He stayed there when they set the table, barely moving during the hour or so they lingered over dinner and more conversation, mostly chatting about the Founder’s Day event and how excited Granddaddy was for the party they’d have here that weekend.
By the time they’d finished, the glow in the room wasn’t just from the setting sun. Dinner had been perfect.
“I have an idea,” Declan said as they cleaned up together. “How about we take Judah for a slow walk? It’s probably his last one for a while.”
“That’s brilliant. Let me run up and see if Granddaddy’s awake, and I’ll let him know.”
But he was sound asleep, and a few minutes later, Evie grabbed a hoodie and met Declan and Judah in the driveway. “A walk through Ambrose Acres?” she suggested.
“He’s okay without a leash?”
“A leash would be miserable for him. Even a harness. This is Judah. He won’t leave our side.”
He took her hand, which felt like the most natural move in the world, and they started toward the street, taking it slow for the dog, who sidled up next to Declan. “So you do still love me,” he said, rubbing Judah’s head.
“You talking to him or me?” Evie teased.
He gave a slow smile and slid a look sideways. “I already know the answer to that, E.”
She laughed, so grateful they could fall back into easy jokes and the comfort of a lifetime of friendship.
“Hey, I know we missed a few, but how about a two-decade-long round of the Birthday Game?” she suggested.
“Wow, that’s a blast from the past.”
“A fun one,” she said. “I’ll start. Best movie?”
“In the last twenty years?” He narrowed his eyes, thinking. “Well, I did think of you when Lord of the Rings came out. We’d have liked watching any of those together, and I remember you devoured the books.”
“Loved them,” she agreed. “I took you for an Avatar or Skyfall guy.”
“Oh, Skyfall. Close second. And you probably would vote for…”
“Don’t guess, it’s Marley & Me although…” She pressed her hand to her heart. “Water for Elephants. So good.”
He laughed softly. “Animal movies, of course. Greatest personal accomplishment?” he asked, falling into step as easily as they fell into their old game.
“I guess earning the department head job,” she said. “Although, like I told you, that’s a blessing and a curse. You?”
He thought about it, then shrugged. “The family,” he said softly. “Making sure Smella made it to thirty without falling off a cliff in some country we’ve never heard of.”
“Smella.” She sighed. “I can’t believe you still call her that.”
“Please, they call me Big D.”
She chuckled. “Well, I would love to see Ella again.”
“Drop by her store, or better yet, come to Waterford Farm on any Sunday.”
“So Sunday dinners still happen every week? It didn’t change after your aunt Annie died?”
“It changed, yeah, but it’s never ended. And now Uncle Daniel is happy again and we have the Santorini Greeks, who bring food. Alex is a world-class chef, and John owns a restaurant. So that’s a huge improvement over my uncle’s cooking.” He tugged her closer. “Plus, all the siblings and cousins are adults now, so the touch football game gets serious. Most of them are married, and there are scads of little Kilcannons running around. You could see more of your new pal, Danny.”
“Oh.” She let out a groan. “That kid is so stinking cute.”
“They all are,” he told her. “But I do get a kick out of that one. He’s a freaking holy terror. And if you think he’s cute, wait until you meet Shane’s little girl, Annabelle. She’ll steal your heart. And Liam has two kids.”
“Molly told me. Christian and…Fiona?”
“Wee Fee, we call her. You should come on Sunday,” he said. “I’ve got the whole day off.”
“Oh, I don’t know.”
He slowed his step. “It’s my family, isn’t it? You’re worried about seeing them.”
Of course he knew the truth. “Not worried, but…” She sighed, stopping while Judah marked a tree. “I don’t plan to avoid them, and I have seen them now and again. But not…your mom.”
He drew back. “You’re scared of my mother?”
“Not scared, but…” She blew out a breath. “I’ve never really talked to her since your dad’s funeral.”
“Well, it’s time you do,” he said. “And spoiler alert, Colleen Mahoney is pretty much the sweetest, most nonjudgmental person you’ll ever meet.”
“I know that.”
“So you’ll come?” he asked.
“We’ll see. It all depends on Judah.” She gave him a little nudge. “Back to the game. Whose turn is it?”
“Mine,” he said. “Worst moment?”
“You know what it was, and it was the same for you. Let’s skip that year,” she suggested. “In fact, let’s limit our worst moment to the last ten years. How about that?”
“Fine, but there are too many to pick just one.”
“Cheery.”
He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Ask my family. The D in Big D might stand for Drag. What was yours?”
She hesitated for only a few moments, then went with the truth. “When you left your uncle’s vet office after Rusty’s surgery.”
He sighed. “Yeah. Bad move.”
“It’s okay.” She squeezed his hand. “We don’t have to rehash the past.”
He shot her a look. “I thought that was the whole idea of the Birthday Game.”
“How about your biggest disappointment?” She squished her nose after she said that. “Gah. Why am I focused on the negative things?”
“Because that’s when you find out the real truth,” he said. “And mine was when I walked into Molly’s wedding and…”
“I wasn’t there,” she finished. “I heard it was beautiful and wintry and full of dogs.”
“All of the above. Were you busy?”
She looked up at him. “I made up an excuse because I couldn’t bear to see you and not…”
He grunted and dropped his head back like he’d been smacked. “So many missed opportunities. So much
