“Hey, I used to be Aunt Evie when you were a little bitty girl.”
“I remember,” she said, brushing back a lock of hair. “You used to play peekaboo with me. You’d say, ‘Pru, where does the doctor play peekaboo?’”
“In the I-C-U!” Evie answered with a hearty laugh.
“That sounds like Evie,” Molly joked. “The TA who could make a whole class groan at her animal puns.”
Danny had reached the dog with more cries of “Mmmbah!” but Yiayia marched right up to Declan.
“My oh my, look who’s here.”
Declan nodded. “Nice to see you, too, Yiayia.”
“Careful with that dog,” Molly exclaimed, pulling everyone’s attention to Danny as he zeroed in on Judah, who barked and backed up.
Molly scooped the child up before he could get his hands on Judah. But the surprise threw the dog off a little, and he lifted his head and howled.
“Upstairs?” Declan asked Evie.
“Good idea. You can take him up the back stairs to Granddaddy’s room. Molly and I will come up and do the exam there in a minute.”
He nodded, leading the dog around to the back of the house.
“I’m afraid we caused a wee bit of chaos, lass.” Gramma Finnie patted Evie’s arm as she walked them to the front door.
“I like a little chaos,” Evie said. “We could use some around here.”
“And I really wanted to see the house,” Pru added. “I heard it’s totally sick inside. Can I see the museum room?”
“Of course.” Evie opened the front door and gestured for them all to go first. “You can see the whole house.”
Inside, Molly put Danny down, and instantly, he beelined for the stairs.
“Whoa, kiddo. No you don’t.” She launched after him, airlifting him seconds before he got to the first step. “He’s unstoppable,” she said on an exasperated laugh.
“He’s gorgeous.” Evie reached for the chunky baby boy with dark eyes and a shock of nearly black, Einstein-wild hair. “And he’s a clone of Trace.”
“Seriously, I just carried him,” Molly quipped as she handed him over. “This kid is pure Bancroft, there but for the tattoos he’ll probably get when he’s twelve.”
“Little Daniel Bancroft, do you want to play peekaboo?” Evie bopped his nose as he settled onto her hip in a way that felt insanely natural.
He gurgled in her face, giving a two-toothed smile and tugging at her hair.
“Oh, he’s a lover,” Evie cooed, easing her hair out of his hand right before it got tasted.
“And a drooler,” Pru warned.
“Well, I adore a man who drools over me,” she joked in a baby-talk voice. “Especially one this handsome.”
“Can I show Pru the museum room?” Yiayia asked as they gathered around the baby.
Boy, they were eager to get in there. “Oh, yes. Be sure to look on the coffee table for a stunning locket that I discovered hidden in that newel.” She pointed to the carved ball that now sat a little straighter and more securely on the stair rail. “Well, Declan discovered it.”
A couple of meaningful looks passed between Yiayia and Gramma Finnie, and even Molly raised a brow.
“What was he doing looking in the banister?” Yiayia asked a little breathlessly.
“He was fixing it,” Evie explained when yet another incredibly unsubtle look bounced between the older women. “He’s helping with some maintenance and repairs in exchange for my help with Judah.”
“Well, that’s very nice,” Gramma Finnie said. “He’s such a thoughtful lad.”
“And so handsome and responsible,” Yiayia added with a smile.
Evie was half tempted to shoot back, No kidding, and how ’bout those shoulders? But she just rocked the baby on her hip and smiled at them.
“Now, can we…” Yiayia tipped her head in the direction of the museum room.
“Yiayia hasn’t stopped talking about that room,” Pru said.
“You guys go explore.” Molly put her arm around Evie’s back. “Evie and I will get this exam done. Upstairs?”
“Oh, do you want me to take Danny so you two can concentrate on the dog?” Pru asked, reaching for her little brother.
Evie inched back with a playful warning look. “You will not take this bundle from my arms and expect to live.”
Pru cracked up. “Okay, but he does get heavy.”
“Unless you think he’ll go crazy when he sees Judah?” Evie said to Molly.
“He’s calm now,” she answered. “And you look, whoa, happy.”
“Any day now, Prudence,” Yiayia called.
“Coming.” She blew her brother a kiss. “Be good, Dan the Man.” She took off with the grandmas, leaving Molly and Evie with the baby.
“She’s incredible, Molly,” Evie said, looking after the coltish teen, whose black hair swung like a pendulum as she left. “Beautiful and sweet.”
“She gets better every year,” Molly agreed. “I’d say she’s the light of my life, then along came her father and brother. Now my life is so much…brighter.”
A twinge of something that might be considered envy tapped at Evie’s heart. Not that Molly didn’t deserve every happiness, but wow. She had every happiness.
“I can see why. And, uh, Yiayia’s quite the character, isn’t she?” Evie added on a whisper.
“You have no idea.” Molly gave an exaggerated eye roll.
“I think I do.” She laughed and stroked Danny’s sweet little cheek. “Look up the word sledgehammer, and there she is, ready to smash.”
Molly laughed. “Subtlety is not her strong suit.”
“Ya think?”
“I guess you’ve figured out they’re matchmakers.”
“Not much figuring out involved. Yiayia mentioned Declan before she said hello to me.”
Molly laughed. “It’s kind of hard not to have the whole family rooting for you and Dec, Evie. You’ve known each other forever. Aunt Colleen said she always thought you two would get married.”
Declan’s mother thought that? “The whole family?” she whispered playfully to the baby. “Even you, little man?”
He replied with another drool-filled giggle, then dropped his head onto her shoulder and stuck his thumb in his mouth, his fine hair tickling Evie’s jaw.
“Oh!” she exclaimed as they started up the stairs. “My poor heart.”
“Your poor ovaries,” Molly volleyed back. “My sister-in-law Beck is four months pregnant and totally blames Danny and my nieces, baby Annabelle and Fiona. We’re pretty sure Darcy, Cassie, and Grace are hard at work on the next Kilcannon-Mahoney baby boom.”
A Mahoney baby boom. Something slipped inside Evie’s chest. Something that had been slipping around an awful lot lately.
“You sure look like a natural with him,” Molly whispered with a jab of her elbow. “You know it’s not too late for you. You and someone…right out there in the garage.”
“Ouch. That sledgehammer hurts, Yiayia Jr.”
“Come on, Evie. It’s so nice to see you and Declan together again.”
“We’re not together. He’s fixing my warped windows…” She narrowed her eyes. “Which is not a euphemism for what you’re thinking. So, can we talk about the MRIs I emailed you, Dr. Bancroft?”
“Only because that topic is easier for you, and you’re holding my baby.”
“Much easier, and don’t worry, I won’t drop him.”
Molly smiled. “Okay, yes, I did get the images, and is it wrong to be excited about standing next to you while you perform a ventral slot? Because this is probably a career highlight for little old small-town vet me.”
On far more comfortable turf now, Evie shared the surgery plan, with Molly asking all the right questions. By the time they reached Granddaddy’s room, Evie was certain she’d made the perfect decision asking for Molly’s assistance.
“Hey, Judah,” Molly whispered as they walked in quietly, both noticing that Granddaddy was sound asleep. “How you
feeling, buddy?”
Judah lifted his head from where it rested on Granddaddy’s arm.
“He looks comfortable,” Molly said. “Are you hanging with your pal, Judah?”
Evie stayed a few feet away with the baby, giving Molly a chance to establish herself with the dog who watched her warily.
“He’s protective,” Molly mused.
Danny’s head suddenly popped up from Evie’s shoulder. “Mmmbah! Mmmbah!”
The sound made Judah get right up on all fours, his gaze shifting to Danny with one quick bark.
“Not all dogs are named Meatball,” Molly told Danny.
Evie laughed. “How do you get Meatball from that?”
“I speak Danny.”
“Mmmbah!” He hit a higher, louder note, his hand outstretched to the dog, who immediately forgot Granddaddy. Judah took a few steps to the edge of the bed, tail flipping excitedly.
Granddaddy stirred at the disruption, then slowly opened his eyes, bringing them to focus on Evie and Danny. “Did I die and go to heaven?”
The dog reacted by putting his head back and letting out a monstrous howl, making Danny shriek in response.
“I couldn’t agree more!” Granddaddy exclaimed. “Our prayers have been answered.”
“Granddaddy, don’t get Judah excited,” Evie said with a light warning in her voice. “It can hurt him to move that way. You remember my friend from vet school, Molly? And this is her little boy, Danny.”
“Hi, Mr. Hewitt,” Molly said cheerfully.
But disappointment registered on every crinkled feature of his face. “Not yours?” he asked Evie.
“Nope. Did not go out and buy a baby while you napped. Sorry.” She came a little closer to the bed while Judah stared at Danny with wonder and maybe a little uncertainty, then started to sniff his tiny sneaker.
“Let him smell you, Danny,” Molly said. “Like all new dogs.”
As the dog came a little bit closer, Danny’s little fists grabbed at Evie’s T-shirt, and his eyes widened in trepidation. “Mmmbah.”
“This doggy is Judah,” Evie said, vaguely aware she was rocking side to side to keep Danny calm. “Molly’s going to help me in surgery with Judah,” Evie reminded her grandfather. “So she needs to do a quick exam on him again.”
He nodded, unconcerned about the dog, riveted on the baby. “He looks good on you, Evie.”
She laughed. “He’s not the latest accessory, Granddaddy, but I cannot tell a lie. He feels good, too.”
Molly guided the dog to the other side of the big bed where she could look at him, starting the exam with a gentle hand on Judah’s back.
While she did that, Evie bounced the baby and moved closer to her grandfather. “This is Granddaddy Max. Can you say Max, Danny?”
“Maaaaa.”
Her grandfather laughed and clapped his hands. “Oh, this one does my heart good.”
Molly smiled at the exchange, but her concentration was clearly on Judah’s spine. “We had a Great Dane with Wobblers come in a few months ago,” she said. “Didn’t need surgery, but acupuncture worked really well, along with laser therapy, but as usual, we had to bring physical therapists in from Asheville and Charlotte.”
“There’s no PT here?”
“Oh, there is at the college, but they’re booked solid. They’re available for their vet patients, so Judah will get one for post-op, but the regular old vets?” She shrugged. “Really hard for us to get access to a lot of services.”
“No mobile services?”
“I wish.” She eased Judah’s snout up to look into his eyes. “And you can forget a neurologist. I can never find one within twenty miles for referrals.”
“Well, I’m here until after the holidays. Call me.”
She looked up from Judah. “Seriously? Because I have a seven-year-old Lab with epilepsy, and he is not responding to meds.”
“I can look at him this week.”
“Oh, you’re a godsend, Evie. Now, look at me, big fella.”
While Molly continued checking out the dog, Danny shifted his attention to Granddaddy, reaching out a stubby finger to point at him.
Granddaddy playfully snatched it. “I gotcha!”
Danny giggled and tried to free his finger, but Granddaddy held on. “Might have to take a bite,” he sang playfully, snapping at his finger. “Whoops. No teeth.”
“Got…got…ga-ga-ga.”
“He’s trying to say ‘gotcha,’” Evie exclaimed.
“He’s got a brain under that mop,” Granddaddy teased as his old watery gaze shifted to Evie, his look so full of abject longing she almost laughed. But it wasn’t funny. She knew what he wanted, knew he ached for it, probably as much as she did.
“Granddaddy,” she whispered in warning.
“What? I was going to say you look so much like my Penny right now.” He gave her a big old toothless grin. “Could be her holding your father. He had a bunch of dark hair, too.” He sighed noisily, the grin fading. “Ah, Evangeline.”
“Please,” she said softly, fighting the rush of emotions and praying he didn’t go on a baby tirade right then.
“Okay, I’m officially done,” Molly said, looking from one to the other.
“That was fast,” Max said.
Because Molly was helping her out of an awkward moment like the true friend she was.
“Molly’s already examined him at her office,” Evie said.
“Yep, this is just for paperwork,” Molly agreed. “Judah is all yours again, Mr. Hewitt. You can rest.”
He reached his hand out to Danny’s sneaker, giving it a playful tap. “I know what I’ll be dreaming about…”
“Say bye-bye,” Molly told Danny. “Can you say bye-bye?”
“Ba ba ba ba!” he complied, making them laugh as Molly and Evie headed back into the hall.
“No pressure or anything, right?” Molly whispered. “Sorry if Danny made things worse for you.”
“Worse?” She shifted him in her arms because he was getting heavy, but the last thing she wanted to do was give him up. “The only thing Danny did was, you know…” She pointed down and made her fingers explode. “Ovaries have detonated.”
“Oh, Evie.”
“Hey, you sound like him now.” She tipped her head in the direction of her grandfather’s room. “‘The family tree is dying, Evangeline,’” she said, imitating his gruff voice.
“And that makes you feel…”
“Like I’m disappointing him,” Evie confessed, then slowed as they stood outside one of the guest rooms. “And myself,” she added softly, grateful to be able to confide in a trusted friend.
“I know you wanted a baby, Evie,” Molly whispered. “I remember when you went the academic route because you thought it would be better for your schedule and the possibility of getting pregnant.”
“But donor insemination was a bust, as you know. Not to mention I’m forty now.”
“Not too old, and you said you passed all the tests.”
“With flying…eggs.”
“Anyway, you could still adopt,” Molly said.
“It’s more complicated and scarier than adopting a pet.” She stroked Danny’s cheek and leaned in. “And to make matters worse, my grandfather actually suggested to Declan that he…” She lifted her brows. “Help me.”
Molly’s eyes popped. “Like…impregnate you?”
“Like DI, only no pesky pipette. I assume.”
“Evie, that’s…extreme.”
“No kidding. I actually think your grandmother suggested it to him when she was here.”
Molly shook her head. “Doubtful. We talked about her conversation with him on the way over here, and she didn’t mention a baby. She said they talked about the things that usually come before that, like man-on-one-knee followed by something old, something new…”
“Well, Granddaddy heard something that cries and eventually goes to college. At least that’s what he mentioned to Declan.”
Molly search
ed her face, thinking and, Evie could tell, considering the possibility. Didn’t anyone realize that wasn’t something to casually do?
“It’s…not the worst idea in the world,” Molly said, almost on cue.
“Molly!”
“What? You two are great friends.”
“We were.”
“He’s back in this house,” she said. “That’s huge, and you know it.”
“I do.”
“And you’re mature adults who could probably work something out. It wouldn’t be like, you know, medical. It would be…”
Sexual. Evie felt her color rise.
“Fun,” Molly finished with a laugh. “Of course, maybe you shouldn’t take advice from a woman who got pregnant in the back of her mother’s dog van at nineteen.”
“Is that why Trace bought the van?” She almost choked, but then a burst of laughter rang out from the museum room.
“The grannies and Pru.” Molly rolled her eyes. “I swear they’re like a clique of eighth-grade girls.”
“Come on, let’s go see what’s so funny.” She gave Molly’s arm a squeeze. “And thanks for the help up there.”
Molly winked. “Anytime. And were you serious about seeing patients this week?”
“Absolutely.”
They headed into the museum room, and all the smiles immediately disappeared, and Evie felt very much like she had walked in on…something.
“This room is so stinking cool,” Pru said suddenly. “So much history!”
“Did you see the new necklace?” Evie asked. “There are pictures of Evangeline and Gloriana Bushrod as babies.”
They spent the next few minutes looking at some treasures, while Danny got comfy in Evie’s arms again. She told them some of the stories and recited the litany of generations of Gloriana House, a tumult of family pride spilling over as she shared the names and some life highlights with the same enthusiasm Granddaddy did when he told the stories.
“Your family is like something out of a Jane Austen novel,” Pru cooed.
“They were, once.” Evie rested her cheek on the baby’s head, letting her eyes close as more emotion caught hold of her throat.
“I’d love to hear someone play that piano,” Yiayia said, pointing to the Krakauer.
“I’m sure it’s wretchedly out of tune,” Evie said.
“So?” Yiayia lifted a shoulder. “You should still play.”
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