“Nope, he’s new,” Nan stated cheerfully. “That just means we haven’t had the chance to train him.”
At that, Doreen snorted. “You say trained as if it’s so easy.”
“It is. We let him know what we’ll tolerate and what we won’t,” she declared. And then she gave Doreen a big grin. “Just relax, dear.”
She sighed and added, “I’m trying to.”
“I think this case with Mack getting shot really did you in, didn’t it?”
“It was a reminder that life doesn’t always go the way we’re hoping it goes.” She smiled at her grandmother. “I don’t ever want you or Mack to get hurt again.”
“You’re really starting to care for him, aren’t you?”
Doreen shrugged, knowing that she couldn’t hide that from her grandmother, and nodded. “Of course I care. I care about both of you. No, I’m not prepared to get into a discussion about my relationship with Mack,” she muttered.
“Don’t have to,” her grandmother replied comfortably. “It’s written all over your face.”
At that, she glared at her. “Better not be.”
“Well, it is. You’ve never been any good at subterfuge.”
She stared at her grandmother. “You know that my ex would say that I was really good at it,” she noted.
“Ah, but that’s when he was there with his hand ready to whack you across the face if you did something wrong,” she reminded her. “But the fact of the matter is, you don’t have that abuse in your life anymore, and now you’re almost a different person. I’m not upset about that at all.”
“Am I really that different?” she asked curiously. “I know Mack mentioned it once too, and I kind of wondered, you know? It seems like an odd thing, but …”
“I don’t know that it’s an odd thing at all,” Nan corrected. “The fact of the matter is, with all those chains no longer hanging on you and fear not being part of your psyche anymore,” she explained, “it does feel like you’re different, in a good way—freer, more open, happier. Definitely happier.”
Doreen smiled. “Of course I’m happier,” she muttered. “Without Mathew here to make my life miserable, it’s been a lot easier.”
“And that’s the way it should stay too,” Nan added, with a bright smile. “Now sit down. Let’s eat,” she murmured.
At that, Doreen pulled Mugs a little bit closer, he had been standing with his front paws up on the flower box, staring at where the gardener had been.
“It’s okay, Mugs. He’s gone now.”
Mugs woofed and raced around and greeted Nan, having ignored her until now.
“Oh goodness me,” Nan noted. “He was really focused on the gardener, wasn’t he?”
“Yes,” Doreen agreed. And, with that, she looked around for Goliath, but there was no sign of him. Worried, she stood up and poked her head around the corner, and, sure enough, there he was. The gardener was still gone, but Goliath stood watch. “It’s okay, Goliath. Come over here.”
He looked at her, his tail twitching, but he slowly meandered toward her.
“I do love that the animals come when called,” Nan stated.
“I don’t know about coming when they’re called.” Doreen laughed. “Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don’t. I think very much it’s a case of whether they approve of what I’m asking of them or not. They do what they want to do, when they want to do it.”
Nan just nodded. But Goliath popped up and walked across the flower box, until he came close to her, and she stopped and immediately petted him. “It’s such a joy to have these animals though,” Nan murmured. “I know that we’re not supposed to let them get away with stuff, but it’s hard not to, when they’re so special.”
Privately Doreen agreed with her grandmother. They were all one of the joys in her life, and, as long as it brought some smiles to her grandmother’s face, she was happy to bring the animals every time. As she sat down, she took a look at what Nan had put in front of her. “Was this dinner tonight?” she asked.
“It was,” Nan confirmed. “It’s Greek something or other.” She rolled her eyes at that. “They’re trying new things in the kitchen.”
“Trying new things isn’t bad,” Doreen replied. She looked at the little golden pastries that looked a bit oily. She asked, “What’s in them?”
“Spinach and cheese and things.” Nan gave a wave of her hand, as if trying to brush something away. “I call them spanks.”
At that, Doreen almost sputtered. “As in the women’s shapewear?” she asked.
Nan looked at her. “Good Lord, do women wear stuff like that? Are we talking about girdles?”
Doreen shrugged. “There’s a whole line, and I think they’re called that, just spelled differently. How did you mean it?”
“Can’t remember the word. Starts with spank and then something in the middle, before adding pita at the end of it,” she explained.
“Ah, spanakopita.” Doreen nodded, and she looked down with interest. “I haven’t had this in a long time.” Plus she saw skewers of meat and a large Greek salad. She rubbed her hands together. “This is lovely, thank you.” She served herself some salad and took one of the skewers, but first and foremost she picked up the spinach pie and took a bite. “Oh, my goodness,” she murmured, as the flaky, golden pastry filled her mouth. “That’s lovely.”
Nan looked at her and asked, “Is it good?”
She immediately nodded. “Yes, it’s really good.”
At that, Nan picked up hers, took a bite, and smiled. “Yep, that’s what I thought it was. And you’re right. They are good.”
After that, not a whole lot of talking happened while they ate. Even Mugs quietly sat here at attention, hoping for a piece to fall to him. Doreen caught Nan dropping little bits and pieces his way. She cast a glance her grandmother’s way and frowned.
Nan just looked guilty and then beamed. “We have to share with those we love,” she said, with that smile that was hard to argue with.
“Maybe,” Doreen agreed. In a more serious tone, she murmured, “We also can’t get him sick from eating such rich food.”
Nan looked down at the spinach pie and nodded. “I guess.” So she immediately took a chunk of meat off the skewer and dropped it on the patio floor.
“Nan,” Doreen cried out.
Nan shrugged. “I get to feed them too. Adds some joy in my life.”
Almost a pitiful tone overtook Nan’s voice, and Doreen frowned. “That sounds like an excuse.”
“Is it working?” Nan asked, looking at her under her lowered lashes.
Doreen sighed. “It’s hard to argue with you at any time,” she murmured.
Nan chuckled. “That’s because you know you love me.”
“I do, indeed,” she stated. “However, if we want to keep the animals healthy, we do have to put some care into their diet too.”
Nan frowned at that, but she didn’t give any more chunks of anything to Mugs. Much to his disgust.