“What’s this I hear about you leaving?” Gabriella walked into the guest room that Annette had, at last, been able to reach by the stairs, as long as she used her cane. Their hostess was holding a tray with tea and some delicious-looking cake that made Dawn’s mouth water. Yum. I don’t care how fast my metabolism is, I could gain ten pounds here, easy.
“You have been so good to me, Gabriella,” Annette began. “I just can’t put you out like this.”
“You are doing no such thing.” Gabriella set the tray down on the coffee table and rested her hip on the daybed beside Annette. Reaching for Annette’s hand, she held it between her own. “Annette, I don’t want you to go. I know I’m being selfish, but I want you right here.”
“Me?” Annette’s eyes widened.
“Now that almost all my kids are on their own, I have very little to do. It gets lonely, especially when Antonio is off visiting his old firefighting buddies. And that’s only part of it. Since you’ve been here, I can’t help but notice he’s a lot more thoughtful. Why, just this morning, he brought me my morning coffee in bed with a red rose on the tray. When I asked him what the special occasion was, he said just because. Now I know that was your doing.”
Annette blushed.
“And when Gabe had that silly disagreement with little Tony, you had a nice chat with them and smoothed things over.” Gabriella patted Annette’s hand. “You are so very special. I can see why Dawn is such an amazing young woman, because she was raised by her very wise grandmother.”
Annette’s eyes teared up. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll stay.”
“I would love to. Thank you.”
Gabriella wrapped her arms around Annette’s shoulders.
Dawn sniffed and wiped her eyes, moved by the love the Fierros had shown both her and her grandmother.
“Really? He brought you coffee in bed with a rose?” Annette asked. “All I said was how lucky he was to have you and I hoped he let you know it.”
“Yup. First. Time. Ever.” Gabriella opened her arms to bring Dawn into the embrace, and the three women began to laugh. When they broke apart, she said, “Now, let’s have some tea and cake.”
“In a minute.” Annette held up one hand. “I need to know more about this shape-shifter stuff.”
“You’ve heard of paranormal abilities? How there are a few individuals who are stronger, faster, and live longer than regular humans?”
“Well, no. To be honest, I hadn’t until now.”
“Ah. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Humans as a general rule aren’t allowed to know about it. But let me tell you what I know from my completely human point of view.”
Annette nodded for her to go on.
Gabriella explained about how she was able to handle her husband and so many of her sons being in a dangerous profession like firefighting because if the worst happened, they could reincarnate in fire.
She explained their extreme longevity and how they might reincarnate as many as a dozen times over their five hundred or so years on earth.
She even confessed her concern for Luca, since he could die by a bullet, and if no one was around to bathe him in fire, he might not come back.
That made a ball lodge in Dawn’s throat. “I—I kinda wish he’d become a firefighter now.”
“You and me both!” Gabriella said. “But Luca is Luca. He has always done things his own way.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Annette asked.
“Neither, really. I know the older boys and even my husband have accused me of babying him, but that has never been the case. If I wanted him to take the safe route, he’d make up his own mind and take the right route. Whatever that was for him. I’m so proud of my youngest. He’s no sheep, despite the nickname—blue sheep.”
“It never meant that,” Antonio said as he poked his head in the door. “It was just a joke about the family’s black sheep, because he chose a blue uniform.”
“I know that,” Gabriella said. “And by the way, that doesn’t help.”
Antonio laughed. “Well, I guess I’ll butt out as quickly as I butted in.”
As soon as he left, Gabriella said, “Now, where were we? Oh yes. Your concerns about my shape-shifting family.”
