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She watched as Stacy pulled boxes from shelves, gradually filling the shopping cart to the brim. Gayle tried not to think about the cost. It wasn’t about wasting money on the holiday season, it was about spending money to make her granddaughter happy.
“Now to gifts.”
“Yes.” Gayle waited for all her insufficiencies to be exposed. “I’d like to buy her a range of things.”
An older woman turned to smile at her. “I’m the same. If you can’t spoil your grandchildren at Christmas, when can you spoil them?”
Sensing a source of reliable information and advice, Gayle leaned forward. “How many do you have?”
“Three. Two boys and a girl. My husband teases me because I buy so much for them, and in the end do you know what they play with most of the time?”
Gayle didn’t even attempt a guess. “No.”
“The dog.”
“The dog?”
“Hamish. He’s nine and half-blind. He’s a rescue and no one is too sure what breed he is, but those kids love him.”
Gayle’s smile slipped.
Was she going to have to get a dog to win over her granddaughter’s heart? She thought about it. A puppy, lolloping around her apartment. A puppy, chewing her furniture. Worst of all, a puppy relying on her for everything.
A sudden chill washed over her. She didn’t want anything or anyone relying on her. She didn’t want to carry that weight ever again.
On the other hand she did want
her granddaughter in her life.
She winced. No need to buy a puppy at this stage. It was tea—that was all. A visit.
“Apart from playing with the dog, what else does your granddaughter enjoy?”
“Dressing up, painting—” the woman waved a hand “—pretty much anything. She’s a good girl. And she loves doing things with her nanna.”
“Things?”
“We bake together.”
“You mean cakes?” Gayle rarely ate cake and she hadn’t baked one since childhood. “Your granddaughter enjoys that?”
“Loves it. It’s cozy, isn’t it? Companionable.”
“Is it?” A wisp of a memory uncurled itself from the depths of Gayle’s brain. Her mother’s hand on hers, helping her to sift flour.
“Yes. It’s something we’re doing together. Just the two of us. It’s a chance to chat. Oh, the things she tells me while she’s stirring cake mixture.”
“Right.” Gayle had a sudden image of her new life. It involved puppy training, cookery classes and a little girl who had interesting things to say.
Tea, she reminded herself. They were coming for tea—that was all.
Going over-the-top would be as bad as doing nothing.
The woman was still talking. “My granddaughter’s favorite thing of all? A trip, just the two of us. We go to the ballet to see The Nutcracker. Have you seen it?”
“I can’t say I have.”
“You’re missing out. You should do it.”
