Sammy and Amanda - After our 9th annual Thanksgiving Marathon I have to say I am so very thankful everyday for you. Love you guys.

REAL McRollers and Readers - we are thankful for you all, and appreciate your love and loyalty.

Family Time

"Nonna, hi!" Angie waved from her spot on Steve's lap.

"Hi, Nonna, did you have a fun weekend?" DJ asked. He was on the sofa seated between his parents in front of the tablet.

"I did, mio bambini. Did you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday? Our Skype wasn't long enough to hear all the details on Thursday, but I'm all ears now."

"It was so fun! Uncle Danny said our manicotti was as good as yours because it's all in the gravy." He was grinning ear to ear. "We did it just like your recipe said and it came out really great."

Nonna smiled, her eyes meeting Catherine's. "I'm so happy you used my recipe. I know you and Joan did a great job because you're all such good listeners. Mary texted me when they got home and she said they were going to make my knots this week for your cousin to bring to school."

"We got our Christmas cousin shirts, Nonna!" Angie told the great grandma. "We got red again."

"We got to pick the color and design for everybody when we went to the mall," DJ confirmed. "They say Cousin Crew in candy cane striped letters."

"They sound perfect." Nonna clapped. Nothing made her happier than family making memories together. "What else did you do on Thanksgiving?"

"During dinner, Uncle Chin told us about how he and Grandpa John caught a bunch of bad guys one time on Thanksgiving and Grandpa John was hoping he would be home for dinner with the family. The bad guys were from the mainland and didn't know about taking pork over the old Pali highway and they had a stolen truck with roast pork on it and guess what?"

Nonna opened her eyes wide, "What, Pronipote?"

"The truck broke down on the Pali."

"And they caught all the bad guys!" Angie finished.

"They did? How wonderful."

"True story," Steve added. "Dad was home to carve the turkey and Chin made it to his Auntie's."

"Auntie Kaia's," DJ supplied.

"Kono's lovely mother." Nonna had met Kaia Kalakaua on several of her visits.

"Auntie Kono wasn't chasing bad guys yet because she was a kid like us." Angie explained to Nonna's delight.

"What a wonderful story with family history in it." Nonna smiled. "Did you have some of your Auntie Kaia's delicious poke at dinner?"

"Yeah, Auntie Kono brought it, it was so yummy." Angie nodded. "And guess what?"

"What, bella?"

"We learned the song from Aunt Deb's movie." The five year old switched topics causing the great grandma to smile.

"All three kids sang Beyond the Sea for us, I'll send you the video." Catherine ran a hand over her son's hair.

"I can't wait to see it."

After the children regaled Nonna, to her absolute delight, with all the details of the holiday weekend and they said their goodbyes amongst a flurry of blown kisses and waves, they headed upstairs to get ready for bed.

Nonna looked at Steve and smiled softly when they heard Angie say, "I think my boot has a knot again, DJ," from the staircase followed by her brother's answer, "I'll help you get it out then we can pick a book for tonight…"

"Another beautiful family holiday. I can't tell you how much I love seeing the children so excited and happy." Her eyes held his. "And seeing you happy, mio nipote."

He smiled and laced his fingers with Catherine's. "I am happy. I really am."

"You're giving them what you and Mary didn't have, sweetheart. Unconditional love and the confidence you'll always be there. That no matter what, they'll have both of you and each other."

"Mommy! Can you come upstairs, please? My hair is stuck in my zipper!" Angie's voice rang out and Catherine shared a knowing smile with Nonna. "That's my cue. Good night, Nonna, love you." She finger waved a kiss. Patting Steve's thigh, she said, "Take your time. Meet you upstairs."

"Okay." He grinned and turned back to the screen.

"So there's a new level of … contentment I can see as clear as day in our last few calls." Nonna. "Not to pry, Steven, I'm just happy to see it."

He shook his head at just how astute Danny's grandma was. "You'd have made a great cop, you know that?"

"Ah so there is something new." Her eyes were soft when she regarded him patiently.

Steve took a breath. "I saw Doris."

Nonna waited for him to continue.

"She called out of the blue. Wanted to see me." He shrugged almost imperceptibly. "I met her. Danny was with me. I told her I couldn't do the on/off thing again. I couldn't let that happen, it's not good for me."

"I'm proud of you, Steven, it's never an easy choice to put your best interest first in that kind of situation. Especially for someone like you."

"It was the right decision. I also told her it wasn't possible for her to meet the kids. They can't have that kind of instability. I won't allow it. Catherine agrees with me a hundred percent."

"Of course she does. She's the other half of your heart, dear boy. She knows."

"I don't know if I'll see Doris again, but I felt a … calmness afterwards. I expected… I don't know what I expected to feel, but I'm definitely relieved and happy to move forward." He ran a hand through his hair.

"And it shows. These eyes have seen a lot of things and I'm pretty perceptive, nipote. You made the absolute right decision. For you, Catherine and those beautiful children."

"Thanks, Nonna, that means a lot."

"I love you, Steven, and I can tell it's what's best. For all of you."

"Daddy!" Angie's voice floated down the stairs and an unbidden smile curved his lips. "Can Nonna stay on Skype for story time? We can read The Boardwalk Mystery book from Uncle Danny."

"It's late there, what do you think?" he asked the woman he considered his own grandmother since she enveloped him and Catherine into her family at their first meeting.

"I'm always ready for family time," she replied with twinkling eyes.

Lifting the tablet to head upstairs for a story, Steve's eyes passed over a photo of Nonna with himself, Catherine and the kids taken during their visit to New Jersey. Inhaling and letting the breath out with a content sigh he smiled. "Me, too."

# End thanks for reading

The Boardwalk Mystery (The Boxcar Children Mysteries) by Gertrude Chandler Warner takes place at the NJ shore.

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