“But you’d need to shave the hairs off your head.”
“Maybe.” Or maybe not.
“And we need to get a dog. A big one.”
“We’ll see.” That would be a no. At least not until they were out of his condo and into a house with a yard. But after that, it was a definite possibility. Growing up he’d always wanted a dog. But dogs needed food and medical care and lots of attention. All of which had been in short supply at the Harrison household.
Rachel smiled like she knew something he didn’t, which scared him a little. He wouldn’t put it past her to talk him into a dog sooner rather than later.
If someone had told him six months ago that this was what his life would look like, he would have told them they’d been inhaling too many paint fumes. Normally, his Saturdays in Miami were just as busy as his weekdays. He’d be up by six, hit the gym for an hour, shower, then go into the office and work till seven. If there was a woman in his life, he’d pick her up for dinner, then afterward they’d go back to his place for the night. Sundays, the pace was a little mellower, with his day starting at eight instead.
His life had changed drastically since Jake’s passing. And not, he admitted, for the worse either. There was something to be said for holding a little girl’s hand as they strolled down the sidewalk on a cool fall Saturday on their way to a football party.
Viola’s house was a renovated ranch-style Mediterranean with a neat front yard and lots of flowers in terra cotta pots. A stone pathway led up to the front door.
“Can I ring the bell?” Rachel asked breathlessly. What was it about doorbells that little kids loved so much?
“Go for it.”
So she did. Not once, not twice, but three times in quick succession.
“Go Canes!” Jenna cried as she flung back the front door fully decked out in her U of M gear—orange and green Hurricanes T-shirt, green leggings and orange sneakers. A fighting ibis, the Miami mascot, was tattooed on her left cheek and her long hair was braided with brightly colored ribbons. She looked both goofy and completely enchanting at the same time.
“You look like a clown!” Rachel slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oops. I’m not supposed to say stuff like that.”
“You look very…collegiate,” Ben said trying to keep a straight face.
She critiqued Ben’s plain white T-shirt and jeans with a critically playful eye. “Slacker.” Then she wagged her brows up and down at Rachel. “Would you like to look like a clown?” She ushered them into the living room and pulled out a set of temporary tattoos. “We have an ibis and some nasty spears that those FSU fans are wearing. Which do you pick?”
Rachel pointed to Jenna’s cheek.
“Good choice.” She pulled a giggling Rachel into another room and within a few minutes, they had matching tattoos.
Viola and her boyfriend, Gus Pappas, came out to greet him. “Ben! I’m so glad you and your niece could make it,” Viola said warmly.
Rachel beamed. “I have a duck on my cheek!”
Everyone laughed.
“Thanks again for having us.” Ben handed Viola a gift bag containing the bottle of wine he’d bought this afternoon at the liquor store next to the Piggly Wiggly. He didn’t know much about wine, so he asked the clerk to pick out their best bottle of red and package it up.
“Oh!” Viola said. “This looks really nice. Thank you, Ben!”
Gus read the label on the bottle. “Yeah. That’s real nice of you, Harrison,” he said gruffly.
Viola poked Gus in the ribs. “Now, before we begin I want to lay down my house rules. I absolutely forbid any discussion of politics in my home. That includes land deals, wills and anything else that was brought up at the town hall meeting last night.”
“Good thing that doesn’t include college sports.” A tall man in his late thirties with dark hair wearing a garnet and gold FSU shirt came in from the backyard patio. He was helping a toddler walk by guiding her with both his hands. A woman, a few years younger with auburn hair and twinkling brown eyes, followed him. She, too, was all decked out in FSU garb.
“Have you met Kitty and Steve Pappas yet?” Viola asked. “And this is their darling daughter, Amanda. Steve is Gus’s nephew and Kitty is his wife. We’re lucky enough to have them as our next-door neighbors.”
Rachel ran over to the toddler and began making faces, causing the other little girl to laugh uncontrollably.
“Nice to finally meet you, Kitty,” Ben said.
Kitty shook Ben’s hand with a firm grip. “Nice to finally meet you!” She turned to her husband. “Ben is renting the house on Tortoise Way, which makes him a client of mine.”
“Among other things,” Steve said cryptically. He handed off the little girl to his wife and shook Ben’s hand. “Steve Pappas. And you’re the guy representing Nora and Vince Palermo.”