Page 90 of The Cannon
Mallory faces her grandmother and takes ahold of her hands. They share a special bond that has grown with the passing few years.
“My dear Mallory. We aren’t joined by blood, but by our hearts. We chose each other and knowing you has brought me great joy. My Little Thanks to you is for all the pictures you send me of what’s going on in your life. School events, sports, boyfriends! You make me feel not only loved but liked. Little Thanks.”
“Thank you, Grandma.”
She turns to Atticus and they exchange lopsided grins. It’s almost as if she’s inherited his DNA.
“So, Dad.”
“Yes, Mallory?”
“Little Thanks for loaning me the car tomorrow.” She says it with a naughty grin and raised eyebrows.
“When exactly did I do that?”
She looks at her watch. “At three fifty-four today.”
The table guests respond with chuckles and under the breath comments.
“Clever girl,” says Grandpa.
“Well, despite you not telling me something nice, you can take the car tomorrow,” Atticus says.
“I’m not finished. My real thanks is for all the homework stuff. You don’t know how to get to the right answer in Algebra any more than I do. But you sit with me and together we work the problem. It’s cool.”
Now that melts everyone’s hearts.
“Sweet girl. Love you much, Mallory.”
“Your turn!” Charlotte says excitedly.
Atticus scoots his chair closer.
“Beautiful Charlotte. Every day with you is a lesson in love. I’m a better, happier man because of you. My Little Thanks is for your playfulness. You make me want to be around you. That’s it.”
She throws her arms around his neck and they kiss.
“Get a room!” Mallory says. Which elicits a sharp look from her mother.
“My turn. Haha everyone! I get to honor the sweetest guy here!”
“Wait! I resent that!” Atticus says.
“Me too!” Brick adds.
“She’s right, and you all know it,” my mother says.
The laughter lightens the room. But the nods confirm the statement.
“Sawyer. How did we get so lucky? I’ve seen your tenderness and compassion play out in many ways. Then there’s how you treat our Bristol. It’s a beautiful thing to witness. But this is Little Thanks, so I’m going to say thank you for the afternoon you spent with Mallory’s last boyfriend. Or was it the one before?”
This is getting funny.
“Anyway, you took your time giving a high school kid major league tips. I think he went back to his team and bragged for a whole month. It was so kind of you.”
“I enjoyed it,” Sawyer says humbly. “But thank you.”
He angles toward Jude and puts an arm around the back of his chair. I feel the tears rise before he even speaks.
