Twenty Wishes (Blossom Street #5)(86)

Hector straightened, putting his arm around Lillie’s waist. “Son, this is my friend, Lillie Higgins. Lillie, this is Manuel.”

Manuel nodded politely in her direction but addressed his father. “I didn’t realize you had a woman friend.”

“Your father’s told me quite a bit about you,” Lillie said, feeling guilty although she wasn’t sure why.

“Funny, he hasn’t said a word about you.” Manuel gave her a cold look.

Hector placed one hand on her shoulder and spoke gently. “If you’ll excuse me, I will talk to my son privately.” He ushered Manuel out of the room.

She nodded and finished wiping the kitchen counter. She rinsed and wrung out the cloth, then draped it over the faucet and removed her makeshift apron. Slipping on her shoes, she stood in the kitchen and waited for Hector.

Manuel left without saying anything else to Lillie and she could see from the look in Hector’s eyes that the conversation hadn’t gone well. “I’m sorry,” she whispered and walked into his arms.

“I’m the one who owes you an apology,” he murmured, holding her close. “My son was inexcusably rude.”

“What did he say?” she asked.

Hector shook his head, obviously unwilling to repeat what his son had said. Lillie closed her eyes and remembered Barbie’s immediate response when she’d told her she was interested in a man who worked for a car dealership.

“Give him time to adjust to the idea,” she urged.

“Perhaps that’s the best thing to do.”

He took Lillie home soon after that; they were both quiet during the drive. When they reached her house, Hector walked her to the door. She thanked him for dinner, they kissed goodnight and then he left. Not until she was inside did she realize that he hadn’t asked to see her again.

Lillie felt sick.

This was the end; she was sure of it. His family and their opinion mattered more to Hector than his own happiness. Even if he was torn, and she knew he was, Hector would appease his children rather than fight for a relationship with her.

When she didn’t hear from him the next day or the day after that, Lillie decided to make this as painless as possible for them both. She wrote him a letter.

She’d only intended to write a brief note but by the time she finished she’d written three full pages. She described her list of Twenty Wishes and said that one of her wishes had been to meet an honorable man. She’d found that man in him.

In the last paragraph she explained that she had no desire to damage his relationship with his children and felt it was best that they not see each other again.

With tears in her eyes, she dropped the letter off at the post office. After a quick phone call to Barbie, she booked a trip to the coast.

Chapter 29

Anne Marie was fortunate enough to nab a spot in the Woodrow Wilson parking lot. She was back to the routine of Lunch Buddy dates and had brought Baxter with her for this visit.

Yesterday, when Ellen and Anne Marie had spoken, the eight-year-old had told her how much she missed her canine friend.

Bringing Baxter today was a surprise, and Anne Marie could hardly wait to see the child’s face light up.

The transition from Anne Marie’s home to her grandmother’s had gone smoothly. Anne Marie wished she could say Ellen’s departure had been as straightforward for her. The apartment just wasn’t the same without Ellen; it was still too quiet, too empty. Her life felt that way, too. The child had found a vulnerable space in her heart, and Anne Marie had discovered how much she craved love. She wanted to give it as well as receive it.

Of course, she was in regular touch with Ellen and would continue to be so. She’d already arranged a trip to Woodland Park Zoo for that Saturday. Anne Marie was looking forward to it and she knew Ellen was, too. Dolores needed the break and seemed to appreciate Anne Marie’s interest in the girl.

Ellen’s grandmother was a pitiable woman. She blamed herself for what had become of her two daughters, and all the love in her heart was reserved for her only granddaughter. Dolores lived for Ellen. Since she’d been released from the hospital, Dolores had told Anne Marie that she’d searched for more than a year before she’d found Ellen. Once she did locate the child in the California foster care program, it had taken nearly another year to convince Child Protective Services to grant her custody of the little girl. Ellen had been with her grandmother for three years now, and the older woman had given her the security she so desperately needed.

As Anne Marie headed into the school, with Baxter on his leash, she saw Helen Mayer, the counselor, hurrying toward her.

“I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’re here,” Helen said. “The woman who answered the phone at the bookstore told me you were on your way.”

“Is something wrong? Is Ellen okay?”

“Please—come into my office.”

With a growing sense of panic, Anne Marie picked up Baxter and followed Helen into the building. She couldn’t imagine what had happened, but all her instincts said it was bad.

The counselor waited until Anne Marie was inside her office, then closed the door and walked slowly to her desk. She sat down and turned to look at Anne Marie.

Tension twisted Anne Marie’s stomach as she lowered herself into a chair. “What is it?” she asked, placing Baxter on the floor near her feet.