the aid car?”
“I did.”
“You?”
“Grandma didn’t look good and she didn’t answer me when I talked to her and I got scared.”
“That was a smart thing to do.” Anne Marie had to credit the child with fast thinking. “Do you know how your grandmother got my phone number?”
“No.” Ellen lowered her eyes. “But I’m glad she did.”
Now that she’d seen the situation for herself, Anne Marie was glad, too, and grateful she’d come when she had. She could only imagine how much greater the trauma of this evening would’ve been for Ellen if she’d been handed over to Child Protective Services and placed in temporary foster care.
“Are you ready?”
Ellen nodded solemnly and reached for Anne Marie’s hand. The child turned off all the lights on the way out. She stopped on the porch and took out the house key, hidden beneath a ceramic flowerpot, then locked the front door. When she’d finished, she replaced the key.
“Will I be able to visit Grandma in the hospital?” she asked, staring up at Anne Marie with huge eyes.
“I’ll find out for you in the morning, okay?”
“Please,” she whispered, and the plaintive little voice broke Anne Marie’s heart.
As they drove back to Blossom Street, Anne Marie suspected the girl would fall asleep on the silent ride there, but Ellen appeared wide-awake. When they got to the bookstore, Anne Marie pulled into the alley behind it.
“This is your house?” Ellen asked.
“I have a small apartment above the bookstore.”
“You live over a bookstore?” she whispered, as if Anne Marie resided in some enchanted castle.
“I do. I’ll bet Baxter’s standing by the door, too.” The Yorkshire terrier seemed to recognize the sound of her car and waited eagerly by the back entrance.
Sure enough, the minute Anne Marie unlocked the door Baxter rushed forward, leaping up and down with excitement.
“Baxter!” Despite the anguish of the evening, Ellen couldn’t hide her delight at seeing the dog again. She fell to her knees and the terrier welcomed her, licking her hands and face.
“Ellen’s spending the night,” Anne Marie told him. Turning to the girl, she said, “Let me show you your bedroom.”
“Okay.” Reluctantly leaving the dog, Ellen followed Anne Marie through the apartment.
The second bedroom, which served as Anne Marie’s home office, wasn’t set up as guest quarters. But thankfully she had a sofa that folded out into a bed. Taking a set of sheets from the hall closet, she quickly made it up and added a couple of blankets and a pillow.
“Would you like some warm milk?” she asked when the bed was ready. “It might help you sleep.”
Ellen made a face and shook her head.
“Sounds dreadful, doesn’t it?” The only reason she’d offered was that her own mother used to give it to her. She hadn’t liked it, either.
“Would it be okay…” Ellen hesitated.
“What is it, Ellen?”
“Could Baxter sleep with me?”
Anne Marie smiled. She should’ve suggested it herself. “That would be just fine.”
“Thank you.”
Anne Marie yawned. She was exhausted and knew Ellen must be, too. “Let me tuck you into bed,” she said, “and I’ll put Baxter up there with you.”
“Thank you,” Ellen whispered. She slipped off her sweatshirt and slippers and climbed into the newly made bed.
Once she was under the covers, Anne Marie folded them around her shoulders. She set her Yorkie on the bed. As if understanding that the child needed a friend, Baxter immediately curled up next to her.
“Good night, Ellen,” Anne Marie said, about to leave the room.
“Would you say a prayer with me?” the child asked.
“A prayer?” Anne Marie couldn’t remember the last time she’d prayed.
“Grandma always does.”
“All right, but you say the words.”
“Okay.” Ellen dutifully closed her eyes and although her lips moved, she didn’t speak out loud. After a moment, she said, “Amen.”
“Amen,” Anne Marie repeated.
“I prayed for my grandma,” Ellen told her.
“I’m sure God listens to little girls’ prayers,” Anne Marie said, choosing to believe that He did. She turned off the light, then realized she didn’t know when Ellen was supposed to be at school. “Ellen,” she whispered. “What time does school start?”
“Eight-twenty.”
“I’ll set the alarm for seven. That’ll give us plenty of time.”
“Okay.”
Anne Marie left the room and eased the door partially closed so she’d hear if Ellen needed her during the night. She found a night-light for the bathroom and plugged it in.
Sitting at her small kitchen table, Anne Marie inhaled a deep, calming breath. Elise Beaumont had a lot to answer for—and she planned to let her know it. This Lunch Buddy business had become a far more complicated proposition than Anne Marie had been led to expect.
She liked Ellen and she was happy to help—well, happy might be an exaggeration. She felt obliged to help, especially since the child’s grandmother claimed she didn’t have anyone else to ask. But in the morning, Anne Marie was driving Ellen to school and getting the name of the contact person listed for emergencies.
This was standard practice. The school would have the name of a responsible adult who’d take Ellen while her grandmother was in the hospital. Someone far more qualified than Anne Marie. Someone better equipped to look after a frightened child.
Anne Marie had her own problems. And as much as she wanted to help, she wasn’t prepared to be the child’s guardian for more than one night.
Chapter 12
Anne Marie woke before the alarm buzzed at seven and discovered Ellen sitting up in bed petting Baxter and talking to him in a voice that quavered slightly.
“Good morning,” Anne Marie said as cheerfully as she could. She stretched her arms high above her head.
Ellen didn’t respond.
“Would you like some orange juice?”
