A Family For Andi. Eileen Berger
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shalt not fall in love. Which was fine to say but why did she even consider that warning?
Why should that word, love, have even entered her mind?
She was in the kitchen when Keith entered by way of the back door. “All ready?”
“I think so,” Gram said, “but it doesn’t feel right.”
“Why is that?”
“Karlyn made me promise not to bring more than one dish, so that’s the macaroni salad there.”
“You’re a literalist if I ever saw one. You cover the top with a whole bottle of stuffed green olives and a can of big, ripe ones, so you’re still bringing several foods, though they’re now in one dish!”
“Well” tossing her head “the kids like olives!”
“Yes, we do!” He popped the black one from the very center into his mouth. “So let’s go, ladies. My car’s blocking the alley.”
Andi opened the back door on the driver’s side as he assisted Gram into the front one. “Let me fasten the seat belt,” he said and drew it across. “You care for the salad.”
“And the olives,” Gram murmured.
“And the olives.”
They tried to include Andi in their conversation, but she didn’t identify the man about whom they were speakingsomeone scheduled for a brain scan. They’d driven through town and out past the high school when Gram pointed. “That big stone house on the right is Karlyn’s. It was at the edge of town when they built itbefore Joe Mueller died and his kids sold the farm to a developer!”
Andi wondered at the disapproval in her tone, but Keith reminded, “That was their right, Gram.”
“But Jake always had a fit about this sort of thing!”
“Not enough to make him put that stipulation in his will, however…”
Andi was brought back again to the major reason that she was here. In addition to getting to know her relatives, she must make sure that decisions concerning Dad’s will, and her own, cover as many bases as possible.
“Those cars nearer the garage won’t be able to get out, dear,” Gram murmured as Keith backed into the driveway.
He turned off the ignition. “But the road’s narrow through here, and I prefer not parking along its side. I’ll move mine if anyone wants to leave early.”
They were instantly surrounded by four excited children, introduced to her as Evelyn’s Brock and Melody, and Karlyn’s Jake andTraci?
Uh-oh, that investigator had made at least a couple of slipups. Jake was undoubtedly a nickname for the “John” he’d reported, but he must have heard the name of the beautiful, dark-haired five-year-old and assumed her to be a boy, Tracy! She’d watch more carefully for other errors.
Karlyn had come to the corner of the house to invite them to the backyard, and Keith was escorted, tugged, by Brock and Jake. Gram, handing Andi the salad, was “helped” by Melody and Traci.
Keith’s parents were already there, Shelby giving Andi a special smile. “We’re so glad you joined us! Mom’s probably told you we have quite a few family get-togethers, and there’s always room for friends.”
Zacktall, burly and middle-agedstrode over to take Andi’s hand. “I understand we let you down yesterday.”
“Nothing to feel sorry about, Mr. McHenry,” she reassured. “I’m enjoying my stay in Sylvan Falls.”
“Great!” His other hand clasped her shoulder. “It’s a wonderful place to live, and it’s good to hear that you appreciate it. If you’d like to stay indefinitely, we can keep putting off work on your car.” He waggled his eyebrows the way Dad sometimes did.
This can’t be genetic, can it? she wondered. But such a simple thing put her at ease. “Did your mother tell you I may stick around for a while?”
He grinned. “You’ll find that in our family, good news gets passed around real quick.”
She was glad that he stressed the word, implying they didn’t gossip in negative ways. “She told me about the carnival at the end of the week.”
His shoulders slumped and hands dropped to his sides. His words“Don’t remind me of that!”could have indicated despair, had his eyes not been bright with excitement.
“What’s your part in all this?”
“Well, for starters, we have floats to finish.”
“Floats? Plural?”
“Yep. Anyone can enterchurches, organizations, businesses. I happen to be active in First Church and in Rotary, and have a business.”
“You don’t need to help with all of them, do you?”
His wife responded to that. “For your own wellbeing, Annie, don’t even suggest he not work on all of them!”
Shelby was obviously teasing, so Andi felt safe asking, “Isn’t there something like conflict of interest involved here? I presume there’s some prize involved.”
Zack admitted, “They gave me a hard time about that when the garage won once, six years ago. But the church has received first prizeall of twenty-five dollars, incidentally!six or eight times, and Rotary at least that often.”
“Congratulations!” Her head tipped forward in a nod of approbation. “So what’s the theme for yours this year?”
“Ah-ha! That’s what they all ask.” Again the active eyebrows. “But you have to wait like everyone else.”
Phyllis Bastian, Gram’s eldest offspring, was carrying food from the house to the long picnic tables, while Hal, her husband, turned hamburgers and hot dogs on the gas grill. “Hi, Annie.” He was waving long-handled tongs high in the air, and she recalled that he was a mechanic at Zack’s dealership. “I hear Keith made an unfortunate decision about your car yesterday.”
Keith didn’t look at all apologetic. “Once in a while I do make a decision.”
“…And now that I see what a knock-out you are, Annie,” he declared, “I see why he didn’t come ask for advice.”
“What can I say?” Keith looked at her with a crooked smile as he was dragged off by Brock and Jake for some game involving a beach ball.
Phyllis, whom Andi knew to be a second-shift supervisor of nursing at the community hospital, introduced her daughter, Evelyn Pinchot, as mother of Brock and Melody. They had little chance to visit, however, as the children soon came running to ask about putting on swimwear.
“Is Uncle Keith going in with you?”
Her daughter was bouncing up and down on tiptoe. “Can we, Mama? Can we go in swimming? He’ll watch us.”
“Is he putting on a suit and going in with you?”
The little girl’s lower lip pushed out in a pout, and it was Brock who turned to beg Keith, who had followed them. He rumpled the six-year-old’s hair. “Not. now, kids. Look at that platter of hamburgers and hot dogs and the rest of the spread! There’s no way I’m about to miss that!”
“Well, how ‘bout later? Will you go then?”
“We’ll see.”
They ran to check the last of the meat, being piled on top of the others by their grandfather. Their mother stood there, shaking her head. “I never thought you’d get away with such an evasive answer, Keith.”
“I can’t believe it either.”
Karlyn steered all four of the little ones toward