71)

The kids got the dusting and vacuuming done while I went back and forth between dealing with the bathrooms and the laundry.

After a quick lunch of cold cuts, and a lot of odds and ends to clear out some room in the fridge and cupboards. We headed out to Marv's with a list.

All this rushing around was throwing me off my game, I didn't even tease Sara about going to see her boyfriend. Luckily Ami picked up the slack. "So you want me to keep grandpa busy so you can go and play with your puppy?"

The girl had a bit of a manic look on her face as she beamed at her sister, who seemed confused.

"What puppy?"

Aran seemed to take an interest as well. "Puppy?"

Ami sighed in frustration. "Neal, the boy that brought you muffins, he works at the store."

The eldest girl glared at her sister. "I know who Neal is. I just didn't get it at first why you were calling him a puppy."

The younger girl leaned forward, still grinning like a mad woman. "If you pat his head, he'll probably let you rub his belly"

The older girl blushed but also narrowed her eyes in anger. So I tried to stave off a fight. "Ami. All these dog terms are probably very insensitive, if not insulting to my kind."

Ami went pale and began trying to say something to excuse herself.

I shrugged. "I say possibly because I don't really know myself. I imagine it varies from person to person how sensitive they are about things like that. But ultimately those are our words to use. For instance..."

I looked over at the eldest. "Sara, Neal's a werewolf. So he can not only be your friend who is in on all the magic stuff. He can also be your best friend."

She looked thoughtful for a moment and then got it. Ami seemed a bit behind, so "You know because dogs are man's best friend."

Ami nearly shrieked with the laughter of seeing a sibling being mocked. Sara glared at me. "I hate you."

I grinned. "I hate you too, now do you want to get Aran out, or should I."

She waved me over in his direction as she sat deep in thought.

I put a cart in her hand and had her follow along behind me and her sister, with Aran sitting in my cart while I loaded up my granddaughter's cart first.

Ham, cranberries in a can, potatoes, yams, stuffing mix, fresh corn, and green beans. Bacon, sliced almonds, an onion, crackers, summer sausage, pepperoni, cheeses, dips, and other veggies.

Then the bakery, where Mrs. Evans greeted Sara. "Hi, Sara and Sara's family. Neal's out on a delivery, he'll be sorry he missed you."

The girl blushed and mumbled something even I couldn't make out.

The baker smiled. "But if you're home this afternoon he'll be by to drop off the pies I imagine I'll be putting in the oven this afternoon. Hi John, a little bird said you might be by to make a rush order."

I grinned. "I've heard about things working like that in small towns."

Mrs. Even laughed. "Mama wolf is serious about you John, and she takes care of her man."

Ami shot me a sharp look and giggled at me. What?

She pointed at me "You're blushing grandpa."

Nonsense. "Just the heat from the bakery little girl, and it ain't polite to point." I saw the grin on the baker's face and knew Adora was going to get a call as soon as I walked away. Darn it.

"So yeah. A pumpkin pie, well two really, One sweet potato… might as well make that two. Three dozen rolls, and a coffee cake."

That pulled Sara out of whatever deep fugue state she had drifted off into. Wonder where she got that from? "What's a coffee cake?"

I thought about it. What exactly is a coffee cake? "Kind like big cake sized danish, which is like a fruit filled open top donut with surgery frosting drizzled on top. Nothing you would approve of, but it's what adults ate for a sit down snack with a hot drink when I was a kid."

The baker woman nodded along with me. "Yeah, I don't think I could describe it any better, except for calling the frosting a glaze, but I'm looking forward to trying to make one."

With our order make and a delivery scheduled for the following morning, I said my goodbyes, paid and then loaded up the car. Ami and Aran played with some impulse aisle novelty candy in the back seat, something with whistles, that Sara had for once raised no objection to as she remained off somewhere deep in her thought.

Halfway home she finally spoke up. "Is his mother a werewolf too?"

Well, I guess I'm not exactly outing anyone here. "Yep, I'm guessing the dad too."

She thought that over. "I don't have to keep things a secret from him, or his family."

I glanced over at her, she still just looked thoughtful. "Most things. What you can do, most of what your sister can do. But you should talk things over with your parents first. They know how to live with… normal or close to normal people, better than I do. I'm still new at this myself."

She nodded, then we were home this time I not only helped carry everything in, but I even took the heavy stuff.

Charles arrived shortly thereafter and less than a few hours later my brother showed up.

"Hi John, damn bro, you're looking great. That diet must be working for you. Them the kids?"

Introductions were made. Drew was a little on guard with the children, but he liked kids, and seeing his son treating them like family warmed him up. The kids seemed intrigued with him, and after Aran kept staring at his prosthetic leg, he pulled up his sweatpants and showed them off to them.

Surprisingly none of them asked how he lost his leg, and as normal he didn't offer to tell anyone.

I dug out the cold cuts again for dinner and cleared some more space in the fridge. The kids got grapes and corn chips pushed on them. Sara, of course, complained about it messing up their dinner. So I had to explain that they would be getting a platter of sandwiches up in the game room because "We're going to be cooking tonight, and need you three out from underfoot."

They whined a little, but the older two understood how much we all had at stake tomorrow. So for once it was a matter of them actually wanting to help rather us get ready rather than just the normal kid contrariness. Charles got them upstairs, then came down to help referee things.

After making sure that I could feel the girls staying in one place, and assumed that either Aran was conked out or soon would be, it was time for me and my brother to have a talk.

He had mentioned how good I was looking and I showed him why.

I took it slow to make it less of a shock, he was even older than me after all. I was worried that such a slow change might make him even more likely to think it was a trick, instead, he fell back off the kitchen stool and tried to scramble back away from me and get back to his feet at the same time, but due to his prosthesis, he failed at both.

Turns out I wasn't his first werewolf.