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My jaw fell open. This might have been the one gift Gabe could get that would be useful.
“Free secrets?”
“Yes, just say the word and no one will hear about whatever is going on with you. You have an unlimited supply, by the way, but don’t abuse it.”
“This one’s good. You should say thank you.”
“Thanks,” he said, though his shoulders were still tense. “For all of it. You don’t have to do anything for me.”
“But we will. You’re one of us. So, we would do this even if you didn’t need it. But now that we know who you are, you have a big storm coming.”
“I look forward to watching him suffer,” I said. “But I need to feed these children these casseroles, and I don’t think anyone wants to witness them eat. They’re a little like monsters, so you might want to head out.”
Kerry’s smile fell as she looked at the girls. They were glaring at her as if they could turn into demons at any time. I knew that was partially true. And so did Kerry.
“Right, well, have fun! Enjoy the food.” She waved before walking out.
“She smiles too much,” Beatrice said.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “She’ll annoy you in many ways, but she means well.”
“Please tell me that’s all we’re going to have,” Gabe said.
I was about to laugh, but there was another knock at the door.
We were in for a long day.
None of us got much of a break. Thankfully, Agnes and Beatrice could play in between all the visitors, but the entire town seemed excited to say hello. Eventually, they flipped people off as a form of greeting, and we used that as an excuse to cut each visit short.
Not that it did anything. There were so many people who wanted to express their gratitude to Gabe that we were busy for the rest of the day.
Tammy brought gift cards for the diner and Jackie came by to say that we could bring the girls in for a haircut for free at any time. Gabe went through the motions of smiling and saying thank you, but I knew he probably wasn’t going to take up any of their offers.
He at least let them think they were offering something to him, though.
But by far the most perplexing visitor came right as the sun was setting.
Agnes and Beatrice had settled for hanging off the fridge, hoping to scare whoever came in.
Gabe and I were shocked when Hugh made his way through the door.
“I guess I should say something sappy, huh?”
“Don’t strain yourself,” Gabe said.
Hugh laughed. “I like your style. And theirs.” He pointed to the girls on top of the fridge.
“We’ve had a lot of people coming in and out,” I explained.
“I bet you have,” Hugh said. “And I bet you’re tired of talking to all of them too.”
“I don’t mind seeing all of you guys, but these three need some adjustment time.”
“I’ll keep this short and sweet for you. I have a gift.”
He frowned. “But you’ve never even used the grant.”
“And I never will. But I can see what you did for the town. So, I figure I should pay my dues.”
