“He lets you near his,” I said, trying to encourage her to talk to Blake without sounding overly adult.
“Yeah, but that’s totally different,” she said. “I’m the kid. I have no say in what he does. Plus, I like you.”
“You don’t think he’ll like the boy you like?” I asked, wondering which boy it was.
“I’m pretty sure he’ll hate him,” she sighed. “He hates everyone I like.”
“I don’t think he hates everyone,” I said sympathetically. “I think he’s just protective of his daughter.”
“Try overprotective,” she sighed again. We were interrupted by an impatient blast from Blake’s horn. Nina looked out the kitchen window and said, “We’d better go. Dad’s getting impatient.”
“What took you girls so long?” Blake asked, as we climbed into the truck.
“Girl talk and my jerk of a cat,” I said, as I leaned across the front seat and kissed his cheek and whispered, “Let it go for now.”
Blake nodded as he cranked the radio, and we all sang at the top of lungs the whole drive. At his parents’ house, Ellie had a feast awaiting us, and when I walked into the kitchen to ask if I could help, she wrapped me in a big hug.
“It’s been far too long since we’ve seen you, dear,” Ellie said with a warm smile. “Now, if you’ll put those dishes on the table, we’ll be ready to eat!”
We all gathered around the table and ate until we were ready to burst. Ellie and Alan had taken a trip to Costa Rica the week before and were full of tales of the rich, lush landscape, delicious food, and friendly villagers. As Nina cleared the table with help from her father, Alan pulled out the dominoes and began prepping the playing area.
“Aw, Dad, no!” Blake groaned, as he re-entered the dining room to grab a few more dishes. “Do we have to do this every time?”
“What?” Alan said, shooting his son a look. “Emily is good at the game, and I think she’d probably enjoy a game or two. Am I right, Emily?”
“I, well…I…” I stammered, looking back and forth between Blake and his father, unsure of how to answer.
“Fine!” Blake laughed, throwing his hands in the air. “Just steal my girl and play until the cows come home, Dad.”
“I believe I will,” Alan grinned.
Once the dishes were taken care of, Blake and Nina rejoined us at the table, bringing the cake and coffee that Ellie had prepared. Alan split us into teams, and he and I proceeded to make quick work of Blake and Nina’s team. We won several rounds before Nina pointed out that she had to be up early the next morning because Remy was coming to pick her up.
As we prepared to leave, Alan disappeared into his work room and emerged holding something behind his back.
“Emily, I’ve got something for you that I think you’ll appreciate,” he said with a grin, as he handed me a long, narrow box. It was surprisingly heavy, and I gave Alan a confused look as I sat down and unwrapped the present.
“Oh, Alan, this is lovely!” I said, as I looked at the lid of the box, which had a picture of a set of beautiful ebony domino tiles on it. “Thank you so much!”
“Now open the box,” he said, as he exchanged a knowing grin with Ellie. “There’s more inside.”
“Oh no, you shouldn’t have,” I said, as I lifted the lid and found a plain white envelope inside. I picked it up, opened it and gasped. “You really shouldn’t have!”
“What is it, Emily?” Nina asked, as she stepped up beside me and peeked around my arm then exclaimed, “Whoa, Gramps! That’s so cool!”
“Will someone tell me what’s going on, please?” Blake said, as he peeked over my shoulder.
“Your dad gave me the rest of his Celtics season tickets,” I said, holding them up so Blake could see them and grinning as I added, “If you’re nice to me, maybe I’ll take you to a game or two.”
“Geez, Dad,” Blake said, as he looked at his father. “I had no idea Emily was your favorite!”
“She’s a nice girl, and I knew she’d appreciate the tickets,” Alan said, as he grabbed his son and hugged him tightly. “Unlike my ungrateful sons who don’t know a basketball from a hole in the ground.”
“Now listen here, old man,” Blake laughed, as he returned the hug. “Don’t try and show me up!”
Alan laughed as he stepped back and let Ellie hug Blake. I moved toward Alan and hugged him tightly.
“Thank you so much,” I said, in a voice choked with emotion. “It’s really very kind of you.”