She smiled. “Your sense of humor is working just fine.” She got up to adjust the Navy baseball cap that he liked to hang on the post of the bed, a reminder of his World War II service.
“I want you to be in charge of my celebration-of-life party,” he continued. “I want it to be crowded and happy and right in the middle of Bushrod Square. And I want a big band to play Glenn Miller’s ‘Moonlight Serenade.’” He looked at her with sad gray eyes, dimmed by time, giving her an inkling of how her own pale blue gaze might look in fifty years. “Then Penny and I will be dancing together in heaven. And then you can do whatever you want with this old house. I don’t care.”
“Oh, Granddaddy.” She sat back down next to him, knowing he did care, very much. “You know you’re going to live to be a hundred. And one.”
He sighed. “I promised Penny I’d hold on until…well, never mind. You’ll plan that party for me, won’t you?”
She knew what he was holding on for—the next generation in a long line of generations. “I’ll give you a Glenn Miller party.” She patted his hand and got back up to look out the window when she heard a car door. “But don’t rush it, okay? I like having you around.”
A boat of a Buick had pulled into the driveway, which wasn’t that unusual since Granddaddy frequently had visitors. But most of them called first, and no one had contacted her about coming by today. She hoped it wasn’t some pushy tourist who wanted to see the inside of the house. It was enough that they stood on Ambrose Court and took pictures.
“Looks like you’ve got company. You up for a visitor?”
“Maybe. Who is it?”
She peered at a woman. “I don’t know this lady. Wait, she’s waiting for someone on the passenger side.”
“A lady, huh?” He pushed himself up, a smile pulling. “I could use a little company. You bring her up, and I’ll put my dentures in and show her my biting humor. Get it? Biting.”
“Got it, and sorry I didn’t say it first.” She helped him out of bed, got him in his robe and slippers, and led him to the bathroom before heading down to the entryway. The closer she got to the leaded-glass front door, the better she could see the shapes of two women. Then she heard a loud bark, followed by a low growl. Guests and dogs?
She pulled the door open and did a double take at the sight of the Irish grandmother she’d known since childhood. She inched back as two dachshunds, one extremely stout and brown, the other tan and frisky, darted at the door.
“Oh, I wasn’t expectin’ you, lass!” Finola Kilcannon adjusted her bifocals as if to get a better look at Evie, while the other woman tugged on leashes to hold the dogs back. “We assumed a nurse would answer the door.”
“It’s me, and what a nice surprise.” Evie reached out to give the tiny woman a hug, adding a smile to her friend, another octogenarian, though one who’d obviously worked hard at looking younger.
Evie let one wave of decades-old emotion wash over her as she pressed Gramma Finnie to her heart. But that was all. Just one crashing wave, then she composed herself.
Over the past twenty years, Evie had trained herself not to react to any of the large Irish clan that Declan Mahoney called family. She’d long ago learned to hide her response whenever she’d see a Mahoney or Kilcannon and bury the need to ask about him. She was warm, but cloaked in the same steel armor she wore when she performed a life-or-death surgery on someone’s beloved pet. Not that she got to do many of those anymore.
“You look fantastic, Gramma Finnie,” she said and meant it. The little old lady might be a few years younger than the man in the bed upstairs, but she looked as spry and alert as Evie remembered.
“Oh, lass. I’m old, but the Jameson’s keeps my blood flowin’.” She patted her puff of white hair while her cornflower-blue gaze danced over Evie.
Evie tamped down an ancient memory of stolen Jameson’s that tickled her brain.
“And I don’t think we’ve met,” Evie said to the other woman, putting two and two together and coming up with…the Greek side of the Kilcannon family, added when Daniel Kilcannon remarried. “But I talk to Molly once in a while, so I’m guessing you are the great and powerful Yiayia.”
“I am Yiayia,” she said with unabashed pleasure and pride, shaking Evie’s hand. “And it is so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“You have?” Who’d be talking about her in that family? “And who are these darlings?”
“Pyggie and Gala.” Yiayia relaxed the leashes. “We hope your home is dog-friendly.”
“Anywhere I am is dog-friendly,” she said, bending over to greet the pups, getting a lick from the tan one and a look of pure skepticism from the darker one. He was certainly chunky enough to be called Piggy, although the name seemed a tad mean.
“Please, come in.” She invited them all into the entryway, and immediately Yiayia gasped.
“Holy cra…cow. It’s prettier on the inside, and that’s saying something.” Yiayia circled slowly, taking in the oversized two-story entry and wide red-carpeted staircase.
“Don’t dig too deep, because you’ll find a lot of things falling apart.” Evie walked to the stair rail and rocked the round newel to prove her point.
“A problem many of us grande dames deal with.” Yiayia let her head fall back to look up at the crystal chandelier. “My goodness. How do you clean that? Wait…no one does.”
“Agnes!” Gramma Finnie put her hand on the other woman’s arm. “This is the most beautiful home in Bitter Bark.”
“But not necessarily the cleanest,” Evie agreed, looking up at the hundreds of dangling pieces of crystal overhead. “There’s a way to lower that thing, but that’s above my pay grade.”
“Are these real?” Yiayia pointed to one of the antique brass lanterns on either side of the dining room entry.
“The oil lamps?” Evie nodded. “Obviously, we don’t use them for lighting anymore, but yes, they actually work. They’re all over the house.”
“What brings you home, lass?” Gramma Finnie asked, then her eyes popped. “Is Max worse? Havin’ trouble?”
“He has good days and bad, and yes, he’s part of the reason I’m here. I took a sabbatical this semester to keep him company and…” She lifted her hands in a way that gestured toward the house. “Help my parents figure out what needs to be done around here. Granddaddy’s having a difficult time maintaining everything.”
“So pleased you’ll keep Gloriana House in the family,” Gramma Finnie said.
“Oh, nothing is set in stone,” she said, purposely vague, since no one really knew what they’d do with the house once that sad day came. “So, how are you? How’s your family?”
“Everyone is fine.”
“Declan is really good,” Yiayia said quickly, making Evie blink in surprise.
“Oh, Agnes.” Gramma Finnie clucked and slid her arm around Evie’s. “I was just telling her on the way over here how you and Declan have the same birthday, only one year apart. Do you think I could see dear Max? Is he up for company today?”