“There he is! Oh, my baby!” She yanked Puddin’s leash from Thad’s hand and settled into one of the rocking chairs on the porch. The dog immediately put his head in her lap. “There’s my good boy. I’ve missed you so much, my Puddin’.”
Thad didn’t bother mentioning that he, her only grandson, was also present. His mild annoyance shifted to amusement as he observed their reunion. He couldn’t tell who was more excited, Grams or the dog.
“Did you talk to the director about the loose handle on the shower door?” Thad asked as he perched against the porch railing. He’d offered to fix the handle when he visited her on Saturday, but she pointed out that maintenance was included in the facility’s astronomical monthly fee.
“It was fixed this morning,” she said. Without looking away from the dog, she asked, “So, what do you think about Ashanti?”
Thad’s head snapped back at her quick subject change. “What do you mean what do I think about her?”
“Don’t play with me, Thaddeus,” his grandmother said. “You are not getting any younger, and Ashanti Wright is perfect for you.”
“Don’t do this, Grams.” He dragged a palm down his face. “First of all, I’m only thirty-four, so don’t go asking the staff here if there’s a unit for your grandson. And I just moved back home. I already told you, the only thing I’m interested in right now is getting my business off the ground.”
“She isperfectfor you,” she repeated in that stern voice she used on him when he was eight years old. Thad had to admit, all these years later and it still made him flinch.
“Still not interested,” he said.
He had more pressing matters to attend to, like figuring out just who in the hellretiredMajor Thaddeus Sims was.
For the past eight months he’d suffered through an existence that made him feel as if he were walking around in a shirt that was two sizes too small. Nothing about his post-Army life seemed to fit. The therapist he’d started seeing soon after he retired suggested he make a clean break, which was why he’d decided to move forward with his plans to go into business with Von here in New Orleans instead of remaining in Colorado Springs and transitioning into a civilian job with the DOD.
But navigating this new, unfamiliar, uncomfortable stage in his life had proven more difficult than he anticipated. He didn’t need the added torture of making small talk with awoman his grandmother set him up with. Especially a woman who clearly didn’t like him.
“The two of you have a lot in common,” Grams continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “She started her own business, so she can give you pointers.”
“I don’t—”
“And she’s one of those do-gooder types, just like you. Especially when it comes to kids. She’s always participating in some kind of activity for youths around the city.” She finally tore her attention away from Puddin’. “Over the summer, she held an event specifically for kids with a fear of dogs. They were encouraged to visit the daycare so they could be exposed to dogs in a safe environment. Isn’t that a beautiful thing to do?”
He sighed. “Yeah, it’s nice, but—”
“Oh, I have the best idea!” Her face lit up. “You should suggest an event for the children of deployed veterans. That’s right up your alley.”
Itwasright up his alley. He’d served as his base’s youth activity coordinator for three years. He’d been influenced by his grandfather, who’d stepped up big-time after his parents divorced and his mother, Thad, and his sister, Nadia, came to live with them. Gramps had been everything from troop leader to PTA president to surrogate father to several of Thad’s high school friends. He saw the difference his grandfather made simply by being there and had been inspired to do the same.
But that didn’t mean he was going to coordinate anything with Ashanti Wright.
Maybe if he admitted to his grandmother that her dog sitter probably didn’t want to see him ever again after the wayhe’d behaved this morning, she would pump the brakes on her obvious matchmaking.
“Oh, and I want Puddin’ to wear his dark green collar with the bow tie for the pageant,” she was saying.
“What was that?” Thad asked.
“The pageant at Barkingham Palace. It’s this coming Saturday. I want Puddin’ in green. His collars are in the chest in my closet.”
“Grams, I—”
“And I want you to FaceTime me during the pageant. It’s always so much fun, and the dogs are adorable. I hate that I can’t be there in person, but those steps at the daycare are just too steep for me to climb.” She returned her attention to the dog, but continued talking. “You’ll need to upgrade that old iPhone now that you’re taking care of Puddin’. Find out from Ashanti what kind she has. She sends beautiful pictures. Do you think you can get a new phone before the pageant?”
He searched his mind for a viable excuse to get out of spending his Saturday at a damn pageant for dogs, but one look at the excitement on his grandmother’s face put an end to that.
“Yeah, I’ll make sure to FaceTime you,” Thad said.
Guess that meant hewouldbe seeing Ashanti Wright again, whether she wanted to see him or not.
5
Here.”
