“It’s so freaking weird to hear him call you Daddy.”
“It’s premature, if you ask me,” my mother said under her breath.
“Katherine, we have a guest,” my father reminded her.
“If you’re not in school, what do you do?” my mother asked.
I rolled my eyes. I was sure this was one of her sneaky ways to interrogate him about Serena. While I was angry with the woman, it wasn’t my mother’s place to probe Andrew for information to use against her.
“If my mommy is home, we go to the park or the library. When she’s at work, I go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. We play games and read. I help my grandma cook too.”
“What do you cook?” Bri asked.
“Cookies and stew.” He looked up at me. “My grandma gave me the stew recipe for you.”
“What stew recipe?” my mother’s eyes narrowed.
“Daddy came over for dinner once and he loved my grandma’s stew. She thinks he should serve at…” He frowned and looked up at me. “I don’t remember.”
Inwardly I winced because I knew this wasn’t going to go well. “The Roarke.”
“Yes. It’s a fancy restaurant. That's what my grandma says.”
“It is fancy,” my mother said. “Too fancy for stew.”
Taking a page from Andrew’s books of naive honesty, I said, “It was true authentic Irish stew. More Irish than what is served there now.”
“And I suppose you plan on changing that when you steal away the company from your father.”
Everyone at the table quieted. Andrew looked up at me, his eyes wide with fear. “Is she mad?”
“No, honey, that’s how she always is,” Bri said.
I closed my eyes because I knew all hell was about to break loose.
“When I’m mad, my mommy tells me to count to five and then give someone a hug. Hugs always make you feel better.”
He jumped down from his chair and walked over to my mother. I could see what he was about to do and I wanted to stop him because I was sure it wasn’t going to go well.
He stopped beside my mother and extended his arms. “Can I give you a hug, grand…Mrs. Roarke?”
“Katherine.” My father’s tone suggested he was worried too.
She sniffed and then stiffly turned in her chair. Andrew put his arms around her. She allowed it, but didn’t return it. When he kissed her on the cheek, she flinched.
“Do you feel better?” he asked.
She mustered an insincere smile. “I do. Thank you, Andrew.”
“You’re welcome.” He skipped back to his seat. I helped him back into his chair.
“Who’d have thought all this family needed was a hug?” Bri said with a laugh.
Once my mother was out of the picture, the day went well. The weather was crappy, but Bri and I took Andrew to the attic where we indeed found some cool items and old toys, including an old Lionel train set.
“Just don’t leave it plugged in,” my sister said. “That plug looks older than Dad.”
We played hide-n-seek, and I taught him how to play pool. Andrew didn’t bring a swimsuit, but he did have an extra pair of underwear, so I took him swimming in his tighty whities. All the while I was making mental notes of things that I’d need to get for him at my place.