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It was a one-eighty from the withdrawn, anxious girl she’d been a moment before. I said a silent thank you to Hank, his inside info had made all the difference with my baby girl. By the time we pulled up into Mrs. Birch’s driveway, Luna was bouncing in her seat. She’d unhooked her harness and was already halfway out of the door by the time I grabbed my purse and got out.
“Come on, Momma.” She pulled me by the hand, dragging me up Mrs. Birch’s brick walkway.
Before we’d even made it to the porch the door opened and Betty White greeted us. Well, at least a Betty White look-alike did. Mrs. Birch was Betty White’s doppelganger.
“Well, hello, you must be Luna.”
“I am Luna!”
“Nice to meet you, Luna.” The red apples of Mrs. Birch’s cheeks lifted as she smiled widely and bent down. “And who is this?”
Luna proudly made the introductions. “This is Princess Penelope Pineapple.”
“Oh my, I didn’t know that I’d be meeting royalty today.” Mrs. Birch gave a slight bow. “It’s an honor to meet you, Princess Penelope Pineapple, I’m Mrs. Birch.”
Luna lifted up on her tiptoes and whispered in Mrs. Birch’s ear. “She can’t talk, but she says hi.”
“Oh, I see. Well, good thing she has you to talk for her. She’s one lucky pig.”
“I met a pig named Kevin Bacon.”
“Oh, yes, I know Kevin. Very well. I feed him sometimes. Maybe you can help me.”
Luna nodded as she beamed up at the woman. I already knew this was going to work out before I’d even introduced myself and I said another silent thank you to Hank.
After talking for a minute on the porch Mrs. Birch invited us inside. The front door wasn’t even shut before Luna made a beeline straight to the dollhouse that was set up in a play area right off the front sitting room.
“Can I play with the dollhouse?” she asked as she skidded to a halt in front of it.
“Of course, that’s what it’s there for.” Mrs. Birch turned back to me. “Would you like some tea?”
“I’d love some.”
“I have peppermint, green, chai, chamomile, oolong, herbal, earl grey—”
“Peppermint sounds delicious.”
I followed behind Mrs. Birch as she walked to the kitchen. I sat down on a bench at the farm-style table. Beside it, there was an identical mini version of the table with two chairs and a bench. There was a large wooden island separating the kitchen and dining area with what looked like the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies. The fridge was covered in coloring book pages, handprints, and pictures.
A warm feeling that I could only describe as comfort enveloped me. It was the same feeling I’d always thought I’d have if I’d ever gone to visit my grandparents. Which I hadn’t. My father didn’t grow up with his mom and had stopped speaking to his dad years before I was born. And my mother grew up in foster care.
When I lost my parents, I made a promise to myself that when I had children one of the qualifications that I’d have was that the father come from a close-knit family so my kids would know their grandparents. When I met Richie, one of the things that had attracted me to him was his family. I just never bargained for things to go sideways the way they had.
Mrs. Birch was humming as she made our tea and I noticed that outside in the backyard there was a playhouse, swing set, and sandbox. This place was a kid’s paradise.
“Thank you so much for meeting with me on such short notice.” When I’d called this morning, Mrs. Birch said that she’d been expecting to hear from me. She didn’t mention him by name but I assumed that Hank had given her a heads up.
“Of course, sweetie! Hank told me that Bernie is your grandfather and you moved into his place.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“He was quite a character that Bernie.”
It felt so strange to be around people that knew my family better than I did. I’d never even met the man, and I’d inherited and was living in his home.
She set my tea down and then took the seat across from me, as she stirred her own mug. “Hank also mentioned that you’re gonna be working down the street at Southern Comfort.”
“I am. I don’t know exactly what the hours are going to be yet, but I know that it will be nights.”
