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He gripped his fox toy in his free hand, and we walked up the porch steps. The front door swung open before we reached it, and Teresa greeted us with open arms and an enormous smile.
“Finally. I’ve been counting the minutes.”
She lifted Foxy into her arms and gave me a hug while holding him. “It’s nice to see you again, Laura.”
He clung to her like a monkey, gripping her curled hair. I followed them inside the spacious home.
“It’s nice to meet you as well. I’m sorry—”
“Now, now. Let’s not start our day with apologies. Settle in. We have lots to talk about. Coffee or tea? I made a milkshake for Foxy. Do you know if he likes strawberries?”
I returned her kind smile. “They’re his favorite right after raspberries.”
We continued through the foyer, where exposed beams ran the width of the room. The two-story front entrance reached the roof. A decorative net hung on the side wall. Below, water dripped into a koi fish pond. Above us, a giant antler chandelier hung from the supporting joist. I stopped and turned in a circle, taking in the homey space.
“Now, I heard you’re not supposed to give berries to children under two because they’re likely to develop allergies. How old is Foxy?”
“He turned two in August.”
She walked back toward me, looking up. “My husband made that.” She pointed to the chandelier. “The boys helped collect the pieces.”
“They killed the deer?”
“No, honey. Those antlers were shed.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you. My boys are very handy.” She turned back to Foxy. “And Grandma has to make up for your second birthday. Does he like cupcakes? He liked the ones Emma made last weekend.”
She confirmed my suspicion she must have found Foxy when she visited her sister-in-law’s, where my son had a new babysitter.
I followed her to the kitchen. She handed a cupcake to Foxy, set him down on the floor, and spun around.
“Now, if I do the math right, he was conceived in Colorado, correct? Coffee or tea?”
“That’s correct, but I didn’t poke holes in his condom. Coffee, please. I have a feeling I’m going to need lots of coffee.”
“Aha, I see he’s told you about Tiffany.”She poured me a cup of fresh brew and set the cup in front of me. “Hazelnut-vanilla is all right?”
“Yes, thank you. Mrs. Silver—”
“Please call me Teresa. Foxy already calls me Nana. Why are you so stiff?”
I glanced over at my son on the family room floor. He’d made himself comfortable in a pile of toys I assumed Teresa had bought during the week.
I set down the coffee cup and looked back at his grinning grandmother. “Teresa, why are you being so kind to me?”
“I figure if I’m kind, I get to spend time with my grandson. When you get to my age, you’ve lived through a few ups and downs, so I try not to judge. The situation may feel like everything you’ve dreaded, but to me, I have a grandson, and I couldn’t be more grateful you brought him.”
Would telling James the truth be as easy as this? Was I over-reacting and over-thinking?
“Thank you. I truly mean that.”
“I know. Jesus, just look at him. He looks just like James when he was two. Has he seen his son?”
“Foxy was dressed in a fox costume, so technically, he hasn’t seen him.”
“Clever. I love the name you chose.”
