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After Robert’s death, Anne Marie had diff iculty sleeping For a while she’d taken coated aspirins that were supposed to aid sleep without upsetting her sto a tablet fro roo while she waited to feel sleepy But even knitting didn’t quiet her thoughts Anne Marie sighed, feeling confusion, guilt, frustration If Ellen hadn’t mentioned her father, she would’ve dropped the whole one peacefully about their lives

What was it with kids? Ellen see in on the very topic Anne Marie wanted to avoid Finally Anne Marie yawned and went back to bed She crawled under the covers and closed her eyes with renewed deterhts of Tim Carlsen and his unreasonable request

She still couldn’t sleep

Her mind whirled with a thousand different subjects She’d talked to two real estate agents that day and had an appointardless of what entered her hts always came back to one subject Ti on her bathrobe, Anne Marie marched down the stairs to the bookstore She switched off the alarhts as she went into her off ice, where she’d left the phone nuiven her She punched out his hoht and her teeth clenched

His phone rang four ti her to leave a y Tiood," he said hoarsely

"Tim?"

A short pause followed "Anne Marie?"

"Yes," she snapped

"What tiht," she said, glancing at the store clock She wasn’t about to apologize for phoning so late He was the one who’d kept her up

"Is Ellen all right?"

"Yes"

"And you phoned because…"

"Because I’ve decided you can have Ellen’s DNA tested, but only under one condition"

He didn’t hesitate "Name it"

"She can’t know" That was Anne Marie’s stipulation and if Tiht then and there

"Okay"

She hadn’t expected hiree so fast

"When?" he asked

"I…" Anne Marie hadn’t thought that far ahead

"Could we meet this weekend?"

"That’s the Fourth of July We have plans" It was the truth; she and Ellen would be with Melissa and her family for a barbecue

"Okay," he said "Listen, anytime is f ine You say when and where, and I’ll be there"

Without any deliberation, Anne Marie ested they ain

"What should I tell Ellen?" she asked, wondering how she’d introduce him

"Tell her I’m your date," he said after a moment

"My date?" So he knew she was aHe’d implied as much when he’d asked about Ellen’s adoptive father and she’d refused to answer hiuess not"

"It’s settled, then?"

"Yes" She wished she felt more comfortable with this, but she was committed nohatever the outco related," she warned

"Not a word You have my promise"

Whether he kept his promises remained to be seen

Chapter 15

When I was nine years oldneedles and a ball of bright purple yarn and showed me how to cast on for a pair of mittens I can still reers and turned itselfinto a lu would becoe, my psychiatrist, sometimes my enemy, and ultiner, Publisher, Teacher Lydia Goetz

My yarn store is closed on Mondays, which I reserve for appointaret usually visits Mom on Mondays and I try to stop by on Wednesdays We include her in weekend activities whenever possible That Monday an with the three of us at the breakfast table--Cody, Casey andoccasional comments with each other, often about Chase Ani them to connect I’d seen that with Whiskers, too

Cody was dressed for day camp and Casey had her books set out for her remedial h both Brad and I had offered Her streak of independence was as wide as the Columbia River Most days I felt she si hard to f ind coround with her