With a laugh Ryleigh said, “Okay, okay. That’s enough. Thank you all for this ego boost.”
“I can’t wait to come over and have a talk with this Keenan guy,” Catriona said after she stood from the coffee table.
“Hell no. You’re officially uninvited to come over,” she said.
“Don’t care. The man better proves to us he’s worthy of you.”
The front door lock turned, and they knew that would be all about this topic for tonight.
“I’ll be right back with some ice cream,” Nanna said as she bypassed the living room on her way to the kitchen.
Ryleigh’s grandfather Ross passed the sofa and first padded Nora’s hair, then Ryleigh’s and followed the row by lovingly patting the top of Mia’s head.
“Hey girls. Did we give you enough time to share juicy gossip?” He said sitting down next to Catriona on the other sofa.
“Yeah. Lots of boy talk,” Catriona said.
He laughed. “Good. Glad to have missed it.”
“You don’t mean that, dear.” Nanna walked into the room with a tray filled with ice cream bowls.
“I love you, Abby, but I mean it. I’m seventy-three years old. I always thought I’d seen it all, but with our son turning out to be a two-timing—”
“Ross!”
Catriona waved a hand in the air. “No, it’s okay, Nanna. We can all agree about my dad—”
“Can we please not talk about this again?” Nora said before she quickly scooped a full spoon of chocolate ice cream and brought it to her lips.
“The last thing I’ll say about this is that I want to see my granddaughters. These five girls are just as much my blood as you are. You may not like it, Cat, but they’re your blood, too. That’s the truth, and I’m not resting before I meet them.”
“Jessie said she’s working on arranging a meeting with them soon,” Nanna said.
Ryleigh gave her grandmother a smile and said, “Yes. She met up with Bree, who lives across the street from Keenan.”
“Keenan?” Ross asked and furrowed his gray brows.
“He’s Ryleigh’s boss,” Catriona dragged the word ‘boss’ out like he has been anything but a boss to her. Ryleigh sighed. It seemed high school all over again, with Catriona outing Keenan as her love interest.
“Hmm. Maybe I’ll have to come over sometime next week, Ry. Check this fellow out.”
“Ha, poor Keenan. He’ll not know what’ll hit him when he meets granddad and Cat.”
Ryleigh shut Mia up by slamming a throw pillow against her head.
“Stop it, girls. Can we enjoy a little peace for once?”
“Yes, Nanna,” Mia and Ryleigh said in unison.
Ryleigh smiled as she watched her family enjoy their ice cream. Coming over tonight had done wonders for her spirit.
Too bad she had to go home soon. She wondered if Keenan would still be up now that he had his place all to himself. What would she do if she found him downstairs? Should she go to her room and turn to fantasizing about him once again? Or should she try to talk with him?
She took another bite of chocolate ice cream and watched the cuckoo clock tick the seconds away. It was time. Time to go home and see where she stood with him.