Do Not Forsake Me(56)
Randy walked into the living room, putting her hands on her hips. “What on earth did you show that boy?”
“How to bluff, not cheat,” Jake answered, still grinning.
Jeff couldn’t help his own laughter.
“What am I going to do with you?” Randy told Jake as she gathered the cards together.
Jake winked at Jeff. “Woman, do you really want me to answer that in front of Jeff here?”
Randy broke into a smile, looking slyly at Jake. “I don’t think I do.” She turned to Jeff. “And welcome. There is so much going on around here you haven’t even been properly greeted by the rest of us.”
“That’s okay, Mrs. Harkner. It’s just good to see your family back to normal and Jake doing better.”
“Yes, well…” She cast Jake another warning look. “It’s debatable if Jake’s getting better is a good thing.”
Jake took a cigarette from the coffee table and lit it. “You’ll find out how much better I am sooner than later.”
Randy threw a kitchen towel at him. “You just remember that if you walk around too much—or if you are thinking of any other activity—you could pass out.”
“I can’t think of a better way of finding out how much I can do.”
Randy shoved the cards into their box. “Do you want some coffee?”
Jake drew on the cigarette, still chuckling. “Yes, ma’am. And bring one for Jeff.” He looked at Jeff. “Want some apple pie? Randy makes the best.”
“That would be nice.”
Randy left and Little Jake stood up near the table where Jake’s guns lay in pieces. He started reaching for one of the parts.
“Little Jake, don’t you dare,” Jake warned, catching the movement out of the corner of his eye.
The boy stared at his grandfather with dark eyes round as saucers. “Gampa’s guns.”
“Yes. And you know you can’t touch them.”
The boy gave Jake a daring look. He looked at the gun parts and devilishly started to reach for them again.
“What did Grandpa say?” Jake told him, setting his cigarette in an ashtray on the coffee table.
Jeff watched, intrigued. “No slap on the hand?”
Jake completely sobered. “No.”
“Gampa’s guns,” Little Jake said again.
“And don’t you touch them.”
Little Jake met his grandfather’s eyes, and the stare-down was on. “Gampa’s guns,” he repeated.
Jake just kept watching the boy’s eyes. “Little Jake, Grandpa always says to watch a man’s eyes when he’s about to do something he shouldn’t. I’m watching yours. If you make another move toward those guns, you won’t get any more hugs from Grandpa. And we won’t go on that horseback ride I promised you.”
Several more long seconds passed. Little Jake stole another look at the gun parts.
“I mean it, Little Jake.”
The child moved his gaze back to his grandfather. “Gampa’s guns,” he said again, his lips moving into a pout and his eyes tearing.
“Don’t pull that trick on me,” Jake warned. “Tears won’t help. You decide. Touch those guns, and no hugs and no horseback ride.”
Little Jake glared at his grandfather another few seconds, then suddenly grinned. “Gampa son-o-biss.”
“What?” Jake frowned as Jeff put his hat over his face so the boy wouldn’t see him quietly laughing.
“Gampa son-o-biss.”
Jeff peeked around the brim of his hat to see Jake struggling very hard not to laugh. “Well, Little Jake, a lot of people would agree with you, but when somebody loves you, you don’t call them that.” He moved a hand over his mouth as though to wipe off a smile and tried to keep a serious look in his eyes. “Do you understand me, Little Jake? That is a bad word that you only use for bad people. Do you think Grandpa is bad, just because he won’t let you touch those guns?”
The boy just blinked, still pouting.
“I won’t let you touch those guns, even though they aren’t even put together, because you can’t touch Grandpa’s guns ever, Little Jake, and that’s because Grandpa loves you and doesn’t want you to get hurt. So Grandpa’s not bad. He just loves you. Do you love Grandpa?”
The boy nodded.
“Then don’t use that name, all right? Don’t use it for anybody who loves you.”
Little Jake nodded again.
“Now—do you want hugs and do you still want to ride on Grandpa’s horse?”
The boy nodded again, then jumped into Jake’s arms and gave his grandfather several kisses on the cheek. Jake kissed him back, then set him on his feet. “Go play on the swings outside with your cheating cousin, Stevie,” he told the boy.