“Do you have enough for Lazy Cat?” his grandfather asked with a chuckle.

“I think we might,” Tobias said tightly.

She wondered what was going on with Tobias, but she continued playing the part of his grandfather’s mother. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for Lazy Cat to eat human food. How about if I put her down for a nap while we eat?”

“More for us that way.” Hank pushed to his feet and walked over to Tobias, lowering his voice as he said, “Knucklehead.”

“Want me to give you a knuckle sandwich?” Tobias retorted, earning another chuckle from his grandfather as he went with Elsa into the kitchen.

Madigan went to Tobias. His small smile as he drew her into his arms was everything. Now that she knew how many times he’d reached out to his sister and how many letters were returned, each one another slap in his face, she understood how deeply rooted those shadows in his brooding eyes were. That made moments like these, when Tobias could see that his grandfather was able to be at peace even with the awful disease that was rapidly stealing him away, even more important.

“Hey, Blue Eyes. How was he today?”

“Good.” She caressed his cheek, feeling his tension, and went up on her toes, pressing her lips to his and remaining there for an extra beat, until she felt that tension start to ease. Only then did she sink back to her heels. “The question is, how are you?”

“Better now, angel. Much better now.”

Chapter Eighteen

MADIGAN THUMBED OUT a text to Marly as she left the Scullery Maid, a hole-in-the-wall tavern located about an hour away from Harwich, where she’d just met with the owner about a musical storytelling gig. Remind me not to wear a short skirt if I get the gig. Did this week seem excruciatingly long to you? TGIF! She added a celebration emoji and sent it off.

She loved dives like the Scullery Maid, despite a few seedy customers. The vibe was totally different from most of the places she played. Places like this were usually packed with people who were so excited to see good entertainment, their enthusiasm pumped her up to play for them.

As she climbed into her Jeep, she checked her email, taking note of the messages from the distribution company that she still hadn’t gotten back to. She didn’t need to open it to know they were waiting for her to review and sign the contract. Her phone rang, and Chloe’s name appeared on the screen. Shoot. She really needed to make a decision about expanding her hours, too. Where had the week gone?

“Hi, Chloe.”

“Hi. How are you?”

“Crazed, but good. You?”