"I'm glad you did," Nana said, brushing right by Cassie's embarrassment. No reason to be embarrassed in front of family, honey. "I think of y'all as my great-nieces, too. If that's all right with y'all. But you family now."

And she had a notion that they were missing out on some grandma love, knowing what she did about Eliot's mom's passing.

"And now that you're here, you can help me make up stories 'bout all the different folks here."