get the point,” Braden assured him, trying not to let any irritation into his voice. “I still think you should hook her up with the ATF or one of the big training sites looking for candidates for ADC training.”

  Daniel sighed, not answering, because he didn’t have to.

  “You’re saving her in case I change my mind,” Braden guessed.

  “I’m only asking you to board her for the week,” Daniel said.

  “In hopes that I fall madly in love with her and start her ADC training next week?” Braden smiled and threw his mother a sideways glance. “He’s still the Dogfather, pulling strings to get his way.”

  Daniel shook his head. “Braden, you know how I feel. I want you to have your dream of being an arson dog handler, with the right partner. And, anyway, don’t you and Cassie need a dog for the scavenger hunt setup? Jazz will be perfect for that.”

  “I have a feeling Jazz will be perfect, period.” Braden gave a wry smile.

  “Thanks. I’m going to head back to bite training. Liam and I will start Jelly Bean later this afternoon, and we’ll keep you posted.” He flipped a leash off the wall and opened Jasmine’s kennel. “Remember to give her a job, if you can. She needs a mission.”

  “I will,” he promised, clipping the leash on as his mother came closer.

  “I’ll walk back to the house with you, Braden,” she said.

  As they passed the training pen, Shane did a double take. “In with one and out with another?”

  “Looks that way.” Braden glanced down at the dog who seemed so unfamiliar next to him. Different color, different gait, different soul.

  “You’re handling this well,” his mother said, walking on his other side.

  “I’m really optimistic about Jelly Bean,” he told her. “And taking in a dog when Waterford is this crowded is the least I can do after all Uncle Daniel and Liam have done for Jelly Bean.”

  “That’s good,” she said, inspecting him with that all-knowing Mom look. “You look like you had a long shift.”

  “Brutal,” he said. “I slept a few hours this morning, though.”

  She nodded and put her hand on his shoulder. “Are you doing okay, honey?”

  “I am,” he assured her. “Better now that Jelly Bean can smell.”

  “And…Cassie?”

  He threw her a sideways smile. “Cassie can smell, too.”

  She laughed. “You know what I mean. I don’t like to meddle, but…the whole family’s pretty excited about this union.”

  “Then they should get unexcited, Mom. It’s temporary with a capital T.”

  That slowed her step. “Why? How do you know that?”

  Cassie’s job offer wasn’t his news to share, so he just shrugged. “We’ve agreed on that.”

  “That’s sort of…odd.”

  That was one way of putting it. “Neither one of us is looking for anything serious.”

  “But you seem so happy.”

  The words stabbed. “Yeah, I know. I am,” he admitted. “But…you know me. My relationships never last.”

  “No, they never last with Connor. With you…” She stopped walking and studied him. “You get scared and sabotage the relationship.”

  Did he? Was that his MO? “Scared of what?”

  “History,” she said softly, then squeezed his arm. “While that makes sense, it’s not a smart way to live.” For a long time, she looked at him, taking a moment to choose her words, just like her brother frequently did. “Honey, at the risk of spouting off something my mother would embroider on a pillow, you do know that there’s truth in the saying ‘it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,’ don’t you?”

  He blew out a slow breath. “Not for the person left behind, Mom.”

  “Oh, I beg to differ.” She narrowed her eyes and straightened her frame, the inner strength that was so much like Gramma Finnie’s shooting out of every pore. But she stayed silent for a long time. Talking about things like this was damn near impossible for Colleen Mahoney.

  But Braden really needed help from his mother right now. “Can you elaborate?” he asked.

  Her eyes shuttered a bit with a slow sigh as she obviously dug for whatever strength she needed to open up. “Braden,” she said softly. “I wouldn’t give up a thing in my life, not one year with your father and not one minute of the time we had, even if it meant saving myself from the grief of losing him.”

  He understood that, he really did, and every day he inched closer to letting go of that old hang-up. But his fears weren’t the only thing between them. “The choice might not be mine to make, Mom. Don’t tell anyone yet, but Cassie might be leaving Bitter Bark for good. She has a job offer in Chicago.”

  Her eyes flashed in surprise. “I had no idea.”

  “She hasn’t even told her family yet, but I’m going to have to live with whatever she decides.”

  Her brow furrowed, then her head tilted. “They have fires in Chicago, you know.”

  Leave Bitter Bark? “How would you feel if I did that?”

  She reached a hand up and patted his cheek like he was six, and her hand still comforted him. “I just want you to be happy.”

  Would moving away from his family, friends, home, and job make him happy? Even if Cassie were right next to him? “It would depend…”

  “On how real this relationship is,” his mother finished. “Oh, I see Katie pulling in.” She gestured toward the driveway.

  “Please, not a word about Cassie’s decision. She doesn’t have the offer yet.”

  She zipped her lips and locked a pretend key. “Promise.”

  When she headed off, he stood for a long moment in the sunshine with his new dog. His temporary new dog. That could become permanent, if he just said the word. But that would mean giving up—

  The phone in his pocket buzzed. Out of habit, he pulled it out, only to realize when he looked at it that it wasn’t his phone. He’d left that in the truck when he took Cassie’s. A text message flashed on the screen from Jace Demakos.

  Taking off for the Windy City in 10 min. Be back in BB by Friday—offer in hand. Hope to make it easy for you.

  He curled his lip at the screen. “Hope to make it impossible for you, Zorba.”

  But even as he said it, he knew he might fail. Just like Jelly Bean might fail his scent test.

  As he lingered, Jazz looked up at him with a question in her blue eyes.

  “I don’t know, girl,” he murmured. “Maybe the solution to my problems is something I never imagined. Kind of like you.”

  She stared back, her expression blank.

  Of course, because only one dog really understood English.

  * * *

  Cassie paused at the screen door, her step slowed by the sound of Yiayia’s guffaw floating out from the kitchen.

  Had she ever in her entire life heard her grandmother laugh from the belly like that? Was it possible she had changed?

  Yes. She had changed. But Cassie still didn’t know why or how long it would last. Real change would be
permanent. Real change would be for a good reason. Real change would be—

  “But, Agnes, did you see that kiss? I tell you, lass, that wasn’t the kiss of friends in that truck.”

  Oh, so now Yiayia had Gramma Finnie spying on her?

  “Oh, no. They were definitely kissing like lovers. Do you think—”

  Cassie’s jaw dropped, and Gramma tsked noisily. “As long as they’re happy, right? Isn’t that what we agreed, Agnes? You’re only as happy as your least happy grandchild, I say.” She laughed. “Well, someone I loved very much used to say that. But it’s true.”

  Not for Yiayia. Cassie inched closer, waiting for Yiayia’s retort. Who cares if they’re happy as long as I am?

  “And with the right person,” Yiayia said.

  Ah. Of course. The arrival of Jace Demakos changed everything. Deep inside, Yiayia, no matter her motivation, would never go against the possibility of another Greek in the family. At least that hadn’t changed.

  “Who could be better?” Gramma Finnie countered.

  And Yiayia was dead silent, the only sound from the kitchen a spoon scraping against a bowl.

  For some reason, Cassie breathed a sigh of relief. Not that she wanted Old Yiayia back, but at least all was right with the universe if this new version of her grandmother turned out to be a fake.

  Still, a relationship with Braden hadn’t brought out the real Yiayia like Cassie had thought it would. Got Cassie all confused, hot and bothered, and tempting fate with ten-minute kisses, but Yiayia remained steadfastly…nice.

  “I think they are wonderful together,” her grandmother finally answered, the words ground out in that high singsong that Cassie had learned to recognize over the past weeks as Fake Yiayia.

  “And we have lots of weddings coming up,” Gramma Finnie cooed. “If this month of working on the scavenger hunt together does what we hope, then she’ll catch one of those bouquets for sure. Maybe all of them!”

  No surprise, Yiayia was quiet. Then suddenly, she gasped, “Oh, Finn, stop! You can’t roll the dough that way! It looks like a worm, not a cookie. Here, here, let me do it.”

  Cassie bit her lip against a smile. Score one for Old Yiayia.

  “It’s for a dog, Agnes,” Gramma Finnie shot back with laughter, not shame, in her voice. “And my goodness, sometimes I see where Cassie gets her cutting wit and that need to control everything so it’s done the way she wants it.”

  Cassie blinked. Yiayia slips into her old self, and that reminds Gramma Finnie of me?

  Yiayia forced a laugh. “I apologize,” she said, sounding freakishly sincere. “You get right back here and roll, dear. Sometimes I just fall into old habits. And if Cassie is like me? Well, someday she’ll grow out of it. Hopefully, before it’s too late.”

  What the heck did that mean?

  She wasn’t sure, but she had to find out. She had to do something to make her grandmother come clean, even if that made Cassie…control everything so it’s done her way. Was she really like Yiayia?

  She tamped down that thought for later examination. Now, she knew exactly what would show Yiayia’s true colors and force her to be honest.

  Clearing her throat, she reached for the door and called, “Do I hear grandmothers baking? This sounds like fun.”

  “Oh, Cassie!”

  “There’s our sweet lass! We were just talking about you.”

  Both of them came at her instantly, one on each side—a blue-eyed sparkle of joy and a dark-eyed look of distrust, which softened when Yiayia smiled. On their heels came one fat doxie and one wiggly one, all demanding a greeting.

  “We are bakin’, lass,” Gramma assured her with a kiss.

  “Why here and not at home?”

  “Oh, that oven is a piece of ancient cra…broken,” Yiayia said. “And we have a large group of taste testers. If we relied on Pyggie and Gala, Pyggie would gain five more pounds.”

  Cassie drew back, a little confused. “What exactly are you baking?”

  “We’re entering the Family Fur Bake-Off with our own recipe called Dogmother Delights,” Yiayia said.

  “Dogmother Delights?”

  “Finn’s working on a tag line for us,” Yiayia added. “Because she didn’t like ‘When bland Irish meets tasty Greek.’”

  Both of them threw back their heads and howled like a couple of college girls with an inside joke. And as much as Cassie wanted to join in, all she could do was marvel at this unexpected friendship.

  “Oh, I got one,” Finnie said, poking Yiayia’s arm. “How about ‘You’re only as happy as your least happy dog!’”

  Yiayia clapped and held her hand up for a high five. “Good one, Finn!”

  Cassie looked from one to the other, still stunned.

  “And maybe,” Gramma Finnie added in a whisper, like the walls had ears, “since Agnes hit it off so well with that nice Greek man from Family First? Maybe we’ll win the grand prize and be rich and famous!”

  “Oh, yes, you liked Jace, didn’t you, Yiayia?” Cassie asked.

  Her grandmother gave a tight smile, like she had to work to contain it. “He was nice. How was the event on Saturday evening? We were surprised not to see you here for Sunday dinner, Cassandra.”

  Because she’d holed up in her apartment and tried to figure out what to do with Jace’s job offer, and knew she couldn’t have kept it to herself if she’d spent the day here. “Oh, I was tired.”

  “So it was a big night out?” Yiayia prodded.

  Cassie sighed and took her hand. “Gramma Finnie, can I steal Yiayia for a minute? I have to talk to her about something.” This was the person to tell, she decided. Plus, once she knew about Jace’s offer, she might come clean about why she’d changed.

  “Of course, lass. I’ll be right here rollin’ up my worms.” Gramma Finnie waved her hand to send them both out. “And comin’ up with clever tag lines.”

  Yiayia giggled again and then followed Cassie to the wide side porch to sit on two rattan chairs.

  “Yiayia, I have to tell you—”

  “No.” Yiayia held her hand up, the single syllable as sharp as any she’d ever spoken.

  “You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”

  “You’re going to stick your little face in mine and demand to know what’s going on, what’s wrong with me, and how you can change it.”

  Cassie blinked, stunned by the accusation, Gramma Finnie’s words echoing in her ears. “Do I really try to change everything?”

  “You like the world to bend to your will, Cassie,” she said, adding a wry smile.

  “Just like you.”

  “Just like I used to.” She smiled and patted Cassie’s hand. “Now what did you want from me?” She leaned closer to whisper, “I need to hurry back in because between you, me, and the lamppost? That woman cannot bake or cook to save her life. How do you get to be near ninety and not know how to make a puff pastry?”

  Cassie searched her face. “Almost. That’s almost you.”

  She sighed and looked annoyed—maybe more with herself than Cassie. “Please let me change, Cassie. Don’t constantly stand in my way.”

  There was no answer to that because…she was absolutely right. Cassie was standing in her way. And that was wrong.

  “Now, what do you need, Cassie?”

  She’d brought her out here to tell her about Jace’s job offer and see how fast she dropped her push for Braden. But now? She wasn’t so sure what she wanted from her grandmother. Maybe… “Advice.”

  Yiayia drew back. “That’s a first.”

  “I don’t want to talk to my mother, so please keep what I’m about to tell you a secret.”

  She gasped. “You’re pregnant!”

  “Stop!” Cassie flicked her hand lightly against Yiayia’s arm.

  “A great-grandmother can hope, you know.”

  “You’d really be happy if I was that serious with Braden? Even…after meeting Jace?”

  Her dark eyes flashed. “Jace isn’t for you.�
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  She felt her jaw slip. “You don’t think…because he’s Greek…you don’t want us…”

  “Oh heavens, koukla. We’ve got him lined up for Ella.”

  Ella? She almost couldn’t respond. “She gags at the sight of him, Yiayia. She can’t stand him. She doesn’t even want to talk to him.”

  “Finnie says that’s called ‘frenemies,’ and it makes for a great love story.”

  Cassie dropped her face in her hands, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

  “Well, she knows these things because she’s a blogger. Also, young Prudence is just a fountain of knowledge and words like that. I enjoy that girl. We’re thinking of making her an honorary Dogmother.”

  “Jace lives in Chicago, Yiayia. Surely Gramma Finnie doesn’t want Ella to move there? Her business is here, one she shares with her mother. Her family is here. Her brothers would be wrecked if their little Smella moved…” Her voice faded as she realized what she was saying.

  “We’ll figure out a way to lure him here,” she said, utterly confident.

  “And if they continue to dislike each other?”

  “Dislike?” She gave a soft hoot. “You didn’t see how many times they sneaked peeks at one another during that bachelor auction, then. Of course you didn’t. You were too wrapped up in that man right there.” Yiayia pointed to Braden, who was leaving the kennels with a large black dog on a leash, talking to his mother. “Oh, and speaking of our fine lad.”

  “Lad? Hello, you’re Greek, Agnes Mastros Santorini. Did you forget that, too?”

  She just laughed. “That’s just more of Finnie rubbing off on me.” Her eyes danced with something that could only be called joy. “And you know, that gives me so much hope.”

  “Hope?” Cassie choked on the word. “As if that word is in your vocabulary.”

  Her whole face fell as if Cassie had slapped her.

  “I’m sorry, Yiayia,” she said, reaching for her, shame warming her face. “That was awful of me to say.”

  “No, no.” She gave Cassie’s hand a squeeze. “We can have sharp tongues, you and me. I might have even been the one who taught you that, but, of course, yours is usually tempered with humor. And you know…” She stroked Cassie’s hand in a way that was much more Finnie than Agnes. “There’s nothing wrong with cutting wit as long as you don’t slice someone you love.”