The Country Guesthouse (Sullivan's Crossing #5)(76)

“When can I see him?”

“I don’t know yet. Maybe in a few weeks, provided you don’t try anything tricky like stalking him.”

“What a ridiculous thing to accuse me of! I stayed here to see my grandson! It’s very inconvenient!”

“Then go home. It could be months before we’re ready to have you to lunch.”

“You can’t do this to me! I have rights.”

“Not as many rights as you apparently believe. I am not opposed to letting you see Noah, but you have to be patient and appropriate. He’s grieving. He’s coming along but we still have rough patches. If you care about him, you’d better give us time. His birthday is coming up in a couple of months—send him a gift. Call to wish him a happy birthday. Be gentle with your approach. Be understanding. He wasn’t even sure he had a grandmother until you took us to court. You’d better lighten up. I will not hesitate to go back to the judge if I feel pressured or harassed or threatened.”

“Now you’re being paranoid! I haven’t done anything to—”

“Victoria, I don’t know you. I don’t know you at all. I only know that Erin didn’t want you involved with Noah. Your pushy and inappropriate behavior makes me nervous—if Erin didn’t trust you, why should I? I’m not completely closed to the idea that you might have seen the light and hope for a good relationship with Noah, but I’m also not completely convinced. When you refuse to respect my boundaries, I grow more resistant. The judge was specific. I think I can count on his help.”

“There’s nothing you can do and you don’t scare me.”

Hannah leaned back. “There you go—that was threatening. I will see the judge. I’ll file for a restraining order.”

“I haven’t threatened or assaulted you. You think you can just have a restraining order because you don’t like someone? No, you can’t. Besides, you can’t prove I said anything!”

“Why are you so angry?” Hannah asked.

“How would you feel if your only grandchild was torn away from you?”

“You didn’t care about him before. The choice was made by his mother, and it was very carefully thought through. Erin knew the law and she planned meticulously. Now, Owen and I are willing to work with you, but—”

“He’s not your husband! Erin didn’t give him permission to be guardian.”

“He’s my partner and Noah loves him. Noah trusts him. I thought maybe we could talk this through and that you’d be reasonable about your expectations, but if that’s not going to work...”

Hannah pulled a few bills out of her purse and put them on the table.

“I will deny we ever met!” Victoria said.

Hannah slid her phone out of the pocket of her light blue cotton shirt. “Good luck with that.”

“You’ve recorded us? Oh, how conniving! How could you? All I want is a chance to get to know Noah! I won’t try to take him away from you. I just want to see him regularly!”

“And I’m telling you, from everything I know, his mother would not be in favor of that. But I’m willing to be flexible—every few months, maybe. You can go home, we can stay in touch by phone, arrange a visit now and then, and maybe later when there’s more trust between us...”

“I worry that I won’t survive that long. I’m not young and all I want is that he remember me,” she said, tears coming to her eyes.

“What are you talking about?”

“I haven’t been feeling the greatest. It’s probably just the stress. The doctor suggested some tests. I’m seeing a doctor in Denver so I’m not going anywhere until I have some answers.”

“Not feeling well how?” Hannah asked.

“Don’t worry. It’s probably nothing. Women my age have complaints, you know. I’ll have a few tests, get some answers and go from there.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Victoria. But I won’t change my mind about the boundaries. I’m trying to parent a little boy and it’s my job to protect him, help him get through it as best I can. You’re going to have to be cooperative or I won’t make any further effort.”

Victoria narrowed her eyes. “I really hadn’t figured you as someone who played hardball.”

That’s where we differ, Hannah thought. I finally realized you would.

  Helen didn’t know that Hannah and Victoria would be meeting for coffee at the café in Leadville, but she recognized their cars parked outside. She’d been haunting Leadville for the past week, looking for an opportunity to run into Victoria. A chance meeting.

Oh, Sully might be right—she might be making trouble! But she was going with her gut instinct. Her gut was going with the obvious. Any self-respecting grandmother who longed for her beloved grandchild began that longing when he was a baby. A new baby.

She browsed in the bookstore, near the front window, watching the coffee shop. Hannah left first and didn’t notice Helen or her car. Victoria left second. She drove a few blocks to the market. This was perfect. Helen could kill two birds with one stone. She needed a couple of things for dinner.

Inside the market, Helen grabbed a small cart and crept down the aisles like the super sleuths she was always writing about. When she saw Victoria poking around the produce, she made a sharp turn, drove her cart around an island piled high with fruit and melons and smashed right into Victoria’s cart. “Hey!” Helen fairly yelled. “Oh! Mrs. Addison! Excuse me!”