Summer on Blossom Street (Blossom Street #6)(90)

“I said I would, didn’t I?”

Ellen nodded enthusiastically.

Anne Marie climbed out of the car and waved to Vanessa, who halfheartedly returned the gesture. Even from this distance, Anne Marie could see that the other woman didn’t want her there.

Anne Marie hoped she’d have the opportunity to tell her that she wouldn’t always be accompanying Ellen to Tim’s family events. On this f irst occasion, however, she felt it was important to be there.

By the time she reached the porch steps, Tim and Ellen were in the garage examining Tim’s Harley.

“Hello, Vanessa,” Anne Marie gave the other woman an affable smile.

Vanessa had crossed her arms. “How come you have to be here?” she demanded. Any residual friendliness from their phone conversation had obviously evaporated.

“I felt Ellen needed to know I was close by in unfamiliar surroundings. It won’t always be like this.”

“I hope not.” With that, Vanessa turned and walked into the house, letting the screen door slam behind her. Not sure where to go, Anne Marie went in search of Ellen and Tim in the garage. Ellen sat on the Harley, the large black helmet on her head. She resembled one of those Roswell aliens, Anne Marie thought with amusement. Ellen saw her and waved frantically.

“Look, Mom! Look,” she cried, her voice muff led by the helmet.

“Who’s in there?” Anne Marie joked, peering through the visor.

“It’s me! It’s me!”

Laughing, she looked at Tim who smiled back. Their eyes held a fraction longer than necessary as they both shared in Ellen’s delight.

Anne Marie had to force herself to glance away. Despite her reassurances to Vanessa, she still found Tim attractive, especially when she saw how happy Ellen was whenever the three of them were together.

Ellen talked incessantly about Tim. It was Dad this and Dad that. She’d taken to calling him Dad ever since he’d announced he was her father. That same night she’d marked the wish off her list. Anne Marie and Ellen had begun putting pictures of father and daughter in the girl’s Twenty Wishes scrapbook. After a few minutes, Tim helped Ellen remove the helmet and led the two of them inside. “Mom and Dad are eager to meet you,” he said.

His parents—and Vanessa—were waiting in the living room. Tim held Ellen’s hand, tugging her forward. Not wanting to intrude, Anne Marie hung back.

Vanessa sat on the sofa, arms still crossed as she glared suspiciously at Anne Marie—as if to ask what she’d been doing in the garage with Tim all that time.

“Hello,” Tim’s mother said softly. “You must be Ellen.”

“Mom, Dad, meet your granddaughter.”

Ellen sidled close to Tim, looking small and uncertain.

“My name is Mary,” Tim’s mother said, “but I hope you’ll call me Grandma.”

Ellen gave an almost imperceptible nod.

“I’m Thomas, and I’m your grandfather,” Tim’s father told her next.

“I didn’t know I could have three grandmas,” Ellen said in a tentative voice.

Anne Marie felt she needed to explain. “Ellen was living with her Grandma Dolores when we f irst met. After I adopted Ellen, my mother wanted to be called Grandma, too.”

“Would you rather call me Mary?” his mother asked, glancing from Ellen to Anne Marie.

Anne Marie decided to let her daughter answer that herself.

“I’ll call you Grandma,” Ellen said after a bit.

“That would be very nice.” Mary straightened. “I hope you like fried chicken because that’s what we’re having for dinner.”

Ellen nodded.

“When your daddy was a little boy, he loved my southern fried chicken.”

Relieved, Anne Marie exhaled slowly. Tim’s parents were good people and it was clear that they loved Ellen already. Thomas stepped forward and thrust out his hand. “I’m Tim’s dad, and you’re Ellen’s adoptive mother?”

She accepted it and returned his smile. “Anne Marie Roche.”

“We appreciate your allowing us into Ellen’s life.”

It hadn’t been an easy decision, but Anne Marie didn’t tell him that.

“Ellen seems to be doing just f ine, don’t you think?” Vanessa said sharply. This was her way of telling Anne Marie that her job was done and it was time to move along now. Taking her cue, she started to back away. “I’ll leave you all to become better acquainted. When would you like me to come for Ellen?” she asked.

Tim narrowed his eyes. “You’re not going, are you?”

“Please join us for dinner,” Thomas said. “We’d like to get to know you, too, seeing that you’re the one raising our granddaughter.”

“Yes, well…” Anne Marie turned to Vanessa, unsure how to respond. She wanted the other woman to understand that she knew her place and had no intention of encroaching on her relationship with Tim.

“Thomas,” Mary called from the kitchen. “I need you and Tim to move the picnic table out of the sun.”

The two men promptly left and Anne Marie found herself alone with Vanessa, wondering what, if anything, she should say. Vanessa released a long breath. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Pardon?” Anne Marie felt awkward standing in the middle of the room, yet wasn’t relaxed enough to sit.