Twenty Wishes (Blossom Street #5)(92)

“If you must know,” she said, and smiled down at him, “we’re meeting them at a Burger King.” She’d been looking forward to introducing him to Anne Marie for quite a while.

He frowned. “I don’t eat fast food.”

Barbie knew Mark was a real stickler about his diet. For one thing, he had to be careful about his weight.

“We aren’t eating there. I’m making dinner at my place.”

Mark’s frown deepened. “I can’t get into your house,” he muttered.

“Mark,” she said, coming to a halt. “Would I invite you if you couldn’t get your wheelchair into my home?”

He studied her closely. “You have a ramp?”

She nodded.

His eyes revealed his shock. “You’re serious about us. You must be, if you’re going to all this trouble.”

“Are you finished arguing with me now?” She started walking again and had gone several feet before she realized he hadn’t budged. “Are you coming or not?”

Slowly, he wheeled toward her. “You really know how to get to a guy.”

“I’m happy you think so.” The joy that coursed through her was enough to send her dancing through the streets.

When they reached the Burger King restaurant, Barbie held open the door. As soon as they were inside, Ellen skipped toward her. “Barbie! Barbie—” She stopped abruptly when she saw Mark.

“Ellen, this is my friend Mark.”

“Hello,” Ellen said and solemnly held out her hand, which Mark shook. “I saw you before.”

“Did you? Where?”

“At the St. Patrick’s Day party in Freeway Park.”

“Did I see you?”

Ellen shrugged. “You were watching Barbie.”

That wasn’t the way Barbie remembered it. “You were?”

“You didn’t even watch the singers,” Ellen elaborated, studying Mark. “The whole show, all you did was look at Barbie.”

Mark shifted uncomfortably and was saved from having to respond by Anne Marie who’d just joined them.

“You must be Mark,” she said. “Barbie’s told me about you.”

“Has she really?” He twisted around to stare up at her.

“She’s only said the most flattering things,” Anne Marie told him with a grin.

True, Barbie thought; she hadn’t made a secret of how she felt about Mark.

“We’re just finishing our meal.” Anne Marie led them to the table littered with the remains of their dinner. They’d evidently ordered hamburgers and fries.

“Anne Marie and I signed up for karate lessons,” Ellen explained, her excitement unmistakable.

“Karate?” Barbie repeated. “How come?”

“It’s on my list.”

“And I decided I might as well join her,” Anne Marie said.

“We already had one lesson. We’re going to the karate place right after we have our drinks.” She pointed at a carton of chocolate milk.

“Karate, huh? I wouldn’t want to meet either of you alone in a dark alley,” Mark teased. “I can picture it now. You’ll warn me off by telling me you’ve had two—count ’em, two—karate lessons. I’ll be shaking in my boots.”

Ellen giggled.

Barbie noticed that Mark was grinning, too. He so rarely showed any emotion, and it pleased her to know he liked her friends. But then, she’d predicted that he would.

Mark turned to Anne Marie. “You’re the one who started this Twenty Wishes business.”

“Four of us—all widows—came up with the idea together,” Anne Marie said.

“Do you have any wishes?” Ellen asked him.

“Yes, indeed,” Mark said. “Several.”

“Have you ever made a list?”

“I can’t say I have, Ellen. Do you recommend it?”

“Oh, yes,” Ellen returned seriously. “It’s helpful if you have a real list. Otherwise you might forget.”

“That’s true,” Mark concurred.

“Your heart has to let your head know what it wants,” the child added.

“You sound very wise for one so young,” Mark said, raising his eyebrows. “Where did you learn this?”

“Anne Marie told me. It’s true, too. I didn’t even know how much I wanted a mom until I put it on my list of Twenty Wishes.”

“You wrote that down?” Anne Marie asked, apparently surprised by this revelation.

Ellen nodded, her eyes downcast.

“You never showed me that.”

“I know,” the girl said. “I wrote your name in pencil beside my wish ’cause if I could choose my own mom, I wanted you.”

Anne Marie slid her arm around Ellen. “If I could have any little girl in the world, it would be you.”

“Anne Marie’s adopting Ellen,” Barbie explained for Mark’s benefit.

“We’d better scoot.” Anne Marie smiled. “Like Ellen said, we’re on our way to karate.”

“Karate Kid and Mom, the sequel,” Barbie joked.

“After that, we’re going to see Melissa and help her work on wedding plans,” Ellen said excitedly.