"Affirmative," Will said. He shifted in his seat, and pulled a dial from his pocket. Wires hung from it like tentacles, and he tossed it to Riley. "Thermostat, too."
Riley turned it over in his hands. "Teach me your ways," he said, awed.
"We should work with her more," Patrick said with a note of hesitation. Matt and I glanced at each other, eyebrows raised at Patrick's change of heart. "Her gardens are…they're very good."
Riley snorted. "That's what I've been screaming about."
"This guy is no Gronk," Patrick said, a skeptical eye trained on the dog in my lap.
"You're right," Matt said. "He's more of a Jimmy Garapolo."
We drove to Magnolia's aunt's house, where she was staying until she found a new place. It was a charming stone cottage near the shore in Beverly, not too far from Will and Shannon, and the property was with overflowing with rosebushes, crab apple and cherry blossom trees, and—perhaps none too coincidentally—magnolia trees.
When she opened the door, her expression immediately registered shock, joy, and relief, and then tears were streaming down her face. She plucked the pup from Riley's hands and cuddled him to her chest.
"Thank you, thank you so much. Frannie," she called over her shoulder. "Come quick, they found Gronk!" She smiled at us graciously, and then noticed all the dog paraphernalia we were carrying. "You even brought his things! Oh, my God. I can't believe this. I was convinced I'd never see my little boy again, and I don't even know how to thank you."
Will reached into the zipper pocket on his thigh and retrieved a handful of spoons. "These are for you," he said. "I also removed half of the light bulbs in his house, and then jacked the heat up to ninety degrees before disconnecting the thermostat. He's going to sweat his little dick off in the dark tonight, and he's going to be eating his cereal with a fork tomorrow. Seems appropriate."
"Thank you," she said. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble for me. I don't deserve this."
"You didn't deserve that cuntsucker," Riley said. "Us getting Gronk back was nothing, and we'd do it again."
An older woman wearing a sauce-splattered apron appeared, and she shoved her glasses onto her head. "I told you it would be all right," she said. "That dipshit Cole wasn't worth your time, and he was too lazy to do anything to Gronk aside from being a big bully. I told you he wouldn't sell him on Craigslist."
"This is my aunt, Francesca," Magnolia said, gesturing to the woman while Gronk bathed her face in kisses. "You know Riley, and this is Matt, Patrick, Sam—"
"Sam," Francesca cried. "Sam, it's nice to finally put a face to the name. I've heard so much about you."
"I bet you have," I murmured.
Magnolia pointed at Will. "I don't think we've met."
He extended his hand with a quick nod. "Will," he said. "Shannon's husband."
"Right, right. I think I saw you at the Turlan event last winter," she said. "We've been making spicy sausage and peppers today because—"
"—because she was making herself sick with stress," Francesca said, interrupting Magnolia with a wag of her finger.
"Will you stay for a bit? We have plenty, and I need to say thank you about seven million more times, and maybe you can tell me how you busted up your hand." Magnolia nodded toward Riley.
"Thank you, ma'am," Will said, "but it was no trouble."
"Trouble or not," Magnolia said, "I owe you guys."
We exchanged quick glances and shrugs, and Patrick said, "I could eat."
"I have enough for an army, and in our family, we show our love and appreciation with food. You're coming in, you're staying, we're feeding you," Francesca said, and it wasn't up for debate.
20
Tiel
November
"Let's do something today," I murmured.
"And bydo something, you mean stay in bed. Correct?" Sam asked, his chin scruff scraping over my shoulder. "When was the last time we did that? I haven't had you all to myself in months."
