She suddenly became extra invested in something her fingers were doing.

Gramma?

Oh, all right. I dropped it off the pier.

Excuse me?

I needed something to throw at a seagull that had taken one of my st.i.tch markers.

Hank shook his head. Sometimes he thought it would be easier talking to a three-year-old than Maureen, even though her faculties were still sharp as her pointy needles.

The pot had almost a full cup of coffee in it now, and he poured it into his mug. He couldnt wait any longer for it. He needed it.

So, Gramma, whats up this morning? Besides knowing more about my life than I do, apparently.

I need to tell you not to see that girl anymore.

Hank blinked. Samantha?

Who else are you seeing, Madonna?

Someday hed introduce her to a current pop artist. I appreciate your concern.

But I should b.u.t.t out. Maureen clicked her needles and her fingers were moving so fast he could barely tell what she was doing. I hear you. But Im not concerned with what you think about this one.

You never are.

Maureen pressed the tip of a needle to her chest and took a breath that would inflate a blimp. You wound my heart when you say that. Right here is where I feel it. In the middle of the night, all I can think about is my grandson and his happiness. What did I do to deserve" She reminded Hank of an opera singer, her chest heaving with emotion.

Before you get all wound up like that, can you please do a man a favor and get to the point?

Maureen deflated and cheered up. Okay. Look. That girls no good. Never has been. There. I want great-grandkids someday and I dont want a junkie to give birth to some meth-addled crackbaby.

What?

You know what I mean. Dump her. You cant trust a girl like her. And Eva says theres a new waitress at Mabels, and shes just the kind of girl you like, all skinny and blond.

I like a brunette with curves. Samantha had perfect curves, made for speed.

You do not.

Thats like telling me I dont like pickles.

But you do like pickles. You love them!

I know. But if you told me I didnt like them, it wouldnt make me like them less. And theres nothing wrong with Samantha Rowe.

Shes not good enough for you.

Actually, it was just the opposite. Samantha Rowe was way too good for a guy like him.

Hank waited. There would be more. There always was. He watched as Maureen thought"he could almost see the wheels turning inside her head. Gradually, her face dropped, her eyes getting bigger and wetter. Her mouth sagged into sadness, and her lower lip wobbled. Man. His grandmother was good.

Her voice trembled as she said, Its just that Im not getting any younger, my darling. I dont expect to be around for my next birthday"

Are you dying currently? Because your birthday is in three weeks, Hank pointed out helpfully.

I know that, snapped Maureen, breaking character. Look. Is it so terrible if I want my future great-grandchildren to be healthy and happy?

How about your current grandson? Do you care about him?

You know youre my life.

It wasnt true. Her life was her knitting and the bridge club that was more like a sorority and her three cats and about a million charity projects. I love you, too.

Will you dump her for me? Maureen batted her eyelashes, and Hank noticed something different about them. Something odd.

Are you wearing fake eyelashes? He leaned closer. Is that glitter?

Oh, honey! Yes! Dont you love them? She batted again and one of the eyelashes fell a bit sideways. Now it looked as if she had a glittery caterpillar flapping from her eyelid, but the old bird was carrying it off somehow.

Caught by the sudden thought that someday, and probably not that very many years from now, Maureen wouldnt be around to bother him, to ring his doorbell too early, to complain about his life choices, to make him drink tea that he hated, to bug him about taking his vitamins"Hanks heart constricted painfully. Gramma. He held out his hand.

She immediately dropped the end of her knitting needle and tucked her hand in his.

It was colder than he would have thought. Dry, and small. The hand that had given him so much. I love you, old woman. You know that, right?

She squinted in suspicion and the eyelash flapped wildly. Are you moving to Mexico?

He gave a shout of laugher and released her hand. Do you have my brain tapped? Is that it? Im not going anywhere. Not without you, anyway.

Good. Because if we go anywhere, Id rather go somewhere I can speak the language. Boca Raton. She jabbed a st.i.tch with her needle. And shes not coming with us.

Has anyone ever told you youre stubborn and closed-minded?

She smiled beatifically. Thank you. I love you, too, you big ridiculous child.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

THREE WEEKS LATER, Samantha finally agreed to meet her sister for a juice.

A juice.

If youd told Samantha when she was twenty-five that shed ever make a date to meet Grace for a drink that didnt include alcohol, she would have fallen right off her barstool.

But Juice Blaster was the newest venture in town, and Grace had apparently already made best friends with the woman who owned it.

Yay! You came! Grace got off the seat that actually did resemble many a barstool Samantha had occupied during her drinking life. I was worried you wouldnt be able to handle the fumes.

Samanthas nose twitched. What is that?

Wheatgra.s.s. Grace eyes were bright with excitement. And guess what else? Roxie agreed to make a big batch of it for me every day in the morning, so my patients can have it before their acupuncture sessions. Here, I got you a shot, too.

The painful irony was that it was in a shot gla.s.s. Grace hadnt held a shooter in a long, long time, but the weight of the gla.s.s felt just right in her hand. One gulp?

I like to sip mine, but most people shoot it, yeah. Grace held up her own. To your health.

Samantha drank the bright green liquid.

Then she was pretty sure she was going to die.

Liquid health.

No, that was the worst thing that was ever in my mouth, and once I woke up in an alley with my mouth lying in a puddle of something I couldnt identify.

Samantha had been mostly kidding"the puddle had been rainwater"but Grace suddenly looked like she was going to cry. Thats awful.

Oh, honey, I was just teasing.

No. Grace set her barely-tasted wheatgra.s.s on the bar and sat back down on her stool. Thats where you where. In an alley. All those years when I couldnt find you"

Oh, sweetieI always made it home for Christmas Except for that one year you didnt. Grace looked up at the menu board, blinking rapidly. Im glad youre home.

Samantha shook her head, but she got it. She did. Im glad I am, too. She leaned her shoulder against her sisters and looked up at the towering menu. So what should I get?

The Green Giant is what I always get.

Does that really say kale and beets?

Its delicious. Refreshing. She puts just a touch of fresh lemon, and you wouldnt believe"

Is there anything with ice cream? Samantha asked with rising panic. She needed to get the wheatgra.s.s taste out of her mouth, ASAP. Her teeth felt like they were wearing sweaters made of mud.

Yes, but thats not why were here.

Samantha smiled at Grace and said, Im here for sugar. If theres a sugar option, Im taking it. You should know that by now.

Fine. But get a booster, would you?

Once theyd slid the straws into their huge drinks and opened the bag that held gluten-free chocolate-chip cookies, Samantha waited for Grace to ask.

So, her sister said. Hows the apartment? Now that its really cold, are those windows thick enough? Or are they letting in the draft like I thought they would? Because Ive had this window guy coming in to see me, and hes super nice, and if you need to ask Johannes for better insulation, Ill help you do it.

Samantha stared at her. Youre not going to ask me about Hank?

Grace gave her an innocent look. What about him?

How the training is going?

Okay. Hows it going?

The training was amazing. Hank and she hadnt said a single word about the kiss in the car"theyd just worked. For three weeks now, Hank had been training with her every day he had off from the fire department. He was a natural. His physicality seemed to be an extension of his intelligence"she told him one thing, and he remembered it, incorporating what she said into the maneuver they were working on. After four sessions, she deemed him ready to shadow Wally Atkins, her other attacker, and in three of those training sessions, Hank was almost better than Wally was. He was quick, light on his feet, but he was absolutely committed to bringing his full body weight to bear when needed.

In their last session, Wally had to leave early, leaving Hank and Samantha to finish their work. Hank had taken her to the ground, almost pinning her. Samantha had been startled, then pleased he was doing so well. He was on top of her, and something had shifted. Something different and darker. Hotter. The feel of his body wasnt something she was fighting against, it was something she wanted. Again. For one heart-stopping moment, she laid under him and wondered what he would do if she took off his mask and arched up to kiss him.

Then shed twisted her way out and had brought her foot down on top of his padded headgear in an attacker-stopping blow.

Its great, she said to her sister.

Is he going to be able to work with your next cla.s.s?

It started on Monday, her new group of eight women. I think so. Wally can make most of the sessions, and Hank will be there for as many as he can, too, but there are a couple of times when its just going to be Hank. I think hes going to do just fine.

Thats awesome. Her sister sucked up something just as green as the wheatgra.s.s had been. Hows your smoothie?

Ive never been so grateful for ice cream in my whole life. Why wasnt her sister digging for info on Hank? I kissed him.

I know, said Grace equanimously.

Excuse me?

You know Darling Bay. If one person sees you necking in a Mustang, then its common knowledge at Mabels in the morning. I heard the next day.

That was three weeks ago. You spent three weeks hiding this knowledge from me?

Me? squeaked Grace. Youre the one who hid it! You didnt tell me, so I didnt ask. I figured if you wanted to give your old boyfriend a blast from the past, it was none of my business.

Samantha stared. Who are you?

Grace looked down. Ive been trying.

Theyd gone rounds and rounds over the years. For long years, Grace had been the one to pick Samantha back up after the inevitable crash-landing, and shed gotten in the habit. Samantha had made it crystal clear that she didnt need her older sister picking up after her any more. Her life was hers, to screw up or to fix, and shed asked Grace to back off and let her fly with her own wings.

Grace had done a great job at letting go, and Samantha knew it hadnt been easy on her.

I guess Samantha started.

Grace kept her eyes down, focused on the straw she was bending back and forth. Yeah?

Maybe you could pry a little.

Exhaling loudly, Grace moved her smoothie and thumped her body forward onto the table. Thank goodness. Ive been dying. Do you know how much Ive been dying over this? Not asking you? Are you kidding me? Oh, man. I did good. Give me a sip of that ice cream thingie.