“Yeah,” I said. “Yup. Coffee and muffins for you and Ev. FromFanaille.”
Henry leaned back in his chair slightly. “Ah! You see, Ev? Silas knows what proper food is. A man needs more than nuts and twigs to recover his health…ifhe’s in need of recovery, which I’mnot.”
“Uh huh. I’m taking notes here,” Ev said dryly. “Just so I understand, you’re in perfect health? The leg doesn’t bother you at all? Is that why you practically sobbed when Daphne brushed up against your cast this morning?” He folded his arms over his chest and returned his grandfather’sglare.
“Brushed up!” Henry scoffed. “Thatcreaturerubbed herselfagainst me like I was her personal scratching post. I was…annoyed.”
“You were crying out of annoyance.” Ev nodded. “Isee.”
“That’s not… I wasn’tcrying, Everett.” Henry looked at me for help, but it was far too entertaining to watch them baiting each other. As far as I could tell, they were as opposite as two men could be, while somehow managing to be exactly the same, from their eyes to their scowls. Even their posture exactly mirrored one another. “I was trying to hold in myanger.”
“By leaking water from your eyes.” Ev nodded again. “I’ve experienced this phenomenon myself. I call it…crying.”
His voice was dry as dust and I had to fight laughter once again. Ev wasn’t just hot and my attraction to him wasn’t just sexual. I liked the guy, more than I could remember liking anyone I also wanted to hook upwith.
“Silas, hand me a goddamn muffin,” Henry said, breaking thestandoff.
“Yes, sir,” I agreed, fetching the food for him mostly so I could hide mysmile.
After placing a coffee cup in front of each of them and setting the bakery bag in the middle of the table, I grabbed a broom to clean up the shards of pottery on thefloor.
“Oh. Thanks,” Ev said, sounding surprised. “My knee is mostly better this morning, but it still hurts when I bendit.”
“You can walk on it fine?” He nodded. “So, no need to go to the doctor,then?”
“God, no.” Ev shuddered. “Not unless I’m dying.” He swallowed. “Not eventhen.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “And what aboutDaphne?”
“What about her? I shut her in the bedroom when Grandpa started calling her Demon Cat.” He shot his grandfather aglare.
“Well, I was thinking…” I began, making this up as I went along. “You should probably get her checked out, just to make sure she’sokay.”
“You think?” Ev frowned. “But she seemsfine.”
But if she was fine, Ev would have no reason to take a scenic tour of O’Leary with me thismorning.
“I’m no vet,” I said. I dumped the broken shards of crockery in the trash bin next to the counter. “But Julian Ross – my friend Constantine’s older brother – is. His practice is literally across the street, so it wouldn’t be out of your way.” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder to show him. “You wouldn’t want to take anychances.”
Ev bit his lip and looked at his grandfather, then back at me. “I guess. But who’ll watchGrandpa?”
“Watch Grandpa?” Henry chortled around a bite of muffin. “I’ve been watching out for myself for seventy-eight long years, my lad, and you haven’t visited me for fifteen ofthem.”
“Roads run in both directions, youknow.”
“Not when you have a business to run,” Henry replied. “Besides, you’ll be starting school in a couple of days. You take care of your demon feline, and I’ll take care ofmyself.”
Ev stillhesitated.
“Ah, youth is wasted on the young,” Henry sighed mournfully. “You know, Everett, back in myday…”
Ev stood abruptly. “I think it’s a great idea,” he told me. “Let’s have your friend examine Daph. Just give me five minutes to bribe her to get back into thecarrier.”
“Great! Henry, if you want, I can help settle you in the living room before wego.”
“Check his pockets for more knives,” Ev said from the doorway, looking back at his grandfather with narrowed eyes. “Easy capitulation is never a goodthing.”
Henry hmphed. Then he removed a pocket knife from his robe and slapped it on the table with ascowl.
“Uh huh,” Ev nodded. “Figured.”
“Go summon your demon, Everett!” Hen sniffed, removing a second muffin from the bag. “Leave a lonely, old man to enjoy the few pleasures he has left.” He paused with the muffin in his hand and his gaze turned crafty. “And if you run into Diane Perkins while you’re out, you could mention that you’re planning to serve me fish anddirtfor dinner. Maybe she’ll have mercy onme.”
