Blossom Street Bundle. Debbie Macomber
her free hand Anne Marie gripped the steel bar along the side of the bed.
“I’m asking for your help now.”
Anne Marie swallowed. “But…I’m a stranger.”
“Ellen talks about you constantly. You and Baxter.” The faint hint of a smile came to her then.
Anne Marie was surprised she got a mention. She’d assumed the real attraction had been the dog. “But…I’m just her Lunch Buddy,” she murmured.
“You’re much more than that,” Dolores told her. “Please take my precious Ellen and look after her for me.”
“I…” Anne Marie didn’t know what to say. Her place wasn’t set up to take care of a child. She didn’t even have a real bed for Ellen. After living alone all these months—more than a year now—she wasn’t sure how she’d adjust to living with someone else. With a child.
At her obvious reluctance, Dolores said, “The doctor said once I have the surgery I should be good as new.”
“You’ll need recuperation time.” Mentally Anne Marie tried to calculate how long that might be. A week? Two? Maybe a month. She couldn’t possibly deal with this awkward situation for a whole month.
“Yes, I’ll need time to heal,” Dolores agreed, “but it’ll go much faster if I know Ellen is well taken care of.” She gazed up at Anne Marie with wide, imploring eyes. When Anne Marie didn’t immediately respond, Dolores added, “Please. I’m asking you from my heart. I’m begging you not to let them take my granddaughter away from me.”
Anne Marie couldn’t refuse. “All right,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound begrudging—or afraid.
Dolores released a huge sigh. “Thank you, Lord.” She pointed to the side table next to her bed. “I’ve written out a statement that gives you permission to see to any medical needs Ellen might have. I also wrote a statement authorizing you to keep Ellen while I’m in the hospital.”
An orderly stepped into the room. “Ready, Mrs. Falk?” he asked far too cheerfully.
“Where are you taking her?” Anne Marie asked.
The young man raised his eyebrows. “Surgery.”
“So soon?”
“I’ll be fine,” Dolores said. “Absolutely fine.”
Anne Marie felt dreadful; she should’ve been the one consoling the other woman.
“I’ll take care of Ellen,” she promised with a sense of desperation. “Just get well.”
The young man directed Anne Marie to the nurses’ station, where she was given a phone number to check on Dolores’s progress after the surgery. Anne Marie held on to that piece of paper as if it were a winning lottery ticket. “She’ll be okay, won’t she?” she asked the male nurse.
The burly man sent her a stoic look. “We’re going to do everything we can to make sure she’s home again as soon as possible.”
That was supposed to reassure her? “Thank you,” she said lamely. “I’ll phone later this afternoon.”
“I’ll have an update for you then. Ask for Dana.”
“I will. Thank you.” She put the phone number, plus the signed papers Dolores had mentioned, in her purse and left the hospital.
By the time she got to her car, Anne Marie’s stomach was so tense she actually felt nauseous. Yesterday afternoon she’d been working out at Go Figure, the women’s gym on Blossom Street, with Barbie Foster. Less than a day later, she was responsible for the care and well-being of an eight-year-old child.
At the bookstore, Anne Marie turned over the Open sign and counted out cash for the register. She had a constant flow of customers until about one o’clock, when she called the school and spoke to Helen Mayer.
“What did you find out?”
“Ellen’s grandmother had heart surgery this morning.”
“How’s she doing?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to anyone at the hospital yet. I wanted to update you, though—Ellen will be staying with me while her grandmother recuperates.”
“With you? What about her aunt Clarisse?”
“Apparently she…she’s moved and can’t be reached.” That was reasonably close to the truth and should spare Dolores some humiliation.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Not nearly as sorry as Anne Marie.
“It’s good of you to look after the child. I’m surprised you agreed to it.”
As much as she’d like to see Ellen with someone else, Anne Marie couldn’t tell a sick woman that she preferred not to take care of her only granddaughter.
“I’ll be picking Ellen up from school this afternoon and making arrangements for her to catch the bus on Blossom Street.”
“I can do that for you,” Helen Mayer told her. “If you need me to do anything else, just let me know. I think it’s wonderful that you’re willing to help out like this.”
Anne Marie ended the conversation and then called the hospital. Dolores had made it through surgery without a problem, Dana informed her. She was currently in recovery, and if there were any changes, he’d call. Anne Marie gave him her phone numbers.
Fortunately Steve Handley, who worked on Thursday afternoons, was able to come in an hour early despite the short notice, which freed Anne Marie to drive to the elementary school and get Ellen. The child’s face brightened when she saw her.
“How’s my grandma?” she asked.
“She’s in the hospital, and the doctors and nurses are taking good care of her.”
“When will she be home?”
“Soon.” Anne Marie bent down to look into the little girl’s eyes. “Until your grandmother’s home again, would you like to stay with me?”
Ellen didn’t answer right away. “I guess that would be okay.”
It wasn’t exactly an overwhelming affirmation, but it was good enough. “We’ll need to stop by your house this evening and pack a bigger suitcase.”
“Can Baxter come with us?”
“I think he’d like that.”
“I brought the book from the school library,” Ellen announced.
It took Anne Marie a moment to realize the book she meant was the one about dog tricks.
They drove back to Blossom Street in silence, Ellen staring straight ahead. After dinner, they’d return to the house and collect her things.
Dinner.
Anne Marie hadn’t given it a moment’s thought. No more skipping meals. No more pity parties, either. She had to be strong for Ellen’s sake. She had to hold her life together for a couple of weeks. Anne Marie figured she could manage that.
Two weeks. Maybe three.
Four at the most.
The time would pass quickly. She hoped.
Chapter 13
Thanks to her list of Twenty Wishes, Barbie Foster was thinking harder, doing more and experiencing life with greater excitement. Her list was nearly complete, and she loved the way it helped her analyze what she really wanted. For years, her focus had been on Gary and the twins. But with her sons away at school, she’d been at loose ends, never quite adjusting to the change in her routine. She missed her husband so much, even now. He’d always be a part of her—and yet she was only forty, with a lot of life