no one got hurt. I said, “Hey girlfriend, you know that song really well now!”
“Aye, tis because I am practicin’ it every morn. If I get good enough I am wantin’ fire tae come from the pipes.” She gracefully turned the other direction and began on the chorus.
I said to Fraoch, “Welcome to the New World.”
“Aye, tis a marvelous place.”
Zach had cooked a full breakfast: waffles and strawberries with chocolate shavings, syrup, and whipped cream, plus bacon and sausages. Fraoch’s plate was piled high. His cup of coffee filled again and again. Isla was at her high chair eating hunks of waffle and strawberry with her fingers. She had strawberry juice wiped through her hair. “Girlfriend, you are a mess.”
She giggled.
“Great, there you go again. You have your mama’s eyes and you make me want to cry. Have some whipped cream.” I spooned a dollop onto her tray.
She smacked her hand down on the pile, splashing it and saying, “Ba! Ba!”
“Exactly. That’s what I’m saying, have more.” I made the pile of whipped cream even higher.
Quentin came in a bit later for a coffee refill. “Boss’s favorite breakfast, huh? You like it, Fraoch?”
Fraoch rolled a sausage through the syrup. “Delicious. Where hae ye been?”
“Security guard patrol. Though I think all of Magnus’s enemies are dead, I have to keep security up.”
“I would like tae help.”
“We can get you started this afternoon. You like night or morning shift?”
“Night.”
Quentin grinned. “Perfect. I could use the sleep.” He grabbed a waffle, dipped it in syrup, and said, “I’m headed back out.”
The boys ran in, climbed on my lap, and looked suspiciously at Fraoch. He was big, hulking, bearded, and wearing sunglasses at the table so I didn’t really blame them.
He grinned widely. Archie pointed and said, “Toof.”
Fraoch grinned even more. “Ye like m’smile? Tis because I dinna eat enough lime pie when I crossed the sea.”
Ben’s eyes went wide.
Archie asked, “Are you a piwat?”
Fraoch laughed, “Me, a pirate? Nae, I am a highlander, a MacDonald. I come from the shores of Loch Leven. I do verra much like tae sail though.”
I said to Archie, “Maybe we can take Fraoch to the beach?”
Archie and Ben yelled, “Beach! Beach!” grabbing Fraoch by the hands and pulling him from the chair to lead him outside.
He stooped to hold their little hands and then scooped them each up onto a hip. “Out tae the beach!”
Seventy-four - Hayley
After the beach, I wanted to take Fraoch for a drive. We stood in the garage looking at my Jeep. “It’s like that ATV, except you climb inside.”
I pulled open the door for him, then raced around to the other side and climbed in. I leaned across him for the seat belt, and strapped it across him, showing him how to do it. Then I started the engine and drove it slowly from the garage.
He said, “Och, tis faster than a horse but verra smooth.”
"What you’re going to want to do, Highlander, is hold on.” I pulled up to the road. “I’m going to take this Jeep up to forty-five miles per hour, probably faster. Hold on.” I waited until A1A was clear and pulled out onto it. I slowly accelerated to the speed limit and watched as Fraoch did indeed grab hold of the handle and the seat.
He winced. “Och, are ye capable?”
“Of course I’m capable, dear husband, I can drive the shit out this Jeep.” I took a right, at a sensible speed.
“Och.” He grabbed at the door and held on.
“This is the horsepower I told you about.” I did a big loop of the island pointing out things to the left and right, noticing that he barely looked because he was concentrating on the road right in front of us.
I drove up to McDonald's. “This is Katie’s traditional favorite place, and I know she brought Magnus here on his first day. See the sign?”
He hunched forward to look up at the sign.
“That’s McDonald’s.”
“Tis m’clan.”
“Yep, they have restaurants all over the world with the same name as yours. The Campbells have a soup named after them, but arguably this restaurant is far more popular. Want a soda or some French fries or something?” I pulled the Jeep into the drive-thru lane. “We can’t spoil our dinner but we can have a snack.”
“I am verra hungry.”
I ordered him a large Coke and four large fries to share in a bag beside us. It was fun to hear him gulp the drink and happily lick his fingers and eat with gusto.