Sammy & Ilna - love you both to the moon and back. Thank you for being you.
REALMcRollers and Readers - Thanks you all for the kind condolences on my dad's passing. Much, much appreciated.
Driving Lesson
Danny walked onto the deck and went right to lift Angie from her bouncer. "Who's your favorite Uncle?" He kissed her cheek and coaxed, "Uncle Danno, right?"
"Daaa nooo." The baby kicked her legs, still in bounce mode, and patted his cheeks with both hands.
"How'd it go?" Catherine was grinning as Danny sat on a chaise with a dramatic sigh.
"I need a hug, Angie." He cuddled the baby, getting an "awww" from Catherine when her daughter's head rested on his shoulder.
"That bad?" she chuckled.
"I needed a hug from someone who won't be driving for another fifteen years," he sighed.
"Speaking of …?"
Danny sighed dramatically. "She's parking. My baby girl who just learned to ride a tricycle like five minutes ago is out in front of your house parallel parking the truck with Steve."
As if their mention summoned them, Grace stepped onto the deck just before her uncle.
She wrapped her arms around her dad from behind and kissed his cheek, causing Angie to squeal, "EEEEEEEEEEEE!" at the sight of her cousin. "I see you, Angie!" Grace lifted the baby from Danny's lap and swung her around.
Angie, picking up on her cousin's tone said, "Aaaaahhh eeee!" and flailed her arms, then hearing her father's voice, she swiveled in his direction and reached out. "Dada!"
"Your dada was helping me park the truck, because he and Danno said if I can drive it, I can ace the test." Grace nodded and smiled even brighter when Angie nodded to mimic her. "Go see daddy." She passed the baby to Steve.
"So, good lesson?" Catherine was grinning happily as she reciprocated the hug her niece had bounded over to wrap her in.
"I think I've got the parallel parking down." She turned to look over her shoulder. "But I need way more practice on backing up twenty five feet in a straight line." Grace cringed. "I'm really sorry again, Uncle Steve."
Danny winced and was immediately on his feet, looking between his best friend and daughter. "'Sorry, Uncle Steve?' What happened?"
"Nothing." Steve shook his head and one-arm hugged Grace with Angie still propped on his hip. "I told you, no need to apologize, Gracie. It's not a big deal and you have plenty of time to practice before your birthday. You're gonna ace the test."
"But I wanna pay for the mirror." Grace looked at him seriously.
"Pay for … the mirror's off the truck?" Danny eyed his best friend with a raised brow.
"The mirror's fine." Steve shrugged it off. "Gracie just under calculated the distance between the truck and the tree. Nothing a screwdriver and a couple of bolts can't fix." He dropped a kiss on his niece's head.
"You're sure? Because I have money saved from …"
"Absolutely," Steve said. "Sweetheart, it's not a problem."
"O...kay." Grace was hesitant, but Catherine's sure smile and Steve's nonchalance had her smiling as well. "You're really sure?"
"I am one hundred percent sure." He pointed at Danny. "Besides, Danno's car had the mirrors replaced like 50 times."
Danny grinned, seeing what his partner was doing. He didn't want to shake Grace's confidence. "Which were all your Uncle Steve's doing." He huffed, "maniac."
Steve snorted. "The maniac you're letting practice K-turns in a truck with your kid."
"Because if my kid learns in that ridiculously large truck she can drive anything…"
Grace and Catherine chuckled together as Angie was taken from Steve's arms by her mommy. "My mom taught me to drive," she said as she lifted the baby and did a diaper check.
"She need a change?"
"No, all good." She smiled. "Anyway, we lived near the water and on one lesson I was driving on the sand and the tide was coming in."
"Uh oh." Grace's eyes widened.
"I was trying a K-turn and the back tires started slipping." She shook her head.
"What did Elizabeth do?" Danny asked.
"Hopped out and pushed." She chuckled at the memory. "Mom never lost her cool. Always the best teacher ever."
"Aunt Elizabeth pushed the car?" Grace looked a little incredulous.
"She absolutely did. Enough to give me traction to get off the wet sand." Catherine nodded. "Passed the test, too."
"Of course you did." Steve grinned.
"And I drove to pick Dad up when he disembarked. The look on his face was …" She could picture the pride in his eyes even all those years later. "I was so excited and he was very proud."
"And no doubt feeling a little melancholy his baby was suddenly behind the wheel," Danny added with a small smile. "And maybe we save driving on sand for after you've had a few more lessons." His smile widened. "And definitely do that in Uncle Steve's truck."
"Good idea, I can start teaching her defensive driving the same day…" he teased and winked at a grinning Grace.
Danny snorted and shook his head. "Keep busting me, because in about fifteen years…" he pointed at a cooing Angie who was playing pat-a-cake with her cousin, "there's gonna be another McGarrett on the road and I cannot wait to see your face the first time your baby girl asks for a driving lesson in your truck."
Steve took Angie from Catherine and smiled when she murmured, "Dada."
"She's a McGarrett, Danny, in fifteen years she'll be ready to commandeer the Camaro."
# End. Thanks for reading!
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