into the parlor, his tail wagging, his nose sniffing. He went directly toward Claire and put his paws on her beautiful designer outfit.
And Claire flinched. She was obviously scared to death of that little puppy. “Get down,” Claire ordered, but the pooch seemed oblivious until Claire started sneezing.
“Ah,” Dash intoned, “allergies.”
Todd came to a halt. “Oh, hey,” he said, his gaze shifting from one grandmother to the other.
“Oh, my God, your face,” Claire said as she pulled a tissue out of her Hermès bag. She glared at Dash. “You were there when it happened. Why on earth did you put him in a situation where he could get beaten up by a bully like that? And why didn’t you stop it?”
Dash glared back, but said nothing.
“It wasn’t Dash’s fault. It was yours and Granny’s,” Todd said in a surprisingly adult tone.
“What?” Mom and Claire said in unison. Their expressions suggested that World War III was about to break out at any moment, probably with the force of a nuclear explosion.
Todd stood straight and tall in front of his grandmothers. He didn’t flinch. “Well, I’m sorry, but it’s only the truth. You all let the dog out. And he got into a lot of trouble. And then Corey Simms started a fight over it.”
“That’s right, son, but you’re the one who finished it,” Dash said, giving the boy a big smile.
“Who is this man?” Claire asked again, giving Dash the stink eye. But Dash was impervious, so she turned back toward Todd. “Young man, I will not take insolence from you. Is that clear? Now go upstairs and pack your things.”
Todd looked at Savannah. “Are we going somewhere?”
“We’re going home,” Claire said. “And you’re going to interview for the Gilman School. Your interview is next week, and I only hope the black eye has faded by then. I’m sure the board of admissions takes a dim view of boys who get into fights.”
“Now, Claire—” Savannah started.
“I don’t want to go to the Gilman School,” Todd said.
“Of course you do. Everybody in your family has gone there,” Claire said.
“I didn’t.” Dash smiled. Todd smiled back.
“Really, Cousin Dash, you are not related to us in any way.” Mom sounded like she was about to burst a blood vessel.
“You know, Aunt Katie Lynne, when you’re not so angry, you’ll realize that what you just said was kind of funny.”
Champ decided that it was time to make friends with Mom. He jumped up on her beige ensemble and started licking her face. Her reaction was decidedly unfriendly. “Get off me, you mangy mutt.”
She pushed the dog off her lap. He landed hard with a yelp.
“Hey, that was mean.” Todd got down on the floor and gave the puppy a big hug.
“He’s undisciplined,” Mom said.
“Sort of like the boy,” Bill muttered.
Dash snorted. “You know, people have been throwing that word around a lot lately.” He smiled in Savannah’s direction and then glared at Bill. Bill glared right back.
Savannah felt the corners of her mouth lifting. It was kind of strange having Dash at her back.
“Stop playing with that disgusting dog and go pack,” Claire said.
Todd turned toward Savannah. “Can I bring Champ with me?”
Before Savannah could open her mouth to tell her son that they weren’t going anywhere, Claire and Mom said “no” in unison.
Big mistake.
The boy stood up, the dog at his feet. “I’m not going then.”
“Of course you’re going.” Claire was almost as dense as Bill, who was still standing there clutching the Easter lily.
“No. I promised that I was going to look after Champ for the rest of his life. I’m not going to leave him here if I have to go back to Baltimore,” Todd said.
He looked up at Savannah, and her heart broke. If she could find a way to make Greg love this child, she would do it in a New York minute. But she’d tried and failed. Greg was a spoiled brat and a louse. And she had a good idea why her ex had ended up that way. His mother was a piece of work.
“I’m proud of you,” Savannah said to her little boy. “And we’re not going anywhere.”
The uncertainty in Todd’s eyes fled. “That’s good.”
“Now, why don’t you and Champ go upstairs? You need to wash your face and change out of those bloody clothes.”
He turned and headed up the stairs.
Savannah turned toward Dash. “Can you make sure his nose is really okay?”
Dash nodded and followed Todd up the stairs. It was kind of strange. A month