Page 36 of A Flower for Angus

Angus’s grin split his face. “Round one goes to the lassies,” he said with good humor. “Are ye actually goin’ to dip yer haggis in that ketchup?”

Poppy shuddered. “Of course not. I don’t even use ketchup on my meatloaf. I am excited about trying Lucerne’s recipe though. I’m not a fan of the ingredients, but it’s not near as disgusting as I thought it would be. I do love mashed potatoes, but I don’t know about the mashed turnips. I’ve eaten them raw as a kid on my grandpa’s farm, but haven’t touched one in years.” She cut a slice of her haggis and dipped it in the mashed mixture, then placed it in her mouth. Again, they were all watching her intently, waiting for her opinion.

“Well, what do ye think?” Angus asked.

Poppy cocked her head sideways. “Needs pepperoni.”

Angus choked, aghast. “Pepperoni?”

“It would add some spice to it. I’m an Italian girl.”

Angus pointed his finger sternly at Lucerne. “Is this yer doin’? Ye done had Dorothy makin’ habanero roast lamb and almost burnt my tonsils clean out.”

Lucerne couldn’t help it, she dissolved into giggles, Poppy right along with her. She’d already heard the story from Lucerne.

“Darro, yer lass is out of control in the kitchen.”

“I have no complaints and neither should ye since ye didn’t cook it, ye old git,” Darro drawled lazily.

Angus grinned broadly. “Ye may be right about that, but my educated palate should be a learnin’ lesson fer the lassies. I know good haggis.”

“Educated palate my ar...rump,” Darro mocked, side eying the kids.

“Uncle Darro,” exclaimed both Delilah and Corey at once.

Both men burst out laughing and Poppy realized that they could have gone on forever. She was grateful for the chance to laugh and put her worry over Adrian on hold for the moment.

“Lucerne’s haggis is a bit different than the bon bons we tried at The Waterfront, but I like them both. Not bad at all.”

Angus nodded, and then looking as serious as a heart attack, he asked, “Think ye can make it on yer own?”

“I believe so,” Poppy replied slowly, her eyebrow arching. “Why?”

He wiped imaginary sweat off his forehead. “Whew...that’s a relief. I was afraid I’d have to take back my offer to hire ye as my housekeeper.”

Poppy rolled her eyes and the children immediately threatened to throw scones at him if he even dared.

“Still trying to steal my housekeeper, eh?” Darro asked with a chuckle. “Why don’t ye just hire yerself one?”

“Because it’s more fun this way,” Angus assured him.

The rest of the meal was fun, the feeling of close friends and family drawing Poppy in and making her feel safe. Neamh was slowly carving a place in her heart.

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