Page 107 of Deathtoll
The mother nodded, tears in her eyes. And as Kate led Zak off toward the kitchen, the woman collapsed onto the chair her son had just vacated.
Kate liberated a cookie from the counter just as Shannon ran in. “We need more bottled water.”
“I hope this is okay,” Kate said, caught, literally, with her hand in the cookie jar.
“Of course. Hi, Zak. Take two.”
“Thank you, Mrs. O’Brian.”
“Also,” Kate said, this seeming as good a time to push their luck as any, “I told him you might let him touch one of the glass eyes? He was very brave when I was picking dirt out of his wound.”
Mrs. O’Brian was stuffing water bottles into the deep pockets of her knitted cardigan. “You can take one, if you want.”
“For real?” Zak pumped the air, like he’d just found Willy Wonka’s golden ticket. “Thank you, Mrs. O’Brian!”
Shannon had time for one last smile before she rushed on her way.
Zak eyed the mason jar with a dozen or so eyes on the shelf next to the pantry door.
Kate lifted it off for him. “Pick one.”
“I want blue.”
“Go for it.”
He did, admired it for several seconds, then stashed it into his pocket before skipping out, perfectly contented.
Kate figured he wasn’t going to show it to his mother until they were at home, in case Mom was of the opinion that they needed to give it back. But the second he reached the still-sniffing woman, he showed off his treasure.
“Look into my eye!”
The poor mother shrieked and almost tipped her chair over.
“Mrs. O’Brian gave it to me.” Zak’s grin kept growing until the smile took over his entire being.
A variety of responses flitted across the woman’s face. She settled on “How wonderful.”
Then she thanked Kate. And on their way out, she thanked Mrs. O’Brian, while Zak turned to wave.
“You’ve always been wonderful with children,” Kate’s mother commented from behind her.
“It’s a good thing.”
“Thinking about going back to pediatric treatment?”
Sounded like Emma hadn’t told her the news yet. She’d probably thought Kate should be the one.
Kate turned and held her mother’s gaze. She drew a deep breath and smiled. “Maybe someday. But not for a while. First, I’m going to be providing child care at home.”
Her mother stared at her in confusion for a second, but only for a second. Then she screamed. Which gave the already shaken people in the B and B a heart attack, every head snapping to them and her father rushing over.
Then her mother shouted, “I’m going to be a grandmother!”
And that roused a round of clapping and cheers, while Kate’s father collapsed into the chair Zak’s mom had left available next to them.
“I’m going to be a grandfather?”
Kate kissed his clean-shaven cheek. “Yes, Dad.”
