Frankie stepped on the blankets and circled over and over before curling into a ball. Kurt stripped off his clothes, flicked off the light, and collapsed into bed. He was tired enough to begin drifting off right away. Thoughts of Mr. Longtail pulled him awake. He got out of bed and shut the bedroom door. The last he’d seen, Mr. Longtail was skulking in the garden, but the cat had a habit of joining him halfway through the night.
Yesterday, he’d found Mr. Longtail in Frankie’s room. The cantankerous cat had jumped the stair gate. He’d been drinking out of Frankie’s water bowl while the gentle dog watched from his mats. Although Frankie hadn’t shown an ounce of aggression or territoriality toward the unusual cat, he might act differently if he felt he were guarding a sleeping human. It was best not to test it. Besides, Kurt could use one night without fighting Mr. Longtail to see who got more of the pillow.
Spent as he was, he drifted off immediately, but not before hearing Frankie’s contented sigh from the floor beside him.
Chapter 20
Kurt knew he was overdue for a visit with Sara even before his grandfather attempted to prod him into it. But with all the work that needed to be done, it was too easy to stick with a quick phone call most days. He’d visited her twice since the surgery, and she’d been to the house once as well.
So, he probably shouldn’t have been surprised when William walked over to him the day after their dinner with Ida and reached for the shovel Kurt had been using in his trench digging. “Your mother could use some company for lunch.” William nodded as he said it, as if the added confirmation was what Kurt needed. “With nothing more than me to keep her company, she’ll be getting soured on Crawfords for sure. And you could use a breath of air that doesn’t smell like dog or a pretty blond.” His gaze flicked to the other side of the yard where Kelsey was finishing work on the compost pile she was creating. “I can dig a trench,” William continued. “I’ll finish up. Adam and Eve’s paradise won’t suffer.”
Using the shovel, Kurt’s grandfather highlighted the trajectory of the curve Kurt had been cutting into the ground to bury a new downspout extension to replace the old, disintegrated one. The downspout was flooding out the dog runs every time it rained. “You want it dumping out over there, right?”
Kurt nodded, wiping his hands on the hips of his soiled jeans. William had made the Adam and Eve comment once before. Kurt didn’t find it particularly funny, and since as his grandfather had next to no sense of humor, Kurt suspected he didn’t either. “I’ll go if you’ll sit down for lunch with Kelsey. Ten minutes, minimum.”
Kurt knew it wasn’t that his grandfather didn’t like Kelsey. There wasn’t anything about her not to like. He suspected their lack of communication to date was because William’s conversation skills were highly inadequate, especially when it came to conversing with women.
“I hardly ever take lunch,” William said, trading places with Kurt in front of the trench and beginning to dig.
“I’d like it if you got to know her. Since you’re here and it’s nothing but convenient, I’m hoping it won’t put you out.” Kurt hadn’t asked anything close to this in twenty-eight years. He suspected the significance wasn’t lost.
William sank the shovel just as deeply into the earth as Kurt had. “If it’s important to you.”
Kurt thanked him and headed inside. He showered and yanked on a fresh set of clothes. He was zipping on a clean hoodie when he noticed that Kelsey was in the kitchen. She was kneeling on the floor as she attempted to brush Mr. Longtail. The cat seemed to be putting up with it, though his lengthy tail twitched determinedly every few seconds.
“That’s brave of you. Let’s hope he’s up to date on shots.” Kurt hovered in the doorway, watching.
“I’m keeping an eye out for flashing teeth, that’s for sure. But his long fur has gotten so nappy the last few months that it needs to be done. I guess it isn’t surprising, considering the amount of time he spends outside.”
“Why don’t you put it off for later and I’ll help you?” Kurt crossed the floor and pressed his lips against her temple.
“When you’re free, there’re more important items on the to-do list.” She blushed as soon as she said it. Kurt suspected she was remembering those few minutes in the kitchen yesterday afternoon. “That’s not what I meant,” she said, shaking her head as she picked up on his smile.
“But it’s true.” He knelt, resting his elbows on his thighs, and leaned in to kiss her for real. “Unfortunately, I’ve got to run,” he said, pulling away before his arousal took hold. “I promised my grandfather I’d bring my mom some lunch. To hear him tell it, she’s William-Crawforded out.”
“Is she? Maybe he talked her ear off.”
Kurt chuckled. “Speaking of which, don’t be surprised if he accepts when you offer him lunch today.”
“What if he does? Without you here, it would be like scraping nails to come up with something more to say than ‘nice weather, eh?’”
“You’ll think of something.” He placed a hand confidently on Mr. Longtail’s belly and slid him close to rub underneath his chin. “You won me over fine.”
Kelsey pressed her lips tightly together, failing to subdue her smile. “That’s nice to hear.”
“I won’t be long. Text me if things get hairy.”
He took off, knowing it was terrible that he was more excited about the half hour he’d spend in his Mustang picking up lunch and driving to visit his mother than he was to spend the hour with her. Nana was gone. His mother and grandfather were his family. He needed to embrace them.
Kurt called, took his mother’s lunch order, and promised himself he was going to do his best to let his