LITMIR.BIZ

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like the way you think,” he said, disappearing into the bathroom, then poking out his head. “Depending on how long Summer stays, maybe I can persuade my daughter to show your niece around.”

      His daughter, Chelsea, was fourteen and very popular. Most girls would love to be part of her crowd. “That would be great. Do you think she’d be willing to do that?”

      He shrugged and uttered a deep laugh. “Only if she thinks it’s her idea.”

      I’d called Vi earlier and explained that I needed to go shopping for my niece’s visit. She suggested we have lunch at the food court at the mall.

      Vi slipped into the passenger seat of my Volvo. She leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I’m sorry to hear about your sister.”

      “Me, too, but maybe this’ll make her realize she needs to make some drastic changes. I spoke to my mom this morning, and Dana is much better. My mother hopes to persuade her to go into rehab, if not for herself then for her daughter’s sake.”

      “I’ll ask Father Thompson to keep your sister in his prayers.”

      “If only that were all it took to turn Dana’s life around.”

      “People change, dear,” Vi reminded me.

      “I hope so.”

      Dana had been through rehab two other times; once as a teenager, and three years ago. She’d refused to give up her friends, and within weeks of her discharge she was back to her old ways. “I’m glad you’ve come along because I’m going to need your help to pick out some truly special gifts for my niece. I was thinking of buying a few accessories for the bedroom she’ll be using, something frilly and girlish.”

      “A visit with you is what that poor child needs.”

      As I steered my vehicle into the mall parking lot twenty minutes later, I noticed Vi’s lips were pursed and her eyes filled with doubt. “What’s wrong?”

      “I don’t know if I dare say, dear.”

      I parked the car and dropped my keys into my purse. “There’s nothing you can’t discuss with me.” Except for Tony. Let’s not ruin what little progress we’ve made.

      Vi glanced down, toyed with the strap of her handbag.

      “Your niece needs to be in a stable home with an adult she can emulate.”

      Her worried gray eyes met mine. “Thirteen is such an impressionable age, and up until now, she hasn’t had a strong role model.”

      I sucked in my lower lip. What was she getting at? “I plan to help Summer any way I can. I still have a few vacation days left, and Monday I’m going to call my supervisor and explain I have a family emergency and need to take a few days off.”

      “That’s nice dear, but…what about Tony?”

      “What about Tony?” I braced myself for what she’d say next.

      She reached over and pressed her hand over mine. I felt a slight tremor in her fingertips. “What will that poor child think when she discovers her aunt is living with a man without being married? What kind of message will you be sending her?”

      “These are different times and people think nothing about couples living together.”

      “In my day we called it shacking up.”

      “We don’t call it that anymore.”

      Vi was quiet for a moment. “I won’t say any more about this matter. It’s clear we’ll never agree, and I don’t want to cause a greater rift between us. It’s your decision to make. Be sure you aren’t making a mistake.”

      I wonder what was best for my niece. But then, Tony had experience with girls Summer’s age. He might be able to provide some insight on what I should do. In the past few months I’d grown to depend on him and value his opinion.

      “I’ll discuss this with Tony and see what he thinks.”

      True to her word, Vi didn’t pursue the matter. She opened the door, swung her feet out, and threw me a brittle smile. “I’m ready to do some serious shopping. Are you?”

      “You want me to move out.” Tony’s voice was louder than usual—close to shouting.

      “No, I don’t want you to go, but I’m wondering whether you’d want to leave…just while Summer is here.” When he’d explained he didn’t want any more children, he’d said I was free to do what I wanted but if I babysat a friend’s kids, he’d make himself scarce. So I expected he’d be relieved at my offer.

      “And where am I supposed to go?”

      “To your house, of course.”

      He inhaled a ragged breath. “I didn’t have time to tell you my good news yesterday. I found someone to rent my house, and my tenant moved in today.”

      “Oh…”

      “You spend one afternoon with that old bag, and I’m already heading out the door.”

      I hated that he referred to Vi that way, but in a way I couldn’t blame him. He’d expected her to greet him with open arms. “This has nothing to do with Vi.”

      “Of course it does. And that’s why I’m upset. That old lady has you by the throat, and she’s squeezing hard. You’re an adult. You shouldn’t bow down to what your ex-mother-in-law thinks is inappropriate for the kid.”

      The muscles in my neck cramped. “I’m worried about Summer and the influence Dana’s had on her. Summer will be here for such a short while, and I want her to be able to open up. If you’re here, she’ll be less likely to come to me. I’m sorry. I know this isn’t fair to you.”

      After a moment, he said a bit begrudgingly, “All right. I don’t want to stand in the way of you helping your niece. This means a lot to you.”

      “You mean a lot to me, too, but this is an emergency. Under other circumstances, I would never ask you to go.”

      After a moment the hard planes of his face softened. He reached for me, rested his hands on my shoulders. “You’re right, of course. Your niece needs to come first.”

      I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thanks. I want Summer to get to know you.”

      He grinned. “You aren’t afraid I’ll corrupt her?”

      “Never, you’re a great guy, the best.”

      “I’m sorry if I gave you a hard time about this. Before you got here, I’d been thinking much along the same lines. Just knowing that Violet wants me out of your life put me on the defensive. I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she’d won. But this isn’t about her and me. It’s about your niece, and I want what’s best for the kid.”

      “I’m glad you understand.”

      “I don’t want to be away from you for even a few days. But I’ll move out first thing tomorrow morning. When you return from the airport, I’ll be gone.”

      “Thank you. Where will you stay?”

      He sent me the crooked grin I loved. “At the Holiday Inn in Portland. That way if you decide to visit wearing a skimpy maid costume, you won’t have far to drive.”

      This was the Tony I knew.

      And loved.

      “What do you think?” I asked Tony, surveying my handiwork.

      “Any girl would be happy with this room.” He set down the television he was carrying on the cedar chest that I’d moved against the wall across from the bed. He plugged in the portable DVD player I’d bought for Summer so she could have some privacy while she was here, especially if Tony’s daughter and her friends came to visit.

      I

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