Seana Kelly - Welcome Home, Katie Gallagher

Walking through the open doorway, he said, “This is the kitchen. It was remodeled a few years ago.” He tilted his head. “By me. It’s a good setup, and all the appliances still work great. I wanted to open up that wall there. Make it a half wall between the kitchen and the wait station and lunch counter. The previous tenants didn’t like the idea, and the owner was fine with whatever they wanted.”

He gestured to his left. “This is the walk-in cold box and the reason I’m here today. The previous tenants complained about spots getting warm in here. I’d just started checking it out when this guy wandered in and sniffed my leg.” His hand dropped to Chaucer’s head and began petting.

Leaning forward, I peeked around the corner into the cold room.

He laughed. “I promise not to lock the door on you. Go on in, if you want.”

I stepped back, looking at him warily. “Yeah, I’m good right here.”

He chuckled again and shook his head. “Okay, let’s continue our tour. Pantry’s over there.” He pointed to the right. “Storage closet over here.” He motioned again. “Dumpster and additional parking through the back door.” He opened the back door and stepped out. “I always thought this would make a great patio dining area.”

“Yeah, I can see why. The Dumpster is lovely. If they painted some flower vines around the graffitied profanity, it would really romance up the place. Good call.” I kept a straight face as I nodded, studying the area.

“A smart-ass, eh? Good to know.” Grinning, he stepped back inside. “Come on, funny girl. Tour’s over. I need to get back to work.”

As we walked through the kitchen, I detoured by the stove. It was a gorgeous Viking industrial-grade range. “Ooh, so pretty,” I whispered. I ran my fingers lightly over the knobs, wishing I could cook on a range like this.

“Should I leave you two alone?”

I turned, finding Bear watching me, his eyes bright with humor. “Um, yeah, if you could, that would be great. I have knobs to turn, buttons to push, maybe even some cavities to explore.”

Bear choked out a laugh. “I like you, Kate, and your little dog, too.” He paused, looking at me thoughtfully. “Gallagher? As in Nellie Gallagher?”

“Yes. Did you know Gran?”

He shook his head, his hands on his hips. “Figures. The first woman I’ve met in far too long, that I’d like to get to know better—” he stepped closer, only an arm’s length away “—a woman I’d love to take to dinner tonight, is related to the only woman I’ve ever wanted to marry.”

I laughed. “Don’t you think my grandmother was a little old for you?”

“Nope. My devotion couldn’t be swayed by a little thing like forty years.”

Gah! Dimples again. He was killing me. “I hope you didn’t let Mr. Cavanaugh hear you say things like that. He could still whoop your butt, boy.” I leaned back against the stove.

“Don’t I know it. Luckily, he was secure in her love and wasn’t threatened by my pining for his girl. For some reason, she preferred that old coot.” He turned and walked back toward the dining area. “No accounting for taste.”

Chaucer and I were right behind Bear when I saw the front door open. “Bear! You working today?” Aiden walked in, taking off his sunglasses. “Oh, there you are. Listen, can you stop by Pops’s place later today? He wants a glider on his back porch, thought maybe you could build him—”

Chaucer walked around Bear, his leash still sliding along the floor behind him. Aiden stopped midsentence, pointed, questions written all over his face. Bear crouched down, getting Chaucer in a headlock and thereby revealing me, not that I was hiding or anything. “Hey, Aiden, have you met Chaucer?” He looked over his shoulder at me. “And this is his mom, Kate. Kate was just considering going out to dinner with me. Maybe if the chief of police could let her know I’m not going to tie her up and feed her to hungry cats, she might be more likely to agree.”

Aiden stared, his face entirely blank.

I walked over to grab Chaucer’s leash and to get the hell away from Officer Buttmunch. “Thanks for the tour, Bear. I’ll let you get back to work.”

Bear looked up at Aiden, waiting for him to speak. Aiden was still silent as I walked out the door. When we got back to the car, I let Chaucer in first before settling in behind the wheel.

Bear hurried out and leaned against the passenger door. He raised his eyebrows, waiting. I turned the key and lowered the window.

“Sorry. I have no idea what that was about with Aiden, but I really am a nice guy. Promise.” He bent down, resting his forearms on the edge of the door. Chaucer leaned forward and licked Bear’s face. Bear chuckled. “Thanks, buddy.” Turning back to me, his warm brown eyes were hopeful. “Can I talk you into dinner tonight?”

Strangely enough, even though men were strictly verboten, I wanted to say yes. Then again, dimples were on my to-do list. “That sounds lovely, but I’m going through a divorce right now. I think the timing is—”

“Perfect.” He grinned and I felt a flutter. Damn dimples. “It’s just dinner. We’ll talk. We’ll eat. I promise not to propose. It’ll be good. What do you say I pick you up at seven?” He stretched his arm through the window, hitting the button to lower the rear-door window. He moved back to Chaucer to give him a full-body rub through the window. “Later, little bear cub. Feel free to come visit me anytime.” He stepped back to the front window and leaned down. “So, make any decisions yet?”

* * *

WHEN CHAUCER AND I returned home, I curled up on the one chair left in the living room and tried to erase the day’s events by slipping into a coma. It worked for about two hours, until the house phone woke me up. I went to the kitchen and warily picked up the receiver. Don’t be Justin.

“Kate? Are you there?”

Damn! I’d forgotten. “Hi, Mom. Yes, I’m here.” I hopped up on the counter, feet dangling and banging against the cupboards.

“My goodness, I’ve been worried sick. You said you’d call when you arrived. I haven’t been able to get a hold of you for days. Your cell is disconnected. What’s been going on?”

“Sorry. The drive was really long and exhausting. I finally arrived before dawn two days ago.”

“Oh, well, good.” The worry faded from her voice. Mom couldn’t hold on to strong emotions anymore. They ran like water through her fingers.

“I didn’t realize Justin had disconnected my phone until this morning.” Shoot. “I’d better call Christine, too. She was checking in daily. I assumed I hadn’t heard from her because she was busy.” Could I still get to my contact info? I didn’t know anyone’s phone number by heart.

“Well, that’s done. You’re there. That’s all that matters. So, is her house just as you remembered? It’s strange, isn’t it, how much our perceptions can alter our memories? The house probably seems much smaller than you thought it was as a child. Since you were smaller, the house seemed bigger...”

Honestly, I zoned out a little. I’d already heard Mom’s theories on perception versus reality many times. I knew she was trying to cope with her worry by burying it under cold, theoretical questions.

Still, I only had four dollars to my name. I needed help. “Mom,” I interrupted. “Can I ask a favor?”

“Oh, of course, dear. I’m sorry. I lost track.”

“No, it’s fine.” I felt like I was standing in that checkout line all over again, everyone watching while I counted out pennies. Gah! I did not want to do this! “Mom, I need some help. Justin closed down my credit and debit cards. Would you be able to loan me some money—just until I get a job and can pay you back?”