Notes: Thanks to Mari and Sammy as always for their incredible feedback. Huge thanks to Mari for the idea!
Readers and REAL McRollers - Thank you for your amazing support! It is always appreciated.
Love you and miss you, Gram!
Hope you enjoy!
Give-and-Take (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
Steve let himself into the Rollins condo, greeting a waiting Smokey and looking around for his daughter and in-laws.
"Hello?" he called out.
"In here, Steve," came Grandma Ang's voice.
He followed the voice into the kitchen, Smokey at his heels, and found her standing at the sink washing a head of lettuce.
"Angie's at the pool with Elizabeth and Joseph," she told him, looking back over her shoulder. "I decided to stay back and put together a little salad for dinner. They were planning to come back by five."
"I know I'm a little early," he said. "We wrapped for the day but Catherine had some things to finish up so I came ahead."
"You can go down there to join them," she offered, placing the lettuce on the cutting board and taking out a sharp knife. She smiled. "I'm sure Angie will be excited to see her 'Dada.' "
He glanced in the direction of the back patio door with a smile at the thought of Angie's bright smile, but turned back to Ang. "You know, I think I'll hang out with you until they get back, if that's okay."
She smiled at him. "Fine by me." She nodded to the bowl on the counter with a grin. "But make yourself useful and cut up a couple tomatoes."
"Yes, ma'am," he said, smiling easily. He grabbed another cutting board and knife and put them on the counter.
"One should be enough, unless you and Catherine and Angie are staying for dinner."
"We hadn't made plans …" he began.
"Stay, stay," she insisted. "We're having brats."
"With potato salad?" he asked, quirking an interested eyebrow.
"Of course."
"I'm in," he said without hesitation, already taking out his phone to text Catherine.
She grinned knowingly. "You never could say 'No' to potato salad."
"Not the way you and Elizabeth make it," he agreed readily.
After pocketing his phone, he washed his hands and set to slicing the first tomato.
"This is familiar," he said after a moment, looking over at her with a little smile.
She returned his look curiously.
"The first time we met you had me cutting vegetables within about 30 seconds," he reminded her, nodding at the tomato in front of him.
She chuckled. "That's right, I did. And you passed the test with flying colors."
"The test?"
"Of course. I knew Catherine wouldn't pick someone who was helpless around the house, but I had to make sure."
His brow furrowed slightly as he thought more about the visit. "Is that why you had me helping you fold towels the next day?"
"Well, they did need folding, too …"
He grinned, shaking his head a little. "A test. I really should've picked up on that at the time."
She nodded. "I wasn't being very subtle." She glanced at him, a twinkle in her eye. "But you're smart in other ways."
He burst out laughing. "Thanks, Grandma Ang."
She grinned, moving the cut up lettuce into a large salad bowl as he finished the first tomato and started in on the second.
"It wasn't all a test, though," she continued, grabbing a carrot to slice. "We knew you'd be feeling a little uncomfortable, staying with strangers … especially since we were your girlfriend's family." She held up a hand, forestalling him. "And I know you weren't calling yourselves boyfriend and girlfriend then, but you know what I mean."
He sighed. "I spent a little too long dwelling on those particular labels."
"You had your reasons," she said understandingly, and he gave her a small, appreciative smile. "Anyway, Joseph was fine keeping you off kilter …"
He huffed in amusement, taking a third tomato. "Of course he was."
"But Elizabeth and I wanted to make you feel more at home."
He grinned. "By having me do chores."
"By having you do chores," she confirmed with a matching grin. She finished with the carrots took a cucumber from the bowl. "And by bringing you into some of our family traditions. Like playing Rummikub after dinner."
"You mean like wiping the floor with me at Rummikub after dinner."
"Well, it was your first time playing …" she said placatingly.
He snorted, lifting the cutting board and sliding the tomato slices into the salad bowl. "That doesn't explain the last fifteen years of losses."
"No, it doesn't," she agreed, the twinkle back in her eye.
He laughed again. "You know that visit was when I realized Catherine came by her sense of humor honestly. Nice to still be proven right year after year."
"And I know you well enough by now to know you give as good as you get," she said with a knowing smile. Her expression softened. "In fact, that was one of the first things I noticed about you and Catherine together. How you teased and bantered with each other."
He smiled in acknowledgement.
"I knew that boded well for your relationship," she said. "Even if you weren't calling it a relationship yet."
"We've been like that since day one," he said, smiling softly as the memory of a beautiful plebe with a milkshake challenging him without any hesitation sprang to his mind.
"I believe it," Ang said, smiling at his expression. "Seeing the two of you like that … it reminded me so much of Elizabeth and Joseph. The depth of feeling that has to be there to have that kind of give-and-take."
He looked at her, surprised. "Wow. You know, that's … probably the nicest thing you could say about our relationship," he said, truly touched by the comparison.
She smiled, reaching out for his arm and giving it a squeeze. "It's true." She winced a little and nodded to the cut up cucumber. "Put those in the bowl for me, would you?" she said, turning toward the kitchen table, holding on to the counter as she moved.
"Are you okay?" he said, walking beside her.
She accepted his hand as he helped her into a chair. "Oh, yes. Just need to sit down for a minute." She rubbed her legs. "Times like these I hear Louise's voice in my head. 'Don't get old.' "
"You're not old," he said immediately.
She waved a dismissive hand at him. "Oh, get out."
He smiled at her oft-used response which was somehow both gruff and good-natured.
Smiling back, she said, "I'm lucky, though. Aside from a few aches and pains and some tiredness, I'm very healthy."
"I'm very glad to hear it," he said sincerely. "Angie needs her great-grandma around for a long time."
"I plan to be there," Ang said. She patted his hand with a smile. "For her and for any other great-grandchildren that come along."
He smiled, nodding. "They'll need you, and so will the rest of us."
She gave his hand a squeeze and then motioned back toward the counter. "Finish putting that salad together and come sit with me."
"Okay," he said, squeezing her hand back before moving back to where they'd been working. He put the cucumber slices Ang had cut into the bowl, tossing one to Smokey who gobbled it up and looked ready for more.
"That's it, Smokey," Ang said with a smile. "We have to save the rest for dinner."
Steve quickly put the lid on the bowl, storing it in the fridge for later. He came back to the table with a bottle of water and set it in front of Ang.
"Oh, thank you," she said, reaching for it. "Always so thoughtful."
He gave her a little smile.
"You know," she went on after taking a drink, "sometimes you remind me a little of Catherine's grandfather."
He raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Really?"
"Sometimes," she said, nodding. "He'd do little things like that, too, before you could even ask."
He smiled. "I wish I could've known him."
"He would've liked you," she said confidently. "It might have been tough for you to tell … he wasn't very talkative, my Rocks, he left the talking to me," she added with a wink, "but I know he would've liked you a whole lot."
"That's good to know," he said, smiling sincerely.
Smokey alerted a moment later and they heard the sound of the front door opening as he trotted into the hall to greet the newcomer.
Ang's eyes brightened. "Speaking of someone Rocks would have liked a whole lot …" She smiled and called out, "We're in the kitchen, Catherine."
"Hi, Smokey," they heard, and a few seconds later, Catherine appeared in the kitchen doorway.
Steve stood as she walked over and she reached for his hand, taking it while leaning down to kiss her grandmother's cheek.
"Hi, Gram."
Ang smiled warmly in response. "Hello, my girl."
Catherine straightened, turning to Steve who also smiled at her. "Thought you had some things to finish up," he said.
She nodded. "Didn't take as long as I thought."
He grinned. "Admit it, you put everything down as soon as you heard there was potato salad."
"Well, I had to," she quipped, leaning up toward him. "Between you and Dad, there wouldn't be any left if I got here late."
Chuckling, he met her upturned face for a kiss.
Ang smiled happily as she watched the exchange. "Exactly what I meant," she said quietly. When they turned to look at her, she reached for both of their hands. "Don't ever lose that give-and-take."
Catherine looked between them, one eyebrow quirked in question, but Steve just smiled, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her temple.
"I don't think you've got anything to worry about there, Grandma Ang."
Hope you enjoyed!
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