11)

I managed to get all the way to the inside the half bath off the butler’s pantry to cough up the blood, and then washed my hands.

A sniffling Ami was sweeping up the broken glass while her sister was putting away the leftovers in plastic containers and packing the dishwasher with the used dishes. The boy had nodded off in one of the sun room chairs.

I thought about teasing the younger girl about how she needed to be older before she started being a homewrecker, but I decided she already too upset for teasing, besides she was probably too young to get the joke.

I wandered over and took the broom from the younger girl, “Go get the dustpan from the broom closet over there, it’s got handle on it so I don’t have to bend over.” she started to shuffle along still moping, so I laid my hand on her head and messed up her hair to her angry complaints. “We’re good kid, the fast healing bit about werewolves turned out to be true so you didn’t break anything that can’t be fixed.

She started crying again and ran off. Sara gave me a dirty look and chased off after her.

Girls.

I pulled the pancakes out of the plastic tub she had put them in and set them out on top of the bird houses I had set out so I could see them from the sun room. Leftover pancakes never tasted as good, and while they were probably terrible for the birds, I doubted they cared, so why waste food.

I finished up cleaning up the glass and the broken remains of the wooden parts of the doors, before pulling out my still intact phone, I had paid for a extra tough case. Then called up Bertinelli’s and son, the contractors who had finished off the house for me.

My number was in their system so my call got transferred right to the owner’s line , “Good morning Mr. Lathe, what can we do for you?”

Which left me without much of a answer for a moment, since telling him my previously unknown granddaughter had blown out a set of doors with her witch powers wasn’t something I was ready to share.

So I came up with a story. “Let’s say someone drove a car out my sun room’s veranda doors, and took out the frame with it, that ain’t what happened, but it’s the story I’m going with.”

He laughed, “You’re not the first rich person I've worked for Mr Lathe, as long you pay your bills, which you always do, I'll believe any story you want to come up with. I can spare a few guys to head up this afternoon to start working at it.”

This is why you paid workmen promptly and don’t try to bicker over the bill, that and they will take you to court. “Sounds good, if they can get it done today add fifty percent to the bill. Plus I'll tip them a hundred each.”

As I exchanged a few more pleasantries before hanging up, I could see the boy was up and looking out at my lake, as he tuned to me and said “Doggy.” before pointing out the half grown wolf cub running off for the treeline.

The opposite side of my lake wasn’t part of my property, and was downwind of my house were the smell of my blood just had to have been carried off to other side.

Well depending on much of blabbermouth girl wolf was, I might be having visitors tonight, hope I got an intact back door by then.

The girls wandered back and Ami apologized for hurting me and I apologized for getting her upset, which I still ain’t sure what I said to get her upset, but taking responsibility for whatever set them off and saying you’re sorry is always the right move when girls and women are mad about something.

Then I rounded up the kids and took them to the playroom, which considering the ages of my brothers kids mostly consisted of a old pool table, board games, and some couches around the Tv with the latest version of a Nintendo hooked up to it.

I left them to something involving Mario and went to tape up some plastic on the Veranda doors to keep the critter’s out.

Which is where Sara tracked me down.

She took a seat on one of the breakfast bar stools and clenched her hand together. “So, werewolves are real.”

I grunted something in agreement.

“So my mother lied to me.’

Oh, one of those conversations.

“Kiddo, neither one of us know her circumstances, she may have been lied to, or just didn’t know. Why don’t you tell me more about her and that side of your family.