Gert sat at the table. “Happy Birthday,” he said, and handed her the gift.
“My, my,” the old woman murmured, reaching out to envelop the child against her. “This is too pretty to open.”
“I wrapped it myself,” he told her, with a shy look at Dustin. “My daddy helped a little.”
“Not much,” Dustin confessed, staying by the door. Kate wasn’t there, but her mother was eyeing him as if he’d come to steal the silver. “I’m not very good at wrapping.”
“Come sit down,” Gert said. “Pull out a chair. Are you hungry?”
“No, ma’am, we ate already.”
Martha rose and began to clear the table of the dirty dishes. “We have plenty of pizza left. And there’s lots of cake, too.” She surprised him by smiling at the boy. “I’ll bet I could interest you in a piece of cake.” Danny looked toward him for permission.
“Sure, go ahead,” Dustin said, relaxing now that there was no sign of Kate.
“Coffee?” Martha McIntosh asked. “I was just going to make a pot. Decaf, though,” she added.
“Thank you, but don’t go to any—”
Gert waved her hand at him. “No one’s going to any trouble, Dustin. My daughter’s afraid I drank too much beer, so she’s bound and determined to pour coffee in me.” She winked at Dustin. “Isn’t that right, Martha?”
“My mom drank too much beer,” Danny said. “The policeman said—”
“Danny,” Dustin interrupted, giving the boy a look he hoped would stop him from saying anything further.
“Well, she did,” the boy said, lifting his chin as if daring Dustin to argue with the truth. “ Lots of times.”
“Let’s see what’s in this pretty package,” Gert said, diverting the child from any more revelations. “How did you know I like pink?” He shrugged. Gert lifted the package to her nose. “Ooh-wee, this smells good.”
“Roses,” the boy announced.
“Roses? Well, how nice. I’d better open it up.” She untied the bow and the tissue paper fell apart to reveal three bars of pink soap. Until Danny had spotted those in a Marysville gift shop, Dustin had had no idea that soap could be so expensive. Still,it wasn’t much of a gift, not after what Gert had done for them. But Danny had insisted—the rose soaps or nothing.
“Do you like it?” Danny leaned over and helped move the tissue away so Gert could see the soaps, individually tied with pink satin ribbons.
“My, my, how beautiful. And these are too pretty to use,” she declared. “But I think I will anyway, first thing tomorrow morning when I take my shower.” She gave him a big hug and kissed his cheek. “Thank you so much, Danny.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And you, too, Dustin,” Gert said. “Thank you.”
He opened his mouth to tell her it was nothing, but the kitchen door opened and he had to move out of the way or get hit with a load of shopping bags.
“Here,” he said, reaching to take them out of Kate’s arms. He should have known she would still be around somewhere. He couldn’t be that lucky. “Let me take those.”
“I’ve got them,” she insisted, refusing to relax her grip on the bags she held in front of her like a shield. “If I let go of one I might let go of all three of them.”
He backed off, but he didn’t like doing it.
“Sit down, Dustin,” Gert said. “You don’t needto hover by the door like that. We’ve plenty of room around the table.”
“Here, Daddy,” the boy said, pointing to two empty chairs beside each other around the old oval table. “You sit here and I’ll sit here.”
He’d look like a fool if he refused, but he watched Kate navigate toward her grandmother and set the bags at her feet.
“There.” She smiled down at Danny. “I’ll bet you came over to have more cake.”
“And to give me a present,” Gert said, holding one of the soaps up. “Smell. Isn’t that nice?”
“Mmm,” she said. “Rose?”
“Yep,” his smitten son declared, staring up at Kate with an eager-to-please
“My, my,” the old woman murmured, reaching out to envelop the child against her. “This is too pretty to open.”
“I wrapped it myself,” he told her, with a shy look at Dustin. “My daddy helped a little.”
“Not much,” Dustin confessed, staying by the door. Kate wasn’t there, but her mother was eyeing him as if he’d come to steal the silver. “I’m not very good at wrapping.”
“Come sit down,” Gert said. “Pull out a chair. Are you hungry?”
“No, ma’am, we ate already.”
Martha rose and began to clear the table of the dirty dishes. “We have plenty of pizza left. And there’s lots of cake, too.” She surprised him by smiling at the boy. “I’ll bet I could interest you in a piece of cake.” Danny looked toward him for permission.
“Sure, go ahead,” Dustin said, relaxing now that there was no sign of Kate.
“Coffee?” Martha McIntosh asked. “I was just going to make a pot. Decaf, though,” she added.
“Thank you, but don’t go to any—”
Gert waved her hand at him. “No one’s going to any trouble, Dustin. My daughter’s afraid I drank too much beer, so she’s bound and determined to pour coffee in me.” She winked at Dustin. “Isn’t that right, Martha?”
“My mom drank too much beer,” Danny said. “The policeman said—”
“Danny,” Dustin interrupted, giving the boy a look he hoped would stop him from saying anything further.
“Well, she did,” the boy said, lifting his chin as if daring Dustin to argue with the truth. “ Lots of times.”
“Let’s see what’s in this pretty package,” Gert said, diverting the child from any more revelations. “How did you know I like pink?” He shrugged. Gert lifted the package to her nose. “Ooh-wee, this smells good.”
“Roses,” the boy announced.
“Roses? Well, how nice. I’d better open it up.” She untied the bow and the tissue paper fell apart to reveal three bars of pink soap. Until Danny had spotted those in a Marysville gift shop, Dustin had had no idea that soap could be so expensive. Still,it wasn’t much of a gift, not after what Gert had done for them. But Danny had insisted—the rose soaps or nothing.
“Do you like it?” Danny leaned over and helped move the tissue away so Gert could see the soaps, individually tied with pink satin ribbons.
“My, my, how beautiful. And these are too pretty to use,” she declared. “But I think I will anyway, first thing tomorrow morning when I take my shower.” She gave him a big hug and kissed his cheek. “Thank you so much, Danny.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And you, too, Dustin,” Gert said. “Thank you.”
He opened his mouth to tell her it was nothing, but the kitchen door opened and he had to move out of the way or get hit with a load of shopping bags.
“Here,” he said, reaching to take them out of Kate’s arms. He should have known she would still be around somewhere. He couldn’t be that lucky. “Let me take those.”
“I’ve got them,” she insisted, refusing to relax her grip on the bags she held in front of her like a shield. “If I let go of one I might let go of all three of them.”
He backed off, but he didn’t like doing it.
“Sit down, Dustin,” Gert said. “You don’t needto hover by the door like that. We’ve plenty of room around the table.”
“Here, Daddy,” the boy said, pointing to two empty chairs beside each other around the old oval table. “You sit here and I’ll sit here.”
He’d look like a fool if he refused, but he watched Kate navigate toward her grandmother and set the bags at her feet.
“There.” She smiled down at Danny. “I’ll bet you came over to have more cake.”
“And to give me a present,” Gert said, holding one of the soaps up. “Smell. Isn’t that nice?”
“Mmm,” she said. “Rose?”
“Yep,” his smitten son declared, staring up at Kate with an eager-to-please
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