I think about Grammy’s talking about Papa’s strong shoulders and realize that I misunderstood what she meant.

She walks around the counter but holds Ronan’s gaze. “So Henry Lasko was here this very morning talking about how brave you are, wanting to jump into the water after sharks—and by the way, I hope someone has told you that ain’t brave. That’s just foolishness. But this is what I want to know: Are you brave enough . . . to flip a good crepe?”

It startles me that the words brave and crepe are in the same sentence. I look at Ronan and think how he won’t be able to resist her challenge. I’m betting that telling Ronan to stay away from a dare is like telling a seagull to stay away from a french fry.

He walks around the counter and over to the grill. “What am I supposed to do?”

She puts an oven mitt on his hand. “I’ve got two crepes ready to be flipped. I’ll do the first. You do the second.”

One of the fishermen yells, “What are you doing? Leave the kid alone!”

She snaps back, “Now, you just mind your own p’s and q’s there!” She turns to Ronan. “You want me to leave you alone?”

Ronan clears his throat. “No.”

Saucepan continues. “Good. Now, I think the way a person flips a crepe says something about who he is and his future.”

He looks at her like a bass just swam out of her mouth.

“Yeah,” she says, leaning in. “People look at me like that a lot. And I don’t much care, to be honest. But I’m right about the crepes. Trust me.”

She grabs the handle of the first pan and steps back from the stove. “Gotta put some muscle into it. Take control. Show the crepe who’s boss.”

“Wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that,” Ronan says.

“Hey. None of your funny business here.”

He smirks.

She shakes the pan to loosen the crepe, then angles it downward and swoops it in a circle. The crepe flies into the air, flips, and lands in the pan. “Easy,” she says, with a single nod. “Your turn.”

Ronan gets squinty-eyed, and I worry for him.

“C’mon. Putting it off will only burn the thing.”

“I’m not putting it off. I’m preparing.”

“Well, prepare faster.”

I hold my breath. Ronan seems so calm, but he grunts as he sends the crepe into the air.

The roar from the fishermen’s laughter shakes the place.

Saucepan Lynn looks up at the ceiling. “You really stuck it up there, kid. You are strong, that’s for sure.” She leans toward the back room and yells, “Someone get me the broom!” Then she turns back to Ronan. “Well, perhaps you need a bit of finesse, but I think you’ll do great things, kid.”

Chapter 30

WAS MY MOMMA STRONG?

When I walk into the kitchen, Grammy’s cleaning and our stove has been pulled away from the wall. Grammy is trying to shove it back into place. “I’m an ox, I tell you.”